Hello!
I am new to the forums and I came here seeking advice about home birth and midwives. Specifically, about my recent appointment!
But first, a little history. Feel free to skip if you want to though lol!
I'm pregnant with my third child. My first pregnancy was wonderful, I had no issues, right up until the very end. My platelet count was low and they kept mentioning pre-eclampsia (despite my blood pressure being normal the entire labor) and they induced me a few days before my due date. I was of course scared. I had my heart set on an unmedicated, vaginal birth and I had heard stories of induction leading to cesareans. Needless to say, the birth of my son was a bit hectic. I was on a pitocin drip all night for their convenience, they gave me narcotics for the pain which made everything a blur and I tore so bad the doctor told me I was "off the charts" and she had "never seen a tear so bad" nor could she believe I wouldnt accept anymore pain medication. If 4th degree tear is the worst, she told me I was pushing more like a 5th degree. It was pretty bad! And they had even given me an episiotomy. I recovered slowly and managed to let the slightly traumatic experience go.
Then I became pregnant again. I spent the entire pregnancy stressed because they thought she was "too small" and they couldn't see a part of her heart. I had multiple ultrasounds and many doctor visits only to find out it was just s bad angle and she had short legs and she was fine. Born a whopping 7lb 13oz!! Bigger than her brother. With her, I was 5 days past my due date and they induced me again but my water had broken that morning. They still rushed the pitocin and I was in extreme pain for two hours and then she was out. It was fast! Super fast. The doctor told me that if I ever had anymore that I might want to just consider scheduling another induction due to the quickness of labor with both my pregnancies.
So that brings me to baby #3 ! I'm due in January and it snows badly here. I'm certain I won't be making it to a hospital in time anyway and I don't want to be induced again. So I am seeking a home birth option. Midwives seem to be limited in my location but I met with one and im left feeling a bit uneasy and I was hoping some nice ladies here could assist in telling me what is "normal" for midwife appointments/home births.
The midwife was very nice, as were her apprentices. We got along great and she was interested in hearing my previous birth stories. However, apart from that she made no mention of my health or medical history. I'm a healthy person with no known issues other than a heart murmur that was recently diagnosed but I didn't think to mention that and as I said, she didn't ask for my health history. Is this normal? Should I tell her? Is it weird that she didn't want to know? Just curious about this.
She also answered my question about "what if there's a blizzard and I go into labor and you're not able to get to me for hours" rather peculiarly. Her office is about 40 minutes from me, and while she assured me she would "be on her way" it sounded like it was just fine to give birth without her there. I could just put her on speaker of I had any questions. This scares me. I mean I realize there is no controlling the weather or the baby's arrival. But has anyone else delivered before the midwife arrived?
Anyway, I guess I'm just curious if this is all normal stuff?
Please tell me your experiences with midwives and what to expect! Id appreciate it so much!
Thank you!
*Edited for relevancy.
I am new to the forums and I came here seeking advice about home birth and midwives. Specifically, about my recent appointment!
But first, a little history. Feel free to skip if you want to though lol!
I'm pregnant with my third child. My first pregnancy was wonderful, I had no issues, right up until the very end. My platelet count was low and they kept mentioning pre-eclampsia (despite my blood pressure being normal the entire labor) and they induced me a few days before my due date. I was of course scared. I had my heart set on an unmedicated, vaginal birth and I had heard stories of induction leading to cesareans. Needless to say, the birth of my son was a bit hectic. I was on a pitocin drip all night for their convenience, they gave me narcotics for the pain which made everything a blur and I tore so bad the doctor told me I was "off the charts" and she had "never seen a tear so bad" nor could she believe I wouldnt accept anymore pain medication. If 4th degree tear is the worst, she told me I was pushing more like a 5th degree. It was pretty bad! And they had even given me an episiotomy. I recovered slowly and managed to let the slightly traumatic experience go.
Then I became pregnant again. I spent the entire pregnancy stressed because they thought she was "too small" and they couldn't see a part of her heart. I had multiple ultrasounds and many doctor visits only to find out it was just s bad angle and she had short legs and she was fine. Born a whopping 7lb 13oz!! Bigger than her brother. With her, I was 5 days past my due date and they induced me again but my water had broken that morning. They still rushed the pitocin and I was in extreme pain for two hours and then she was out. It was fast! Super fast. The doctor told me that if I ever had anymore that I might want to just consider scheduling another induction due to the quickness of labor with both my pregnancies.
So that brings me to baby #3 ! I'm due in January and it snows badly here. I'm certain I won't be making it to a hospital in time anyway and I don't want to be induced again. So I am seeking a home birth option. Midwives seem to be limited in my location but I met with one and im left feeling a bit uneasy and I was hoping some nice ladies here could assist in telling me what is "normal" for midwife appointments/home births.
The midwife was very nice, as were her apprentices. We got along great and she was interested in hearing my previous birth stories. However, apart from that she made no mention of my health or medical history. I'm a healthy person with no known issues other than a heart murmur that was recently diagnosed but I didn't think to mention that and as I said, she didn't ask for my health history. Is this normal? Should I tell her? Is it weird that she didn't want to know? Just curious about this.
She also answered my question about "what if there's a blizzard and I go into labor and you're not able to get to me for hours" rather peculiarly. Her office is about 40 minutes from me, and while she assured me she would "be on her way" it sounded like it was just fine to give birth without her there. I could just put her on speaker of I had any questions. This scares me. I mean I realize there is no controlling the weather or the baby's arrival. But has anyone else delivered before the midwife arrived?
Anyway, I guess I'm just curious if this is all normal stuff?
Please tell me your experiences with midwives and what to expect! Id appreciate it so much!
Thank you!
*Edited for relevancy.