I was finally able to find a midwife in Washington who had enough room to fit me in. I am really looking forward to having a midwife, especially as a first birth experience. It will be nice to have someone knowledgable who will be able to be there constantly and not have to leave the room to check on other patients. Chris is just happy that he won't have to argue with any doctors wanting to give me pitocin or an IV.
I'm relieved not to have to go to a hospital, because I feel that hospitals are for people who are either sick or injured. Childbirth, where the woman and baby are healthy, doesn't fit into the "sick or injured" category. I think doctors tend to view childbirth as a medical emergency, which is sad. I realize I'm a little biased though. The downside to all this natural birth preparation and education is that it makes you afraid of OBs and hospitals. Most of the hospital stories I've read are about women who ended up getting unecessary cesareans. But I need to give doctors a little credit--after all, all of my sisters-in-law (on my side) have had hospital births, and none have had c-sections. So I probably shouldn't be so squeamish about it. I am grateful that hospitals are there for when there are complications. All the same, I am still relieved to avoid the whole hospital experience, and hopefully all will go well to keep it that way.
I am very excited about my midwife. I emailed yesterday asking if she was available and she called me last night to talk to me, so that was great. I'm so used to the hospital run-around, and it was so nice to be able to speak to her and set things up so quickly. She is very experienced and has attended over 3,000 births since 1983, so that is pretty cool. I think that is pretty close to Ina May (for those of you who've read her book)! She offers both home births and births at her own facility with a jacuzzi for waterbirths. The jacuzzi is tempting, but I will probably go with the home birth. My parents have graciously agreed to this plan, as we will be staying with them in Washington.
I think it will be a nice experience and I am looking forward to being in such a comfortable environment. After all, when I'm uncomfortable, I'd rather be at home anyway. And it will be nice to have my mom there with me, too. It will be great to share this experience with people I love and trust in an envrionment where I can feel totally relaxed. I can't wait!
3 comments:
You are a braver woman than I. I think since I worked in the medical field a hospital felt more comfortable for me even though I had a natural childbirth. You'll do great!
Cami, I used to feel just like you. In fact, a couple of years ago, I would have totally wanted a medicated birth too. I'm not quite sure what made me realize that I wanted a home birth or when. I guess the more I read, the less scared I feel of not having a medical team at my fingertips. I also figure that if I'm going to go without pain medication, I'd be able to deal with it better at home where I'm more comfortable anyway. It's kind of odd that I'm doing this at all, because I never would have pegged myself for a woman to do natural childbirth, let alone a homebirth. :)
I loved Ina May's guide to childbirth! While our home was too far away from the hospital for comfort (a 20-minute drive seemed too risky if there were an emergency), there was a birthing center I wanted to give birth at, right across the street from a hospital. Unfortunately, they were full, so my next choice was with a midwife clinic who delivered in-hospital. Oh, how I loved my midwives! So sad that my baby was breech and I had to have a c-section (there was no one in Tucson willing to deliver breech, so I took that as a sign that a c-section was a good idea, despite Ina May's beliefs). While most breech vaginal births turn out okay, I did not want to be one of the rare cases where the baby suffers brain damage from lack of oxygen with the cord coming out first - I just not want to be to blame, should that happen! I do look forward to doing a natural VBAC for my next child, with the same wonderful midwife clinic.
I do hope you are not too far from a hospital, should something happen - my old roommate recently had a baby boy naturally in the hospital, and because of the stress of delivery he had a blood clot in his heart and they had to operate immediately to save his life. After open-heart surgery and a month-long stay in the hospital, their baby is fine - $150,000 later! While his condition is extremely rare, it would be devastating to have that happen to your baby and then not have a hospital nearby.
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