[txtarheel]

I'm planning a HB with a CNM in May. We had a great first visit. However, due to a medical condition, I'll need a bit more monitoring than a MW provides later in my pregnancy. As long as all is well, there is no additional risk to a HB, though I'm sure many in the OB community won't buy that. We'd both like to have a doc as a back-up that is aware of the situation and can communicate openly with my MW about my care.

I saw Dr. Vines (a family practice doc) at Avalon in CH before I hooked up with my MW. He was great and we were pretty much on the same page about my care without discussing HB. Has anyone got any experience with him that would lead them to think he'd be willing to go for it? I hate to "out" myself to someone without quite knowing how it will go. UNC fam practice wouldn't take me on as a client, so I know they are out of the picture.

I'm willing to go with an OB as well if there are any good recommendations...

 

[Gunter]

i really hope that your doc will understand your desire and be supportive. i don't want to send bad vibes or anything but thought i should share my story. hope it helps.

i did not have a positive experience telling my OB i was planning a HB and wanted dual care and them for back up. dh and i were talked down to and asked a lot of questions about "why we would want to risk such a thing?". our mw credentials were questioned and there was a look of disgust on the ob's face the whole time. she was condescending, rude and belittled us. the visit ended w. her saying she would have to talk with her colleagues b/c she had never heard of anyone wanting to do something like this. she called me two days later. she told me that i was a "liability" and the practice would not see me anymore. she told me i was being dropped from service.

this was a practice in cary that i had been going to for about 3 years. four weeks before seeing the ob, the nurse practitioner that we saw thought our plan for dual care and backup would be fine. she was familiar with homebirths having worked for mws who attended them in md.

i really hope that you have more support and a positive experience.

 

[debra_lea]

If you run into any roadblocks, I went to UNC Family practice for my parallel care. They were incredible. I saw Ellen and Ami, and they knew/were supportive I was working with a CNM for a home birth. I saw Ami once a trimester.

PM me if you have any questions.

 

[txtarheel]

UNC family practice wouldn't take me before I had a MW on board. The head doc there felt I needed to be under an OB's care. I really doubt they'd then be on board for HB co-care. Ellen is great, she talked to me at great length and suggested Dr. Vines. I'm hoping he is OK with the situation. Otherwise, I'm looking at driving to Southern Pines for my co-care since that's where my MW's backup OB is (and he has no problems with our arrangement).

 

[the mac momma]

I think Avalon would be a good bet. I know Cecilia McKay from there and she is a really laid back, open minded person. It seems like a good place to start. The fact is, the worst that will happen is that it won't work out, right?

 

[Carolinamidwife]

I have spoken at length with Dr. Vines about the midwifery model of care and I can say, with near certainty, that he would be willing to do this for you. Unless his malpractice prohibited it I can't think of a reason he wouldn't do it. I told him honestly that I'm a DEM and on my way to becoming a CNM and he was ultra-supportive even offering to introduce me to the CNMs he knows in case I had questions. We talked a lot about how baffled he is by the current standard of care in obstetrics and how he is basically appalled by what he sees at his hospital. They call him midwife vines and although I would rather give birth in a McDonald's bathroom than go to a hospital if I absolutely had to I would trust him.

 

[txtarheel]

I thought I'd post an update about this. I finally got up my nerve to talk with Dr. Vines at my appointment today. He didn't even blink an eye about it once he realized what I was asking. He at first misunderstood and thought I was asking him to attend my HB (which he actually seemed to be considering). His words were "You hired me to care for you during your pregnancy and call me when you need me, whenever that might happen to be."

So, for those keeping tally about docs that will go for such things, he's definitely a winner. Especially since I'm a VBAC, have pre-existing diabetes and borderline BP. I got no words of warning at all, except for his gentle reminder that I be aware that I would have a higher risk of needing a hospital than the average HB client (a fact of which I was already well aware). But we all agree that my risk factors will lead to knowing in advance that I'd need a hospital birth. Once labor begins, there isn't much out there to put me at further risk than the average woman.

 

[chrissy]

Wonderful!

Is Nancy your midwife? She caught my 2nd at home, and missed this last one by just about 20 minutes. I

her!

 

[txtarheel]

Yep, I've heard such great things about Nancy around here and I really liked her when we met with her!

 

[Carolinamidwife]

Could Dr. Vines be any more awesome? I knew he would go for it, he was so into hearing about being a homebirth midwife. In another life he would be midwife himself, I know it.