Advice on Delivering in the Bush?

Alaskamomma15

So I am in St. Mary's, which is far bigger/more developed than other small towns/bush towns in Alaska but coming from NY it is still a shift in thinking when it comes to pregnancy.  This is my first and I am nervous about going to wait in Bethel to deliver as I am told you are usually advised to get there at 36 weeks and wait to go into labor in a house with other women near the hospital.  I always wanted a delivery in a birthing center instead of hospital but as far as I know Anchorage is the closest and that's a 2 hour flight for me... Any advice on delivering in remote areas would be helpful! : )

animalcrckr

My first son was born in Alaska.  I spent a portion of my pregnancy extremely north up in a few of the arctic villages.  The care is extremely limited as I'm sure you already know.  The thing with pregnancy and L&D is that it is unpredictable.  It scared me to be far away from a hospital in the event something went wrong.  That's just me though.  I'm sure there are women who deliver at home and are just fine.  Long story short, my water broke at 35 weeks and ended up being transported to a hospital in ANC.  This was 6 years ago and there were only 2 neonatologists in the State, both in Anchorage.