did you know...

they say babies are getting bigger these days.  interestingly enough, for much of the mid to later 1900's women were told to diet during pregnancy.  smoking was encouraged since it helps curb your appetite.  they key was not to gain much weight so that your baby would be small.  a baby born under those stipulations would very likely be considered too small today.  i suppose it makes sense because during that same time, women weren't awake for the birth of their child and the doctors had to pull that baby out.  a smaller baby is easier to extract than a larger baby.  however, that smaller baby is not healthy.  babies are bigger now simply because they are healthy.   women are encouraged to eat healthy and their should be weight gain.  not excessive but gaining a little weight is healthy and nutritious to both mother and baby. 

Doula???

What about a doula?  What is that?  A doula is an experienced woman who stands by your side during labor and deliver.  A doula is not a new idea however for sometime she was pushed aside while women went to hospitals to deliver totally knocked out.  The title might be new but women have stood by other women through out history.   Before the 1900's when a mom to be went to labor she would be surrounded by women in her family to support her, encourage her and help her through the process.  Typically a doula is a woman who has experienced childbirth herself, if not then she has witnessed numerous birth.  She is there for whatever you, the laboring mother, needs.  A back rub, food, to hang out, give your spouse a potty break, diffuse any issues between visiting/bothersome family members, etc.  She will be there from when she arrives through the birth and after to make sure you are comfortable.  A doula is not a trained medical professional.  She knows and understands birth however her main concern is the comfort of the mother.  Since it's important to stay relaxed during labor, this is an important job.  Statistics have shown that women with doulas have speedier labors and less intervention.  You usually meet with your doula beforehand to discuss what you hope your labor and birth to look like but also, to discuss any fears or feelings you may have.  This is especially important if you don't feel like you can discuss them with your OB or midwife.  The doula, since she has not only experienced childbirth but also been witness to many others is a great listening ear as well as able to give advice to help calm you.

what about an OB?

So what about an OB?  An obstetrician is a trained surgeon.  They go to school to learn how to handle complications and how to fix them.  Basically, they know how to fix the tears and ruptures that might happen but they don't know how to prevent them.  As I've said before, most OB's will have never seen a natural birth.  They don't really understand the basics of labor and delivery.  What they know is to look for problems and then fix it.  Often times they will perceive something that is natural and confuse it for a problem and intervene.  We need obstetricians but we don't need them to assist in a low risk pregnancy when there are no problems. 
Ideally, midwives would be a pregnant woman's first visit.  If there are no issues then the midwife would continue with the prenatal care and into labor.  The OB needs to work along side a midwife so when problems arise they can step in and assist.   It's just like any other medical issue.  You go to your doctor with a problem and if it's serious then they refer you to a specialist for further care.  That is the way midwifes and OB's should be working.  Many other countries work this way.  At some point though someone said that giving birth was an illness and should be taken care of by a specialist.  If giving birth is an illness then so is when every woman's period starts!  I don't know about you but when that happened I didn't go running to a specialist to find out what to do, I ran to my mommy!  Both are natural occurrences that a woman's body knows how to handle.  A midwife is trained for the natural occurrences, they understand the natural process the body must go through for baby to be born.  They learn to recognize when things are not following the natural process and will work through prevention or if need be to contact the person that can fix it.  Problems do arise and there needs to be someone out there that can help when it happens but if there is no problem then why treat it like a problem? 

Midwife experience

I thought I would do a midwife vs OB comparison.  I started doing research but have now decided against that.  Instead, I'm going to share my experience with midwives. 
For my first pregnancy we went with a group of midwives that worked along side OB's in the office.  The had a good relationship with each other and the midwives had alot of leeway with what they could and could not do but at the end of the day, they still worked for the OB and had to follow certain protocol.  There were 2 hospitals affiliated with these midwives and OB's.  The OB's worked solely at one hospital and the midwives worked at the other which had a birthing center and that was their focus.  There was a group of 5 midwives and I did meet all of them throughout my pregnancy but only had prenatal visits with 4.  They had meet the midwives throughout the year so that women would have the opportunity to see and meet everyone since any one of the 5 could be on call and come to the birth center for labor.  Each visit was fairly similar.  I would arrive, have my weight and blood pressure taken.  Then the midwife would come and we'd chat for about 30 or 40 minutes.  She'd answer any question Jim or I had.  She'd listen to any fears or concerns we were feeling.  We'd talk about where was a good place for cloth diapers or natural foods or the near little store in Ann Arbor.  After chatting: we'd listen to the heartbeat, measure the belly and feel around to make sure all was good.  We built a relationship during that time.  When it came time for me to go to the birth center, I felt pretty comfortable with all the midwives and although I had favorites, I knew that any of them would do a good job and agreed with my choice of birth options.  Once at the birth center and in active labor (which was right way), the nurses let me labor in peace.  One initial exam to see how far along I was, but that was it.  Jim and I were left alone to work together.  When things got intense, I asked Jim to call the nurse.  She came and said the midwife would be right in.  Sarah was my midwife for labor and once she came in, she pretty much never left.  She was there when I needed help getting out of the tub, she helped us figure out the best position for laboring, she came up with different ideas when I was struggling to push, she encouraged and did what she could to help.  When the 2 hour pushing mark came, instead of moving me to labor and deliver like protocol stated-knowing the baby was on it's way, she let me keep going and push out our little baby.  After, we chatted as she checked everything.  Showed us the placenta like we wanted...we were curious.  Made sure we were comfortable and then went to assist another labor.  The next afternoon, she stopped by our room to say hello, congratulate us, see the cutie little baby and tell us what a wonderful job we had done.  :)
This 2nd time around, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would use a midwife again, I just didn't know what it would look like.  This time, we chose a private practice with 2 midwives.  We had the option of meeting at their office, our home or a combo of the two.  We decided it was best for us to have our appointments at home.  We met both of the midwives in the first 2 appointments and have had meetings with each of them since.  When they arrive at our home, we sit in the living room and chat for usually an hour or so.  We talk about life, how I've been feeling the last month, what books I've read, plans for the holidays etc.  In fact, at the last appointment Jim said that he felt he was eavesdropping on a couple of ladies out for coffee.  After chatting: we hear the heartbeat, measure the belly and feel around.  Aria (my 22 mo daughter) is present at these appointments.  Mostly she plays and gets into the midwifes bag, lol.  But she helps when it's time to listen to the heartbeat and measure the belly.  When the time comes for labor, both midwives will most likely show up.  If there is another labor at the same time, then one will be here.  However, it doesn't matter which one because they both know me and we have gotten to know them.  We know about their families and they know about ours.  We've laughed over the funny things people have said to me as a pregnant woman.  There is a relationship that's been built and with that a foundation of trust between us.  There's no looking at the clock or rushing to get to the next appointment. The average appointment has been about 1.5 hr.  I feel important, cared for and not like just another pregnant lady in the office.