So, here is the deal.I love birth. My experience with Eve was wonderful. I had a water birth.
I saw the midwives at Contemporary Women's Care (an OB/GYN office) and they were wonderful.
However, the doctor's office and hospital were 45 minutes away. There were also some aspects about delivering in the hospital that I did not like. Therefore, we have decided to try a birth center with this baby. (I still have dreams of one day delivering at home.)
Let me just say how AMAZING the care has been. Very different from a traditional doctor's office. Even different from the midwives I saw at Contemporary Women's Care.
My first visit, after our tour went like this...
I came in and sat on the couches in the waiting room. I went and gave a urine sample and then met with one of the birth assistants who drew blood and did my workup. However, with her, we visited. She asked me how I weaned Eve. She has a child she is trying to wean. It was not rushed at all.
Then I got to see the midwife.
Picture a room with carpet, an exam table, a big wooden desk and a nice couch in it. That is where you meet with the midwives during your visit. So different from a dr's office!! (No tiled floors, no cabinets and cupboards, no formica countertops filled with containers with drug names on them.) So different.
Anyhow, I sat on the couch and the midwife sat at her desk chair. And she just said,
"So, tell me about yourself." We talked for a while about our fertility history and my family and my background. It was amazing. Then she did try to hear the heartbeat with her doplar (it was a bit too early to hear it) but she was so kind and gentle. I did not have to strip down and sit on the exam table with a paper lap covering. They did not do anything invasive. It was so different from what I was used too. And I liked it.
Even on my second visit, we talked first about how things were going and there was no rush. The midwife was so open and friendly and caring. They did the doplar again and we did hear the heartbeat. The student midwife felt my abdomen a little bit, but again, I did not have to take off any clothes.
Another great thing about the birthing center is that throughout my office visits, I will see the birth assistants and each of the 3 midwives regularly, so that when I am having the baby, there will be no strangers in the room. (At the hospital, there were 2 nurses there during my entire labor and then another one came in when I was pushing.) It will be so nice to know the people that may be present when I give birth.
So, for those of you who made it through this whole post, congratulations.
I just wanted to share how excited I am to be receiving my maternity care at such a wonderful place. I feel like a real, individual, unique person. The birth suites are awesome. They have a living room and a bedroom with a regular queen size bed with regular bedding. They also have a mini kitchen area with a sink, microwave and fridge. It is SO DIFFERENT from a regular doctor's office or hospital!
I think the key here is how DIFFERENT it is. But, we feel good about our decision to have our next baby at Labor of Love! I am loving the care so far and know that this birth experience will be wonderful!
13 comments:
I'm glad you found a place you love. I hope everything goes well!
Oh how I long for a birthing center birth experience!! LUCKY you!! I hope everything continues so wonderfully!! Love you!
It sounds great! I was supposed to have a water birth with Cohen, but I didn't have time. He was born 3 hrs after I woke up with contractions. They tried filling the tub, but I didn't make it. I would have LOVED to though...so jealous! I'm excited to hear your birth story.
Um, I hope you don't mind, but I'm putting a link to this post in one of my posts about the same thing! I can take it out if you want. I just thought it was cool that you blogged about the same thing I was planning on blogging about. Oh, and ditto to everything you said!
For some reason I thought that you HAD delivered Eve at home...
The birth center sounds really nice. I have always wanted to try one. Natural childbirth in and of itself was so much better with my last one just having the freedom to move around, try different birth positions and not to have to be hooked up to a bunch of things. I am sure a birth center would just add to the comfortable pleasant experience. Good for you!
Sounds like you have it all figured out! I have to admit, I am a little jealous. I am glad to hear that you are so happy about where you will be having the next kiddo. And by the way, are you going to find out what it is? You better tell me if you do!!! I love you sis!!
Birth centers are so great. We had Dell at the hospital, Ellie at a birth center in Clearwater and we had Mason at home. I hope you get the chance to do a home birth as well it was incredible and so low stress and as relaxing as birth can be.
We are so happy for you! First that you are pregnant, and second that you can do it your way.
We keep you in our prayers.
Love, Uncle T
I love how we can be so close and agree on SO, SO much...except baby birthing :) I'm so happy your happy! It almost makes me not want to be happy with paper towel-coverings, formica countertops and epidurals...but typical birth has been wonderful for me :)
Glad to hear all is going well! We are contemplating a birth center for our little one as well. I would like to do a home birth but it may not be feasible at this time. Best of luck!
I'm glad you found a place that you like so much- it is very important. Great job on Eve's cake, by the way!
oooohhhh weeeee, i'm excited for you. few things chap me more than to think that our world has accepted cold, impersonal hospitals and doctors as the ideal place/circumstance in which to carry out one of life's most sacred experiences. i will always have hospital births cuz of my situation, but i wish hospital delivery rooms could take a hint from birthing centers. the environment sounds so lovely!!
Oh I am sure you will have a beautiful experience! You will not regret it. I have had 4 babies: hospital w/ doc and meds, hospital w/ midwife and no meds, home birth attended by MW, hospital w/ doc and meds. The reason I had to go back to a doctor was unique. I would have much preferred to do another home birth!
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