Ok so I missed a week. Yeah yeah yeah, so sue me! I've been tired and nauseous, and just feeling poopy all the way around. I just haven't been in the mood to do anything these days, but sleep, and try to take my mind off the nausea. Last night was the first night I puked in a few weeks. I thought it was getting better, but alas it was too good to be true. Will it ever go away? I'm hanging in there with 3 more weeks to go until the 2nd trimester when all this nonsense is supposed to be gone. On a happy note, I can feel my bump getting bigger! No picture yet, you gotta wait until next week.
So back to the topic, I have been pondering this decision for quite some time now, even before I was pregnant. For years actually. I have always wanted to see what it was like to have a home birth. An "out-of-norm" experience in child birth. I don't have anything to "prove", nor do I want to gloat about how I gave birth naturally and you didn't. Those that know me, know that's not my character. However, when I mention this to people they often give me funny looks, or make blunt comments such as "HA! Good luck with that", or "TRUST ME, You're going to want an Epidural!" My response to them now would be, I am preparing my mind, body, and spirit to have a non-medicated natural birth, because you wouldn't run a marathon without training your body first. Others are terrified about the possibility of something going wrong, or if God forbid an emergency were to arise, and the need for an intervention were necessary what would a midwife be able to do in than? It's much "safer" to have your baby at the hospital. Is it really though? The truth is that for a low-risk pregnancy, a non-medicated vaginal birth is actually safer. Midwives are becoming more and more popular here in the U.S but once again we fall behind other developed industrial countries in this area. Birth by a midwife in the U.S. is an astonishingly low 1% where as the UK, New Zealand, and Australia being 10% or more. These countries also have a far lower infant mortality rate than the US.
See what most people don't realize is that a Certified Nurse Midwife is someone who is a nurse, and was than certified as a midwife by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. A Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwives have received years of training as apprentices, and Midwifery School and are certified by the North American Registry of Midwives.
Most midwives use non-medicated birthing techniques, yet still carry IV's, and pain medication. They also work closely with hospitals in their area in case the need for an intervention were to arise, a transfer to the hospital would be fast and efficient. They are trained to catch unusual things early, and suggest a transfer to the hospital if they see something is not right, so it won't be too late to get to the hospital.
Obstetricians go to medical school and are mostly taught interventions. Most people don't realize that an OB is a surgeon. They are trained to find complications and do something about it. They are trained to use medication, not just when necessary, but all the time. If a birth isn't going quickly enough for them, they start a Pitocin drip. Pitocin serves as a substitute for the hormone Oxytocin. Oxytocin is the body's natural hormone that stimulates uterine contractions. Pitocin increases those contractions unnaturally. If a woman has received an Epidural, she can't feel the strength of the contractions. If too much Pitocin is administered, and Mom can't feel the contractions, it puts the baby at risk creating a stressful birth for the baby. A lot of times this puts the baby in fetal distress ie. causing the baby's blood pressure to drop, and proceeding with an unnecessary intervention that could have been avoided in the first place.
I am not knocking OB's by any means, nor am I saying doctors are jerks or assholes. I am merely saying, the hospital experience is not what want. I personally want an intimate setting, with minimal interruptions, and the intimate personal care a midwife. I trust my body and know that it will not let me down. It is a spiritual experience that I want to have with my family, close friends, my husband and my baby, without the chaos that usually goes on in a hospital
So, that being said, Tyer and I had a meeting with a couple of midwives yesterday. We asked them all sorts of questions, they reviewed my medical history, and also asked me questions. They were very sweet ladies. I encourage you to go to their website and read their bios, and look around their website.
Seven Cities Midwifery Care
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