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Natural Birth
beckstyle
member
why do you love midwifes?
beckstyle
member
I had a great appointment today with my midwife, everything looks great. She had her intern present as well as her teenage daughter (I had no idea this girl is a teenager, she's so mature!) and they were both gushing about how beautiful my belly is, and both tried finding the position of the baby and measurements(with my permission of course) its just such a different experience than working with a doctor. Why do you love having a midwife?
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Re: why do you love midwifes?
http://oi62.tinypic.com/2w73hq9.jpg
I like the midwife model of care:
https://massmidwives.org/for-parents/what-is-a-midwife/
However, that does not mean that I like all midwives. There are those "medwives" who are basically no different from an OB and at the other end of the spectrum there are those midwives who let the spiritualness of the experience overshadow the necessary nitty gritty stuff. A good MW IMO is passionate about birth and our ability to do so, but also acknowledges that sometimes we need a bit of help and monitoring.
I like midwives who are educated (and I am not taking about having a nursing degree necessarily) and practicing with the model of care in mind. I like midwives who work in a supportive community and who continue to educate themselves and practice their trade.
My specific MW was amazing and went above and beyond the normal birth stuff (which she was very good at too). When we discovered my baby was breech at 33 weeks, she spent hours helping me figure out my best options- for flipping her, what route to go if she did not flip, etc. She referred me to chiropractors and acupuncturists. At my request she made me an apt. with her mentor who delivers breech babies at home (and went with me to the apt.) and when I decided to not go that route, she started researching my options for a hospital birth and c-section.
When the baby had not flipped by 36 weeks, I decided to get a version and she researched the best person in the area and then WENT WITH ME an hour away to that hospital to get it done...and she didn't charge me (although I did pay her).
Since giving birth I have been struggling with potential PPD and finally decide to get help at my last (6 week) apt. with her...she gave me references and when I had trouble getting in with those people she did more calling around and found someone else- all AFTER I was technically no longer her client. She has since been checking in with me.
There are many reasons why I love the midwives at the small practice I'm using, and yesterday I received a call to reschedule my appointment set for today. Apparently they had to have the center sprayed for insects and can't have pregnant women there for the next 48 hours, so they offered to come to my house for our appointment instead.
I love my midwives because they're so much warmer than my previous "medwives." They're incredibly reassuring and the gushing over my "perfect" belly is much appreciated. As a first time mom, I have felt that I need a much gentler approach to my pregnancy, and they definitely provide that.
Also, I've gained quite a bit of weight with my pregnancy. My diet is really healthy, full of whole foods and almost completely devoid of processed/junk foods, but I've still gained over the recommended amounts. With my "medwives" I got a talk about watching my weight and how I should "be careful." They never asked what I was eating or if I was exercising. With my midwives, they asked me to do a food log and examined it carefully. When they actually saw what I was eating, they weren't concerned at all about the weight gain and told me that some people just gain more than others. I really appreciate that they took the time to find out the background information before making me feel like a criminal for gaining "too much" weight.
I love my midwives. :-)
Eleanor Noelle - 18/05/12 Claire Elisabeth - 16/-5/10
This exactly. Plus, I still see her on a regular basis and am friends with her now. And I know I can still go to her for advice if I need it.
I loved my midwife because I didn't feel like a patient, I felt like a woman doing/about to do what millions of women have done before. She respected my body, my intuition about the pregnancy, and my desires for birth.