I manage a country homestead and the lives of my 4 babies ages 10,8,5 and 3. I LOVE TO RUN and NEED to keep healthy and fit for my SANITY!! Seriously....All problems are solved when I am running.

Making MY health a priority allows me to be the mother and wife that I need to be for them.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Why I see a Midwife....A rant.

As you know I have a midwife. For those of you who don't know what a midwife is or never had one for your babies all I have to say is they are FABULOUS. Well trained, knowledgeable, supportive, comforting, fabulous human beings. Frankly if it was up to me, ALL women would see a midwife FIRST and THEN if complications arise they would be transferred to a doctors care. I just love how the midwives treat pregnancy like a natural part of being human. I love how they call you to make sure everything is well. I love how they come to your house for a visit. I love how they offer you ALL the options so you feel like you are FULLY INFORMED about what is going on and WHY things are done. They give you choice without pressure but still offer sound medical opinion. They are not tree hugging hippie weirdos. O.K some maybe :), but most are women who have been there and done that and have done their homework.

Just a thought to ponder....
Anyway,

As I am officially a week overdue I now have to consider the possibility of induction at 42 weeks. So...off to the Dr's office I went for a consultation because if I were to be induced I would be showing up at the hospital and transferred to a physicians care. The midwife will still be with me and by my side as support and advice and may even be able to still catch the baby n' stuff if all is 'normal' ,but officially I would be the dr's responsibility.

I had my chance to ask the doctor ALL of my questions and I'll be honest...He confirmed to me just how much I REALLY don't want to be induced. Here in our area they do things a little differently than the last place I delivered and was induced. Although I will have ultimate say on what happens and they will not do anything without my consent, I can't imagine this being my first delivery and just going with their procedures. I would be as blindsided and disillusioned as my FIRST delivery.

Without boring everyone with the details, I'll just say that I'm so glad I know what to expect, what will happen and even more glad to know that I have a CHOICE and a SAY as to what will happen to MY BODY and MY BABY.

I'll give you a LITTLE idea of what I am talking about...

After the nurse checked my pee, weighed me and carted me into a tiny cold room she handed me a gown and told me to strip down as the Dr. would want to check my cervix. When I informed her that I did not want nor need him to check me as I was checked by my midwife 2 days prior, had a stretch and sweep and was 2cms dilated and that if I was to go into labor in the next five minutes it would be my MIDWIFE to deliver and not the dr, and that he would not be inducing me until NEXT WEEK and by THEN I'm sure my cervix would be changed and the state of my cervix TODAY is really irrelevant.... She looked at me like I had 3 heads and said....." Then what are you Here for??"
Well my dear I am here for a CONSULT about what to expect NEXT WEEK if I don't go into a labor, to MEET the Dr. who would be delivering the baby and WHAT the procedures are. NOT for a strange man to stick his fingers in my vagina for absolutely no reason whatsoever. K????

Needless to say I did NOT expose my inner privates to a strange man, but I DID get all my questions answered and he was really nice about the hippie midwife loving 10month pregnant lady in his office. Too bad that he will be on vacation next week and I'll probably get some other doctor who does things COMPLETELY different than him.

O.K I'm finished now....

Just keep praying I go into labor NOW and all this can be avoided.

5 comments:

Nancy said...

Awesome rant!!! Yay Alyson!

I so wish I had had the courage to do what you did (i.e. telling guy to keep his cotton-pickin' mitts off you when it wasn't necessary) at a few points in my baby-conceiving/carrying/birthing years.

Yes - awesome!

Anonymous said...

Irregardless of your feelings on birthing---customer service alone is reason enough to have a midwife...

I concur completely..

After baby, having the midwife come to you rather than having to bundle everyone up for doctor's appts-wonderful. And because Mahone had such difficulty nursing, they were here numerous times throughout the day-including the very early hours of the morning helping him latch--try finding a doctor who will do that..

suzin

Anonymous said...

Did you know that in Britain, EVERYONE sees a midwife? Just like you say- it's only if you have some ridiculously complicated circumstance that you ever see an obstetrician. Ridiculous...When did a birth experience begin involving MEN...who gown themselves head to toe in sterile dressings, drape you with sterile dressings, force you to lie on your back strapped to monitors...I could go ON AND ON.
I walked around, danced with my husband, in my OWN HOUSE (I totally understand why you want to be at the hospital if for nothing other than having a BREAK from your life) and my midwife hung out with only a pair of small gloves on, my husband had a beer, and then once she was born, I had a shower in my OWN shower and laid down in my own bed. Just days after my daughter's birth I went on a 3 hour walk downtown. Compare that to my first birth that I litterally had post-traumatic thoughts after. HA. Midwives all the way...birth is normal- not a medical problem requiring intervention (90% of the time).
I'm glad that you're just as passionate about this as I am.
Okay...seriously...I'm done now...
K

Bess said...

Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Officially a laugh out loud post! :)

Seriously, I'm in total agreement with you on midwives. We went to the hospital last night to visit friends of ours who had a baby on Wednesday, and she was describing her labor and birth and how they couldn't get the IV in for the after-birth pitocin, and I kept thinking about how unnecessary half of the crap they do is! Way to go on speaking up and knowing what YOUR body needs! :)

Stacey said...

Awesome post :) I'm more and more thankful every day for my midwife.