Trust and the Birthing Process – Part 3

13 Jan 2012 1 Comment

by Heather in Pregnancy Tags: doula, midwife, natural birth, Pregnancy

During our first pregnancy I wrote two posts called “Trust and the Birthing Process” to talk about the decisions we’ve made about care providers, our choice for a natural birth, etc.  You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.  With this pregnancy we knew that we would, again, be changing care providers midstream.  We are moving in about 2 months to a neighboring state, putting us a little further away from our current midwives than we’d like.  We started prenatal care with the midwives that delivered the Stinkerdoodle but also started the search for a new provider that will be closer to our new home.

I found a practice that seemed like they’d be wonderful.  85% of their deliveries are home births and their c-section rate is under 5%.  More importantly, their philosophy is that they strongly believe that birth is a natural, normal process that doesn’t need medical intervention unless there is cause for concern.  They trust in women’s bodies to grow and birth children.  Although I have been very grateful for the care I received from our first midwife, this new practice was a step closer to what I think of as “pure midwifery care” and I was excited to find them.  After meeting one of the midwives I was certain that I wanted to work with them for this birth.

Turns out that there’s a hitch, though… they are out of network for most medical providers.  We did a predetermination of benefits process with our health insurance and got the response that they would reimburse for NONE of the midwives’ fees.  Cah-rap!!!  I heard this yesterday late morning, put the kiddo down for a nap, and then tried to figure out what to do.  I REALLY wanted to work with the new practice but we just can’t pay out-of-pocket their entire fee.  Okay, into crisis management mode…

I decided to call the hospital where I would have delivered to see if there are any other midwives that have privileges there.  Turns out there are; there are four midwives that are part of a practice that also includes seven obstetricians.  That immediately set up red flags because that feels like moving closer to the mainstream medical world rather than away from it.  I, being full of pregnancy hormones, went pretty quickly into a freak out, tears and all.  I posted on Facebook, got some wonderful support from some wonderful friends, and pulled myself together.  I called the new practice, asked a bunch of questions, got a few answers, and made an appointment for two weeks from now.

Now, I don’t know anything about this new practice.  I don’t have recommendations from people who have used them.  I’ve never heard of them before.  Here’s what I do know, though…

• I know that I trust my body.  If nothing else, pushing out a 10 pound, 10 ounce child for your first pregnancy will teach you that!
• I know that I trust my husband.  Pete was phenomenal through the first labor - pushing on my sacrum with every contraction for 15 hours (except for the few that our doula relieved him for), helping me slow my breathing, keeping my focused and relaxed, reminding me to drink, and so much more.  I also know that he won’t hesitate to tell people to quit offering me drugs (if they do that), he’ll ask a ton of questions before agreeing to an intervention, and that he’ll generally be my firewall.
• I know that I trust my doula.  During our first labor she was such a fabulous, calming presence.  She knew just the right way to suggest new positions for laboring and pushing, encourage me to eat and drink, bouy my spirits when they flagged, guide me through getting the most out of the stadol when I requested it, taking pictures during active labor, and so much more.

Even if these midwives are not the hippie, alternative-to-mainstream-medicine midwives that I’d originally hoped for, there’s no reason for me to assume at this point that they’ll do anything other than support our birth plan as long as medically possible.  However, I also know that I have an awesome team in my corner with my husband and our doula.  The three of us together with Acorn can make this as successful a birth as the last one, of that I’m confident.

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