Do you have an appointment yet?

[Phoenix~Mama]

If you are doing a midwife or OBGYN or whatever path you are pursuing?


I'm just so incredibly excited because I just made my appointment with a midwife!! If the rest of the practice is like the receptionist I'm heaven! She was so sweet! I of course fumbled like a new fool... "um, I'm pregnant, I need a midwife?" lol She was all congratulatory and put me right at ease.

[kJad29]

Hi!!

I just came on board. I called my midwife this morning and already have my first prenatal scheduled for the 13th. I knew that I couldn't wait because if I did, she may fill up quickly and I'll have to go with a midwife that hasn't worked with me for my well woman and also pre-pregnancy.

Everyone in that office has been rooting for me since I got there so it's really nice to be able to say that I'm pregnant for real this time!!!

[laurelg]

I was JUST going to post something like this, Jen! I'm actually kind of at a loss for what I should do... I'm still only 12 DPO, so I'll wait another weekish probably to see anybody, but...

My goal is to have a homebirth with a midwife. I'd like midwifery care for all my prenatal care, too. (I will probably "interview" my current OB/GYN and tour the hospital's birth center, just in case, but I don't anticipate needing them.) The only formal medical care I'm considering is a confirmation blood test and a 20 week ultrasound. We may ultimately skip the u/s, but I think I will want it just to put my mind at ease that everything is okay for a homebirth. (This is my first, so I might be a little anxious about it all... but if it all goes the way I hope, I'm totally going UC next time!)

Anyway - is the beta test really necessary? Can they look at the hCG levels from one test and decide if they're high enough for x-days-past-0, or would I have to have two for comparison? I don't have any problem getting one, I'm just wondering if it's going to give me any new information, or just confirm what I already know: !

[jenniferadurham]

I have an appt with OB/GYN tomorrow. I'm wanting to birth at a birthing center and wanting to check with my DR to see if he participates in that...if not, I will have to find another DR. I want to birth at home, but I have SVT...it's a heart problem. I just want to make sure that I'm not putting either of us at risk. I refuse to birth at a hospital unless it is 100% can not avoid it. So I guess I will see tomorrow!


And I get to see the little bean. I'm excited for my hubby to see it, this is his first child.

[CozMama]

I have to wait awhile before I find out which route I can take with my care. Since we used injectables to get here we have a possibility of 3 beans in there. If it is a single then I will definitely be birthing at home and if I can get my way it will be done UC. If it is twins then I may have to go CMW birth center route if I can find one that will work with me. If it is triplets then I don't really have a choice. No matter what I will be laboring at home AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. Hiding in the bathroom in necessary to avoid interventions if forced to a facility.

It will be mid June before I have my answer. Until then I am kind of under my RE's care.

[Phoenix~Mama]

I think you don't need the blood test... at least when I called my doc she wasn't going to send me for one. She said the home tests are so reliable now and since I took a digital she was even more convinced. I needed the reassurance for some reason and DP wanted it too. I think cause of my odd case of forever without ovulating... we are still in shock I think. lol

My blood showed a HCG level was 600. Which puts my chart SPOT ON. I'm excited.

My appointment with the midwife isn't until the 20th. She does deliver at a hospital, but in a separate wing with a tub for laboring in and it's all natural unless an emergency happens. This was a compromise with DP who isn't so... used to this natural thing? His ex-wife was all about having every modern technology possible. And he figured I'd go the same way. HELL NO! So thankfully that got through to him.

[sarah2881]

I have an appointement with my MW on the 21st. I will be 8 weeks. Last time I started M/Cing two days before the appointment, so i am nervous and actually not really looking forward to it. I just want it to come and go. I am hoping that by the 12 week appointment we can hear the HB on Doppler.

[laurelg]

Originally Posted by JSMa

This was a compromise with DP who isn't so... used to this natural thing?

Haha... my poor DH knows once I get my mind set on something, I'm going to do it come hell or high water, so he listened to all my reasons and decided to get onboard with it. He's even leading the charge in some areas - ever since I mentioned I wasn't so sure about ultrasounds, and cited a few reasons, he has been the one leading the charge on avoiding them! I thought he would be all about finding out the sex, but nope... He said he wants to if we're getting the 20 week anyway, but he doesn't want to get any u/s we don't need. (The 20 week is arguable, but I think I am going to "need" it for my peace of mind.)

Aaaaanyway... I might get the blood test just to check my hCG levels, if they can tell enough from the single number to tell me I'm on track - I'll see if they can get me in with my actual OB/GYN so I can chat with him at that time as well.

Honestly, I wish HE did homebirths - he was so awesome when I told him I'd self-de-medicated off birth control pills and was using FAM instead. He was 100% supportive and said he wished more women would listen to their bodies like I had. I really like him, AND our hospital's birth wing is entirely a birth center - labor tubs, private suites, as many people can attend as desired, etc... So it probably wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to deliver there, but it's still not my goal. (I still need to find out their c-section rate, policy re: interventions, etc... but I figure it's at least worth looking into.)

So far I know of three midwives who serve my area - I guess I should start making a list of questions... And ick, I have to deal with the insurance company, which is NOT going to be my friend... Psh... I'll do all that later - I'm just going to sit here and have fun being pregnant for five minutes!

[ruthmg]

I've had chronic hypertension since I was 20, so I'm a high risk pregnancy and will be giving birth in a hospital.

I was induced with ds becuase my water broke at 35w5d for no reason and I started to have mild preeclampsia. Luckily I managed to have a non-medicated birth except for the pitocin. I tried to go to a midwife with my last pregnancy, but was told they couldn't care for me even though they were hospital based. I am going in for an ultrasound on Monday the 12th, then first appointment on teh 14th. I'm going away for 5 weeks this summer, over the 9-14th weeks, so I have no idea if that's going to be an issue. I'll find out!

[Bloomingstar]

I'm definitely going with a midwife! I met with one on Monday, thinking I'd interview a bunch and then decide but I loved her so much that I just set up a time for us to meet again with DH and hope that he likes her as much as I do so we can just get my prenatal care going. My insurance just changed last month and I lost both of the doctors I've had for the last 3 years, so I haven't seen a regular doctor or an OBGYN because I didn't find new ones once the insurance changed. I am not looking forward to battling the insurance company but I definitely want a homebirth. DH had a chance to hear Ina May Gaskin speak last year and once he watch The Business of Being Born, he got 100% on board with me

[Mimimamaiam]

I was supposed to have on appt on 5/9, but the monopoly of medical care in the town I just moved to is being ridiculous so I cancelled the appt and will be driving 90 minutes to get midwifery care. But now I don't have an appt until 6/13 when I'll be 10.5 weeks.
I will be delivering in the hospital as well. My dream was always to have a home birth, but after having a C-section with my first child, my dh and I are just too scared to stay at home for the entire birth. The good thing is my mom is a midwife and serves as my doula and checks me and we stay home as long as humanly possible.

[ruthmg]

My mom is my doula, too! Both she and my dad were in my labor room with dh (I asked my dad to leave during the actual birth - I couldn't handle that part...). She doesn't have formal training but was a nursing mother's counselor (like LLL leader) in the early 70s and had all of us naturally in a birth center with midwives. It's awesome to have that support.

[ainh]

Gosh I feel awfully traditional. I have an appt with a midwife (part of a group that is half midwives and half doctors, depending on what you want) for 5/22. They will do an u/s to confirm dates, heartbeat, etc.

I actually feel a little conflicted. I didn't like this practice (by website and talking to them) as another one. But the other one couldn't get me in until 6/3. Not a huge difference, but I'm going on vacation 5/24-6/1 and I kind of want to know if I can tell my vacation buddies about the pregnancy or whatever, you know? I guess I could switch later if I really don't like the looks of the first group.

[mom2annika]

I got the BFP on a Saturday and we met with the only midwife serving our county the following Wednesday I like to plan, what can I say?

But I have no idea what we'll do for prenatal care and delivery. I don't even know if we'll be living here. I thought we'd be moving (for DH's job) a year ago, but here we still are.

I've not completely made up my mind one way or another, but I have an app't with an OB/GYN in two weeks. When I talked to them on the phone the nurse insisted I must be two weeks ahead of where I thought I was in the pg (to have gotten the BFP when I did). Which could mean interventions (induction, etc.) if I'm right and they're wrong about the dates. And we live in a rural area where the medical care, especially obstetric care, could in NO WAY be considered progressive. So it's the midwife, with no U/S and no MD backup, only the ER if I risk out, or traditional medical all the way. <sigh>

I wish there were other options, and maybe there will be (if we move), but for now I just don't know.

Off to Google HCG to see what the level "should" be...wish I hadn't given away my copy of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" but it just looked too complicated for me. LOL

[Bloomingstar]

met with my midwife again today, so DH could meet her. I really like her a lot and he does too. I'm so happy I'll be working with her because she SO fits right into what my life is all about and the things DH and I value and are interested in--yay!

[jenniferadurham]

Went to the Dr yesterady! SAW MY BEAN!!! YAY!!!

However... when I made the appt, I fudged a little to the lady bc I wasn't sure if insurance would cover it ( we just got married and it didnt kick in until april18). I told her I think it might have started the second week of March..( it really started March 14). So she assumed that it was the 10th...making me 8 weeks on May 5. I knew that the baby was only 5 weeks yesterday...but didnt say anything, I wanted to see it, even though it was tiny. So we go in there, and DR says...the baby is still tiny. theres no way its 8 weeks. But he of course let us see it, heard the heartbeat! And I go in may 29th to see everything else.


It finally hit DH when he saw the bean, he now realizes that I'm lying about getting fat, that I really am pg. (kidding) He's too happy! Exciting for him, it's his first.

[jr'smom]

Not only am I not going to call anyone and make an appointment for a while, I don't even know who I'm going to call. The doctors (M.D.s) we used the first two times specialize in homebirths and are anticircumcision and antivaccination--which is great, but I ended up with c-sections both times. I feel they jumped to intervention too quickly at least in the first pregnancy. After the second delivery they told me to just plan a c-section in the future. I will probably consult with them again to hear what they say now, but may also go to a midwife to hear what she has to say. I'm sooo excited to be PG, but now my mind is swirling with, what do I do now?

[mclisa]

I have an u/s on May 23rd and I'll set up my app't after that. It's the same family practice doctor who I had with Sophia so I'll probably wait until June for my app't. I want to be 10 weeks so we can hear the heartbeat.

[jenniferadurham]

Originally Posted by mclisa

I want to be 10 weeks so we can hear the heartbeat.

I went to my DR appt yesterday, I'm 5 weeks, and heard the heartbeat.

[laurelg]

I went to our local renaissance faire and happened to run into an herbalist who sells "pregnantea" - she recommended a midwife from a little ways away, who does serve our area. The same midwife was later recommended to me by a friend's mom. Then the "main" midwife for our area came up as a recommendation from another vendor - though she was a little alarmist in her whole discussion because she'd ended up with a transfer for reasons I didn't find out. She did, however, give our local hospital a thumbs-up for respecting natural birth, so that's a relief "just in case." I think I'll start making some phone calls on Monday.