My friends and family who haven't used Midwives for their primary care have often asked me what made me decide to use a Midwife, instead of an Obstetrician. I have many reasons why I chose to be cared for by Midwives. I felt extremely loved and cared for by all the Midwives I met on my pregnancy and birthing journeys and they have all inspired me to want to become a Midwife one day!
I really wanted to have a natural, pain relief free birth (if possible) which is my first reason for choosing to be cared for by Midwives. Like my own beliefs about birth, I knew that Midwives believe birth is a safe, normal and natural physiological process. They see birth as a natural and important life event and don't like to intervene unless truly medically necessary. I wanted a Midwife as I know that they are trained in normal birth, whereas an Obstetrician is a trained surgeon. To increase my chances of having the healthiest birth possible for me I didn't want anyone caring for me who didn't truly trust in the natural birth process. (And in my birthing journey I met MANY doctors who definitely did not trust that my body and baby could birth safely naturally). I did not want a surgeon there in the room with me unless it became necessary. I knew that having a doctor in the room would make me more nervous than I needed to be.
The following is from the 'Mother's Advocate' blog and talks about the differences between a Midwife and Obstetrician. To read the whole post, click here.
Also, visit Mother's Advocate. It is a wonderful page!
"Midwife: A midwife is a trained professional with special expertise in supporting women through a healthy pregnancy and birth. Midwives also work with each woman and her family to identify unique physical, social and emotional needs. When the care required is outside of a midwife’s scope of practice or expertise, the woman is then referred to other health care providers for additional consultation or care. Midwives operate from The Midwives Model of Care, which emphasizes the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. Midwives statistically have lower rates of interventions, and provide the mother with individualized education, counseling, prenatal care and postpartum support, as well as continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery.
Obstetrician (OB/GYN): A physician (doctor) who delivers babies, and is in the practice of obstetrics — the art and science of managing pregnancy, labor, delivery and the puerperium (the time immediately after birth)."
I did not want my birth 'managed' by someone else and I did not want to be given a time frame of how long I was allowed to labour/push for. I also did not want someone to 'deliver' my baby. I was the one birthing the baby, not someone else. With the continuous support from my midwives, I was able to birth my babies with confidence and with such a feeling of self-satisfaction.
I have been told by so many Obstetricians that I was crazy to birth our 2nd baby breech. Obstetricians and Midwives SHOULD BE trained in breech birth! But sadly, they aren't these days. I can't believe they don't bother to take the time to teach medical students important things like this! Basically, through all my research into breech birth it seems that most hospitals advise women carrying breech babies to schedule a C-Section because truthfully, they just don't really understand how normal breech birth can be. I don't think I was crazy refusing to book a C-Section for my baby's breech position. I think I made the decision that was best for my baby and myself and the decision that I felt God led me to. If a woman wants to book a C-Section for her breech baby, that is different. Every mother needs to do what they feel is right for their baby and birth. But, health care providers should not be pushing women into unnecessary fear that leads them away from their motherly instincts. I will admit, there were times when I was beginning to wonder if I was doing the wrong thing refusing the C-Section... but I was only feeling like this because majority of the people around me did NOT believe that I could birth a breech baby safely. I was getting so tired of hearing that my body was "too small" to birth a breech baby. I even had someone tell me "You could die!"
With all the negativity around me, no WONDER I was staring to feel less confident in my decision.
My Midwives Aine and Linda were AMAZING! They were so excited my baby was breech and they didn't see the breech position as something to worry about. They kept telling me they believed in me, my body and my baby and that my baby was breech for a reason! (I do believe babies often get into the positions that they know is safest for them to be born in). Our baby was not meant to be born head-first. We will never know why but I thank my Midwives for trusting my decision 100%. They backed me up all the way and never left my side. They shouldn't have had to fight for my right to birth the way I felt was safest for my baby but I truly appreciate them standing up for me. I was getting so sick of explaining why I so desperately wanted to birth our breech baby ourself. I really do believe that if I had a doctor at my birth instead of my lovely Midwives that I would have ended up in an 'emergency' Caesarian.
All my Midwife appointments went for about an hour. They really took the time to truly listen to everything I had to say and answer all my questions. They stayed with me for my entire labour and birth which was another important reason I only wanted to be cared for by Midwives. (Most doctors only come in near the end of the birth, but they usually aren't with you for your entire labour).
I have recently applied for Midwifery at University but I didn't get in. However, I know that the time isn't right just yet. I will get there one day. Our kids are still very young so I doubt I would have been able to juggle it all at the moment. Instead I am doing a bridging course at uni. (Foundation Studies - Health Sciences), so hopefully this will enable me to get closer to my dream of being able to become a qualified Midwife some day in the future when our children are older.
Thank you so much to my midwives who I will never forget and are glad they were a part of our families birthing journey...
Kerry (my midwife with Skye), Aine & Linda (who were amazing midwives during my pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum with Rory) and again, the wonderful Linda who I feel very privalidged that she was at Mika's birth as well!
I also want to thank in advance out current Midwife Julie Garratt who we have chosen for our 4th pregnancy. Julie has come to our house 4 times now for our appointments and she is coming again in a couple of weeks. She is full of wisdom and such a positive and inspiring person to be around. Can't wait to share our birth with her! She is also a lactation consultant which will come in handy especially in the first 6-8 weeks of breastfeeding which I have always found the most challenging.
"If we want to heal the earth, we must begin by healing birth"
For those of you who want to know what the role of a Midwife is...
The Role of a Midwife
http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/role-of-a-midwife.html
Normal Birth: Do We Believe? Can We Remember?
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/normalbirth.asp
"Midwives see birth as a miracle and only mess with it if there's a problem; doctors see birth as a problem and if they don't mess with it, it's a miracle!"
~ Barbara Harper in Gentle Birth Choices
~ Barbara Harper in Gentle Birth Choices