Midwives

catherinekate · December 2015

Anyone else working with midwives this pregnancy? I don't know how standard they is the US, but they are getting more popular here in Canada. (I'm in Ontario.)

I had a great first appt with my midwife, but obviously there's a long way to go yet in this pregnancy. Anyone want to rant/rave about their experience?

CopperLane · December 2015

I'm in the US and using a midwife. My center has midwives and OBs. They start you out with the midwives and move you to the OB about half way. I have had such a great experience with the midwives that I plan to stay with them. They take a lot of time to answer all my questions/concerns. They have given me a lot of advice and suggested local childbirth classes. They went over the different types of classes. They are very calming and caring. I definitely prefer them to all the doctors I've ever had. It's like having a nurse practitioner over a doctor, at least in my case.

fishwife799 · December 2015

I had a set of midwives for my first pregnancy. I absolutely loved them. They are very caring and really take the time to get to know their patients. I saw an OB for my second and this pregnancy though because I am a VBAC and there is only one hospital near me (still 100 miles away) that allows them. I love her too though so it's not really a problem.

Emztron500 · December 2015

I had a midwife for my last pregnancy and again for this one. I'm also Canadian (Alberta) and so it's covered by health care which is awesome! For my first I had a team of 2 midwives and we had group appointments monthly (and then private appointments for additional ones later on when we were seen more often) and that was kind of cool as a FTM who didn't always know what questions to ask or feel super comfortable really opening a dialogue about everything. I had planned to deliver at a birth centre with my first - it was a really beautiful, comfortable centre with a birthing tub. I laboured there for about 10 hours but unfortunately needed a hospital transfer (they said about 10% of births attempted at the centre ended in hospital transfer - I was the only one in my group this happened to) and ended up delivering with an OB at a hospital. Even though my birth didn't go the way I wanted, I really appreciated the longer appointments and very personal, attentive care throughout my pregnancy, and the follow-up care was excellent as well. My midwife came to my home about 3 times in the days after my daughter was born (normally these visits would be a public health nurse if you didn't have a midwife) and supported me with breastfeeding and other post-partum concerns. After that I had a few more visits with her in her office until 6 weeks when I was done with her care.

This time around I have only one midwife - one of the same ones I had for my first, but she's at a new practice now and works alone. There are always 2 midwives at your birth though, at least in Alberta, so one of them will just be another midwife from the same practice. I'll be trying for a homebirth and she assures me it is extremely unlikely that active labour will be 20 hours long again this time and it should be no problem delivering at home

I'm super excited! I have a doula this time too because I'm high maintenance and need as many awesome supportive women as possible getting me through this!

townsley2015 · December 2015

I'm in Canada too (Alberta) and had an OB for my first baby, but this time I went with a midwife and I'm so happy I did. I feel like they do such a great job of informing you without scaring you, and I love the fact that I know who will be delivering my baby (vs with my ob it was a group of doctors so I had no idea). I also love the support they will give you postpartum! If you can get in I would say go for it for sure, or at least meet with them and see what you think.

Emztron500 · December 2015

hey @townsley2015 where ya from? are we Edmonton buddies?

cmac827 · December 2015

I'm in the US and using a midwife and delivering at a birthing center connected to a hospital.

townsley2015 · December 2015

@Emztron500 I'm in Calgary! Nice to know there are some Canadians on here among us

hellomommas · December 2015

Yes yes 1000 times yes! I looooooooove my midwife. She is like having a friend delivering my baby. She stroked my legs and stomach most of my labor. She was "there" a lot more than a doctor usually is. She used aroma therapy on my hands. She was so encouraging- telling me how strong I am. She supported my desire to have a natural labor BUT when things were not progressing, she presented my options and let me decide from there where to go. (So I got the epidural to rest for a while with my first. Same midwife with the second baby and I was able to do it naturally). She came to know my family and was just sooo personal and easy to talk to. I told her I couldn't wait for my Pap smear to see her again. I also told her I would have more babies JUST so she could deliver them. Hehehe. Now THAT is saying something! I can't say enough about how much I love my midwife! She was my encouragement, my advocate, my friend, and my "doctor"- answering all my medical questions, and of course-- safely delivering both my babies (in the hospital, I should specify). She actually let my husband "catch" my son and guided his hands on my sons head to get him out. Anyway.. I could talk for days. TEAM MIDWIFE 100%

DeePaddy24 · December 2015

I'm also in Ontario! I decided to go with a midwife & will be meeting mine on Thursday! I'm really excited about it, especially since my current family doctor (in the process of switching) told me she wasn't going to refer me to an OB until 35 weeks. No thanks!

I'm glad to hear you had a great first appointment! I'm hoping for the same!

CourtJack · December 2015

Also in Ontario here. I had a midwife with my last pregnancy and the same one this go around. Had amazing experiences with my midwife group. So attentive and caring and professional!

catherinekate · December 2015

@CopperLane It's cool that you get the best of both worlds with the OBs and midwives. Integrated care is so important and undervalued.

@Emztron500 I hadn't even considered a home birth until my appointment today. The idea sounds kind of kooky but she was very reassuring and it gave me a lot more confidence. As a FTM, I think I'll deliver in a hospital just to be on the safe side. Keep us posted about your experience with a doula. They aren't covered by OHIP but they sound great. Maybe worth the expense? Also, the group appointments sound both terrifying and great. I think I'd feel uncomfortable at first but I love the idea of getting to know other FTMs in my area.

@babyweber3 That's so amazing. I loved how my midwife today kept insisting on informed consent to various medical procedures and wanted to make decisions collaboratively, which is SO different from doctors who just tell you what to do. I am excited to go back too, which is definitely NOT how I was feeling after the couple of doctors appointments I had previously.

adiaz132003 · December 2015

Yup. I feel like midwives are gaining popularity in the U.S. maybe cause more woman are opting to do more out of hospital/ drug free births. I love my midwife. I didn't even know much about midwives until DH cousin was pregnant. I just always assumed my only option was a hospital.

jerseybroadwaybaby · December 2015

This is my third pregnancy using a midwife practice. They are like family!!! I can't imagine doing it any other way. Nothing but fantastic experiences!!!!

jerseybroadwaybaby · December 2015

Oh! And my midwives work through a hospital so both of my births were waterbirths in hospital tubs (like jacuzzi style tubs)

cmillar36 · December 2015

In Manitoba. Midwives are accessible here and we have a brand new birthing centre. However unless you call as soon as your stick dries very hard if not impossible to get one here.

mamabudd · December 2015

I'm in Ontario too! This is my third pregnancy with the same midwives. I absolutely adore them, there is no comparison with midwifery care vs. OB care (at least in the city I'm in). My last baby was born at home and it was an amazing experience. I will hopefully be having this one at home too.

PBear93 · December 2015

I'm at a practice with two midwives and an OB. I've only seen the OB this pregnancy, but I mostly saw the midwives with my daughter. I had complications with my birth and had an emergency c-section so saw my OB for after birth care and really suffered through PPD and developed a close relationship with my OB while she helped me through it. She completely supports me trying for a VBAC and is talking to me about how to prepare and try to prevent PPD as much as we can.
So while midwives are great, OBs can be just as awesome.

catherinekate · December 2015

@cmillar36 -- They are hard to get in Ontario too. I had friends not-so-jokingly tell me "when you find out you're pregnant, call your midwife! then your husband." I got lucky that I am in a smaller town that has less demand for them. They are much harder to get in bigger towns.

@PBear93 -- That's a great point and I'm so glad you had that support. My mom still talks about how amazing her OB was when she was pregnant with me. She apparently cried when she had to transfer to a pediatrician because she felt like no one would understand her as well as her OB did.

catherinekate · December 2015

@mamabudd -- where are you in Ontario?

Emztron500 · December 2015

@cmillar36 it's super tough to get a midwife here too. My first time I was waitlisted with every midwife in the Edmonton area until about 14 weeks but was lucky and got in at that point. This time I also just got lucky that my midwife from last time saw me on the universal wait list and happened to be setting up a new practice so had no patients yet. We need more midwives!

@catherinekate my main reason for wanting a midwife was that I hate hospitals and get mega anxiety from them and didn't want to birth there...so of course I ended up delivering in a hospital against my wishes, sigh! Oh well. It sucked in some ways but I was badly in need of some medical attention by the time I got there so it is what it is! Doulas aren't covered here either and our benefits from work don't cover it either, which is a bummer. But my labour was weird and hard the first time - I was in labour for 48 hours at home before I progressed far enough to go in to the birth centre, and that's time that a doula would've been supportive and helpful but a midwife like a doctor won't get involved until you're in active labour and getting close. Then I had to transfer to the care of an OB and lost my midwife altogether...I really wish in retrospect I had had a doula to stay by my side! So this time around I'm biting the bullet and paying for one. I think it's worth it.

Emztron500 · December 2015

Oh and my doula also provides a birth pool for my homebirth, so that's a big plus! That alone would cost almost as much as the doula care does if I went and rented one and bought a liner for it myself.

augbride87 · December 2015

I love hearing all of these midwife stories!!! I wanted a more personal experience then I had with DD. My OB was fine but didn't arrive during the delivery until after I was pushing. She was there MAYBE 15 minutes. Thank you so much for sharing! It makes me feel so confident in my decision this time

CourtJack · December 2015

Ontario moms - where are you all living? I'm in Ottawa.

DeePaddy24 · December 2015

@CourtJack I'm just outside of Kitchener/Waterloo.

mamabudd · December 2015

I'm in Guelph, @catherinekate!

CourtJack · December 2015

I grew up just outside of Cambridge - in Ayr. Anyone know where that is? And I love Guelph! Used to hang out there all the time

DeePaddy24 · December 2015

CourtJack said:
I grew up just outside of Cambridge - in Ayr. Anyone know where that is? And I love Guelph! Used to hang out there all the time

@CourtJack I actually live in Ayr, just figured mentioning K/W made more sense. We've been here for a year & a half.

CourtJack · December 2015

DeePaddy24 said:

I grew up just outside of Cambridge - in Ayr. Anyone know where that is? And I love Guelph! Used to hang out there all the time
I actually live in Ayr, just figured mentioning K/W made more sense. We've been here for a year & a half.

Get out! I sort of wondered as the "just out side K/W" descriptor is something I'm well familiar with. I lived my whole life right beside Ayr Public School. My parents still live there. I moved to Ottawa for university. Too funny!!

keerolo · December 2015

I'm in BC and using same midwives as with my first! Love them. Had a home birth and planning the same again

Diesel615 · December 2015

I'm so excited to these midwife stories. I just had a MC scare and my office could only fit me in with a midwife, and I absolutely loved her so I'm switching from the OB in my office to the midwives. I'm so excited. She treated me like a priority and was so attentive to me and my DH.

catherinekate · December 2015

Hey, you're all pretty close. I'm in Stratford! @courtjack @deepaddy24 @mamabudd

yavannah · December 2015

Im in Canada (Quebec, but right beside Ottawa like you @courtjack) too and FTM. Im still not sure wether to use a midwife or not, Im having my first appointement this week-end. I really like the concept of midwife, my only concern if is something goes wrong, we have to go to a Quebec hospital, and I would have prefered to go to the Ontario ones.. (my family doctor is in Ottawa). I was also born in Ottawa and I would have liked to go to the same hospital if possible, unfortunately midwives wont cross into Ontario, and Ontario midwives wont take Quebec patients....

So far I've had all my appointements at an Ontario hospital (where I was born) and the service was awesome (compared to Quebec hospitals...) but If the pregnancy goes well and I dont need to go to hospital, only the birthing center, then it would be ok...

Anyway still have to decide

sthomas1222 · December 2015

Just left my first prenatal with my midwife. We will be hoping for a homebirth this time.
I had a MFM with my first due to GD. I adored her. With my second we wanted a homebirth. Thought we had done our due diligence with pricing the right one for us. She played us. Ended up dropping us at 32 weeks b/c I refused to repeat the GD test after passing the first one & refused a growth u/s as that's not evidence based practice. I delivered with midwives in a hospital. Great birth, fully supported, forever tainted by the homebirth midwife.

Now we're in a new area & I'm using a CNM this time instead of a CPM. I want to trust her. I want to be relaxed & enjoy this pregnancy. Instead I'm a mess b/c of the last homebirth midwife.

tristadawnr · December 2015

I'm in Canada too (Saskatchewan) and it's very hard to get a midwife here too but I lucked out and got one! Met her Tuesday and it was amazing. We will have a team of three since we are planning a home birth and they want to ensure you know the midwife who will be at your birth in case the primary midwife can't be. I get anxiety and major white coat syndrome at medical appointments so I'm excited for this different model of care. I left the appointment feeling of great and am excited for this journey! I also love how family centred they are and how involved they will have our son (5 years old) be at the appointments

gauge1234 · December 2015

This is a great thread!!

I am in BC Canada and was lucky to get in with a midwife practice (there is 3 of them) one will be at the birth.

I am considering a doula, it is my expense but I think it would be well worth it ... I didn't hire a day of planner for my wedding and wish I did so I think I should splurge on a day of person for my first birth!

Debating between a home birth or hospital ... The only thing holding me back on the home part is that I live in a townhouse and I'm afraid of disturbing the neighbors!!! Eeek.

Any noise advice from the ladies who had had home births?

If we had birth centers in BC I would take that option. I'm not a fan of hospitals or 24-48 hour hospital recovery unless I need it!

cnbean · December 2015

I am in the US also and using a midwife for baby #3. I went with the same group for the first 2 kids and have had nothing but good experiences. With my first I ended up risking out of the birth center I wanted to use and ending up at the hospital, which worked out since I ended up needing a c-section. Through the whole ordeal my midwife stayed with me and tried everything to deliver my son vaginally. She really advocated for me, which was such a relief. She even went with us into the OR and took pics of my son being born!

She came in and stayed through my entire labor and delivery with my second son even though she wasn't the midwife on call that night. I can't fathom having the same level of care or relationship with a regular OB. I'm sure there are really great ones out there.

I also highly recommend a doula. I had one for my second birth and she was worth every penny! I will most likely being using her again. It was such a comfort to have someone who knew what to try to help keep me comfortable, and she helped my husband be useful too!

peaceinnature · December 2015

Another Ontarian here! And I actually did call the midwife office before I told DH haha.

I had midwives with DS and it was great. My favorite part is them coming to the house to do check ups after the baby is born. We were living in Toronto then so I have different midwives now, but they seem great as well.

mamabudd · December 2015

@gauge1234, we actually rent out our basement so I was a bit worried about the noise too. I gave them a heads up so they didn't think anyone was being murdered and wouldn't call 911, and I also read the hypnobirthing book and I think that really helped. My first labour, I screamed like a rabid animal the whole way through, but my hypnobirthing labour was incredible and I barely made a peep until transition. Just focused on my breathing. I also ended up giving birth at 11am, so my tenants were at work anyway. It all worked out. Hoping for the same this time.

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