Congratulations on making that first catch! I remember when I caught my first baby as a primary -- I couldn't stop thinking about it for days! Every baby since has been just as exhilarating as well.<br><br>
I have never been in midwifery school -- I am finishing up an apprenticeship and have done self-study, but the one thing I have to say about working as a midwife vs. working as a student/apprentice is that you have a greater degree of control over your own schedule and your own workload. I know midwives who provide care for 80 moms and babies a year and I know midwives who provide care for 8. Once you finish your schooling you will have a lot of choices about how you want to work and you can settle on a model that is right for you and your family. You may even consider partnering up with another midwife and scheduling your most troublesome coverage times as off-call times for yourself (I know I would be happy to work weekdays for example, for a partner who would work weekends).<br><br>
You and I have kids who are almost identical ages (mine were born 3/00 and 5/04) and so we are probably facing a lot of the same issues re: childcare. PM me if you want to chat in greater depth.<br><br>
As for right now, I think that what your dh is really saying is that he wants to be able to rely on being able to get to work on time. He sees midwifery as a threat to that and maybe to your family stability as a whole. It is pretty easy to see how he could feel this way-- after all, he doesn't get to experience all of the exhilarating benefits of your work. What would probably help is trying to find more outside support-- family, friends, professional childcare, etc. I have left my youngest with a local SAHM for the last year whenever I had daytime office hours that he couldn't come to (he came to work with me most of the time), hospital visits, and births. I have a list of about 4 other women who dh can call in an emergency, though, and sometimes we have gone all of the way through the list in the morning when I am out to a birth. Sometimes other birth workers can help too. I just babysat for a fellow midwife's daughter today so that she could go to an appointment.<br><br>
Good luck, and try not to get discouraged. You can always tell us about your exciting births!<br><br>
Take care,<br><br>
Stacia
