My Experience Having A midwife
With my recent posts, I’ve been focusing on my experiences surrounding motherhood and birth.
Check out these previous posts to get a feel of what I'm writing about.
My Pregnancy Story: I Did Not Enjoy Being Pregnant
My Birth Story: I Could Have Died
My Birth Story: I Could Have Died Pt.2
I now want to share my experience of having a midwife. You may be wondering what is a midwife.
“A midwife is a person (typically a woman) trained to assist women in childbirth”
Another definition reads,” a trained health professional who helps healthy women during labor , delivery, and after the birth of their babies.”
I chose a midwife after deciding to do a water birth. I sat down with my midwife and asked her questions so that I could be informed and to make sure a water birth was the right path for me.
I was really impressed with my midwife and I actually had a good experience with her.
She was a life saver. If it wasn’t for her I would not have been diligent about checking my pressure while home. She recommended I get a pressure cuff to monitor it. I would communicate with her about my status.
It was when my pressure was high that she directed me to go to the ER , and it was that night that I was induced.
I loved my midwife and here’s two more reasons why:
Generally speaking, midwives provide comprehensive care. They care about your whole being. And this is what I experienced with my midwife.
When I would see my OB, the appointments were not that long and they were quick. I would often have to catch her walking out of the room or interject during the appointment to ask questions. So the feeling I got was that she was trying to be in and out. But this was my first pregnancy so I had concerns and questions.
From a customer service point of view, I felt like I wasn’t getting my money's worth. The appointments would literally be about ten minutes. Now this is not to say my OB was not a good doctor or that she didn’t care. However, the visits did seem methodical.
With my midwife, the visits were thirty minutes or longer. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with her.
My midwife is very well trained. I think there is a misconception about professionals/Healthcare professionals who are not in a hospital setting.
Certification and/or training can be just as good as formal education.
When I sat down with her, she was able to answer all of my questions and confidently might I add. She explained her training and her track record as far as births. She’s had over 800 out-of-hospital births. Her cesarean rate is below 5% compared to a local rate of 35% or more.
So overall I loved having a midwife, even though I hired her at the end of my pregnancy. I wish I had given birth at her center. If you’re trying to decide if you want a midwife, I say go for it and do your research!