I live in Midland and saw a midwife here in town for my first babe. I thought I was doing this awesome totally natural thing going to a midwife and felt completley vouge about the whole thing. I was young and ill informed and put all my trust in this woman, and when I was 41wks and 6 days with no signs of labor she suggested an induction. She suggested using Cytotec and made it sound really awesome as if we were some how bucking the system because it was not really suposed to be used for labor induction but that we could do it anyway. I wish I had known then what I know now! The woman I trusted to help me have the best natural hospital birth was actually the one who started me on the domino effect into my C-section.
This time around I am much more informed and while I really really really want to have this baby at home, we just can't afford it. We are living pay check to pay check making the rent and keeping my little one fed and happy. We don't mind being thrifty and doing all the things we do to save money, its actually really fun shopping at thrift stores and bargain hunting, but theres just not much we can do to cut anything out and save for a homebirth. As such I felt like I had 2 options: an unassisted birth or a hospital birth. An unassited childbirth doesnt seem like an option because my husband who also really wants a home birth feels like the thing that makes a homebirth safe is someone who knows whats going on and knows what to do if something does go wrong. I agree.
That leaves us with a hospital birth. Which is what insurance will pay for. I asked my midwife from my last birth for recomendations (before I had learned what I know now about a lot of things) and she said that she believes being a vbac patient opts me out of midwifery care. AS IF! So she reccomended an OB in her office and said he's really supportive of VBAC. I figured it wouldnt hurt to feel him out. Well he sure says he supports VBAC but he requires an IV upon admitnace and VBAC patients require external monitoring, and that I can't go past my due date because I had a 9lb baby first time around and my pelvis hasn't "proved" itself yet! I wanted to scream!
I asked for reccomendations from friends and called a couple of other midwifes in the area. A couple of them don't handle VBACs, a lot of them have lengthy intake processes at the end of which, my care provider, OB or Midwife, will be assigned to me based on who is available around my due date! UGH! The office I called today upon high recomendations told me that they would need my medical records (no problem) and that a review board will asses them and decide if they can take me on and who will be my provider!
Am I crazy? I'm just trying to welcome my baby into the world! I'm just trying to labor in peace and quiet, with my husband and daughter close by. I'm just trying to do this the way God inteneded! If anybody has any reccomendations they would be HIGHLY appreciated, I feel as if i've nearly exausted all my options and I'm not a step closer to either a home birth or a hopsital birth our way.
Follow Mothering