after a not so great birth, and traumatic hospital stay and postpartum with our first, I wasn’t sure I wanted more kids. After I got more in depth in the holistic lifestyle, we decided on a home birth when we had our next child. I did lots of research, and we decided that was the best decision for us. I didn’t realize how much different the experience would be just in my prenatal care.
from the moment I called my midwife to potentially hire her, I knew she would be a great fit. She spoke on the phone with me for almost an hour, and we discussed my first birth and what all went wrong. We also discussed what I wanted different this time. She validated every trauma I had from the birth and postpartum.
My husband and I then met with her in person, and decided to hire her. Now that I have been with her for my whole pregnancy, there are so many differences I’ve noticed compared to traditional prenatal care.
- appointments last an entire hour. Each time I see my midwife, I am there for an hour. We chat about anything and everything, talk about concerns, and do a prenatal check up. It is great compared to the normal of waiting up to an hour at an ob office to see a doctor or midwife for five minutes.
- you get to know each other on a personal level. Spending an hour every four weeks, then two weeks, then every week helps so you and your midwife really get to know each other. We have the time to discuss whatever comes to mind. She tells lots of birth stories of other clients, and gives her experienced opinion on topics.
- there is informed consent on all testing, procedures, interventions etc. at the start of my care, we discussed which things I would accept and decline, from ultrasounds to group b testing. She gave me information on topics I needed to research more, and does not judge you for what you choose to decline.
- you are able to decline things you don’t want done. When I was pregnant with my first, it was basically like “we have to do this, this, and this”. I had to do all of the ultrasounds, gestational diabetes testing their way, and was fear mongered to get flu and TDap vaccines. With a home birth midwife, I can decline any of those. I can also decline vaccines and such after birth for my baby. In the hospital it was just assumed that our baby would get all his vaccines, and it was never asked.
overall so far I have loved seeing a home birth midwife. The experience has been very positive, and it has decreased my fear of giving birth significantly.
if you are considering home birth, do some more research on it and speak to a midwife in your area.