things I am enjoying: midwifery

This post can be a love letter to midwifery, specifically my midwife and back-up midwife during the birth. I had a home birth over the weekend with my first child. I found my midwife when I was 8 weeks pregnant and she became my primary care person from the 12 week prenatal mark. I interviewed midwives with my husband and chose our midwife based on her experience, credentials, statistics, personality, and experience with diverse cultures.

We have heard other home birth couples talk about why they chose their midwives whom they also love and some have actually said aura and their voice/presence on a voicemail. My husband and I do laugh when we hear this because experience, credentials, and statistics were our main criteria. That is just us. We can get on with the “feeling” stuff later.

In the next coming days after I process my lengthy labor I will post my son’s birth story and openly share what happened during those 68.5 hours. I could not do this during the birth as a #twitterbirth because a public record of the process as it happened may have hindered some of the options we had to explore. This is a result of the regulations put on midwifery even though statistically there are better, healthier outcomes than hospital births when using certified midwives (in states where midwives are allowed).

I will also blog what happened because there were several instances where we considered hospital transport. My midwife thankfully monitored me closely and frequently to ensure baby and I had great vitals despite potential for infection due to leaking amniotic fluid. I know I would have ended up with a c-section if I did not use this woman.

When our baby was born his lungs were very moist and he was not breathing as strong as any of us had hoped. The power of well-trained midwives really showed then. Sure mine has trained in foreign countries and uses “kind, hippie” terms for physiology that make her seem like she speaks like a wise woman from an ancient time, but when it was go-time she was on top of the oxygen tanks and the artilery of EMT equipment she had packed neatly in the corner of our home. Her equally kind back-up was there with her showing the consistency of their training for their state-recognized certifications.

Since the birth my midwife has been to our home two times for follow-up visits. The first visit included giving me a bath in an herbal tea mix she brewed on our stove. Today’s visit included teaching me sideline breastfeeding and checking in with me emotionally after she brought me a small bouquet of peonies from her garden. Baby and I are still doing fine and I feel a swelling of gratitude for the woman we chose.

Home birth is not for everyone, but it is a decision I am humbled to have experienced in this age of modern medicine in the United States. I have said it all along and will continue to say midwives are just a tool to aid in the birth process that every woman already knows how to do. With that stated, if you choose to use a midwife for birth at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital do your research, pick the criteria that are important to you, and ultimately rely on your intuition as you select this incredibly powerful tool to aid you in labor.

I love my midwife and the midwifery practice that has been around since the origins of all of our cultures.