Had my first meeting with my MW -- great stats! (kind of long)

preg_amy

I'm kind of new to the board... so hi!  I had a c/s with DS because of FTP after an induction.  I never got past 1 cm.  I had a terrible experience.  My epidural didn't work during my c/s.  They just started cutting, so they said they couldn't stop and I just felt my whole c/s.  Pretty crappy.

So I'm determined to have a better birth this time, even if my VBAC is unsuccessful.  

I had my first appt with the midwife yesterday.  I loved her.  It's a small group of midwives, and whoever is on-call is the midwife you have attending your birth.  So they recommend seeing a few different MWs throughout your pregnancy.  I'm fine with that as long as they all seem to have similar philosophies.  But I chose the midwife I saw yesterday because she had a VBAC herself.

She was great.  I had a huge list of questions and she pretty much answered all of them without me even having to ask them.  She said that in 2009, they had 45 women attempt VBACs.  Out of them, 42 were successful.  That's amazing, right?  I feel pretty confident with this practice.  She said that no matter what, this time is going to be better.  She listened to me and it did not feel like she was just trying to rush me out of the office.

Anyway, she told me a bit about their policies and I was pretty pleased with those too.  I have to be monitored continuously, but they have telemetry monitors, so I can still walk around and I can even labor in the tub.  They don't allow tub births as a hospital policy, but I'm fine with that.  They have a group of doctors review the VBAC cases at 16 and 36 weeks to see if they agree with the midwives that a VBAC is possible and safe.  But she said the doctors are very supportive of VBACs. 

They let you go to 42 weeks without induction.  They only induce if your cervix is favorable.  But they will do a foley bulb if you are at least 1cm, which is good because I just keep worrying that I'm not going to get past 1cm again.

 

Also, we heard the heartbeat!  I was worried that she wouldn't even try, because I'm rather early.  It took a little bit, but she found it.  So yay!!!  I'm just giddy from the whole appointment.  I know that a VBAC depends a lot on my body and how it progresses on it's own, so I can't count on it.  But I just feel a lot better about my whole experience.

iris427

Wow, they sound great.  I like that you can use telemetry monitoring, that they will go to 42 weeks and that they will do an induction if your cervix is favorable.

 

lorryfach

Sounds like a great appointment! Congrats!

Geekchick921

Amy that is GREAT news!  I'm really happy for you.  I had an equally positive experience with my first appointment with my midwife in July when we were TTC and I needed an exam anyway.   And this...

preg_amy:

She was great.  I had a huge list of questions and she pretty much answered all of them without me even having to ask them. 

happened with her, too.  She was like, "Oh yeah, the internet questions." and then she lapsed into a recitation of her answers.  I was amused.