My client's practitioner is INSANE. No, really. I have a bad feeling here. VENT.

It sounds like this backup midwife has some prejudices and is trying to keep your client from seeing the slightly less insane midwife because of that. Unfortunately I don't know what you could do other than pointing out to your client that she's being bullied and doesn't have to take it.

I'm so sorry for you. I mean, I'm sorry for your client too, but at least she could take more action, you're the one stuck knowing what's going on and not being able to do much about it.

Thanks ladies.

I talked to my client and encouraged her to trust herself and the process of labor and birth, and that if she believes she can vaginally birth this baby then she CAN! And guess what -- she believes she can do it!

We discussed how there seems to be no medical indication for a c-section, so why on earth is a midwife suggesting it to her? I reminded her that she has the right to say no to any medical procedure, to ask about the pros/cons, ask WHY, and ask if there are other options. And a doctor or midwife has to explain it! Assuming a big woman is having a big baby is not a reason for a c-section.

She is calling tomorrow to cancel her appointment with the doctor and to schedule an appt with her usual midwife, who is slightly less insane.

I'm more calm now. Sigh. Sometimes I feel like Chicken Little, yelling, The sky is falling! The sky is falling! and everyone thinks I'm crazy. It's so frustrating -- I'm in this really small town where the midwives don't even TRULY practice the midwifery model of care. I wouldn't give birth here unless a gun was held to my head.

Pam/midwife (and those who want to know what crappy town I live in):

I am in Yuma, AZ, which is a very small town. A small town is fine but there's really nothing else around here. You have to drive 3 hours east to get to a big city (you hit outlying Phoenix after about 2.5 hours) and 3 hours west to get to another big city (outlying San Diego) and there is literally NOTHING in between (unless you count two little gas-station towns that are even smaller than Yuma).

We are a one-hospital town, and lemme tell you about labor/delivery triage.

Women who are in labor are evaluated for at least an hour in the "labor lounge" -- and are allowed only one visitor until they are assigned to a room! Which means I cannot practice continuous care, because my clients usually want their husbands with them in the "labor lounge." So I'm separated from my client for at least an hour, during which time she's getting checked, "traced," evaluated, given an IV, etc. If she happens to go in while she's crowning, then she has the baby in the "labor lounge" without me present, because you can only have ONE PERSON in there with you. No exceptions. *Le sigh*

When she finally gets assigned to a room, she can only have 3 people with her at a time. No exceptions. I'm lucky I get any clients at all, in my opinion!

So: we have only 5 ob/gyn offices here, all of which have at least one midwife on staff, but we do not have ANY midwife groups who aren't attached to an ob/gyn. So, every midwife works with a doctor. I have yet to see a midwife who truly practices the midwifery model of care as it has been explained to me, and as I've read about.

We have one midwife who attends homebirths -- but verrrrrrry quietly. She does not advertise. I only know she attends homebirths because she happened to be with a client when I mentioned that I want a homebirth someday for #4 and afterwards she pulled me aside and WHISPERED "call me."

I'm re-reading this and realizing that I'm really venting about the "system" in which I have to do my life's calling, and how frustrating it is for me. So thanks for reading it and allowing me to vent about it. I feel a little better now.