OH BOY, Not very many!! I've been surrounded by specialists and surgeons all my life. Including one of Australia's leading specialists in HIV research and others who worked alongside Fred Hollows. If it was school grades that drove these people they'd be financial consultants or lawyers.
it's fantastic for YOU that you have had great experiences with those you've been surrounded by - for a lot of us, that obviously isn't the case. i was not scaremongering, i was simply stating something i myself have observed. there are doctors out there that have NO IDEA how to relate to people. they have academic skills you wouldn't believe, can repeat every single function of the human body but when it comes to actually RELATING to people, putting them at ease, they have no idea! it doesn't mean they're not good at what they do, but that is not what you need when you're going into childbirth - you need to be comfortable. as you say, white-coat syndrome exists, and for some people, the thought of birthing in a hospital environment scares the crap out of them - birth isn't supposed to be a medical procedure.

as kelly so adequately said, you have been able to make your choice - the rest of us should be able to as well!


FWIW, i live in a rural area, and the only OB of any repute is leaving the area for a position down Melbourne way - better money, and definitely more prestige - and i don't blame him for it. from what i've heard, we're now left with two ob's that are far too scalpel-happy, with very ORDINARY reputations. unless i have a homebirth (which my DH isn't comfortable) i have no choice but to give birth at the local hospital, as there is NO OTHER OPTION. for ME, in MY CIRCUMSTANCES, i would love to have the option of birthing in a midwife led centre with close affilliations with the hospital IF it is deemed necessary that i need more help. White-coat syndrome doesn't just come from what you read online - it comes from being in an environment that makes you anxious for whatever reason - and knowing those ob's are the ones on call when i will birth scares the crap out of me already.