16-9-2008 - home visit

My mood while writing this blog: Ok

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. If you know of anyone who is interested in home birth in the United States, I encourage you to have that person read my several blogs regarding my midwife and visits.

Yesterday we had a wonderful home visit with our midwife and doula. They stayed for three hours! We discussed home birth preparedness, emergency situations, the midwife's job before, during, and after labor, and the doula's job. The midwife and doula both got acquainted with our home for easy set up. The only appointment I have left before birth will include a pelvic exam for pelvic assessment and baby position. That is next Friday, 39 weeks.

Miss Pretty's heartrate has dropped in accordance with her size; her heart rate is now beating 132 bpm, and she has great acceleration and deceleration heart beats. She was still ROT (I may have misstated that position in an earlier update)--right, occipital, transverse. She has flipped to the left a couple times, but she quickly gets back into her little nest she has made on my right side. In fact, she was on my left side this morning, and she rolled back to the right while I was driving to work.

My blood pressure was 112/78. I don't recall my heart rate. Everything was in the great/normal range except keytones. I'm supposed to eat more. My group strep B test came back negative.

Below is a brief summary answer to the comment/question (that people frequently ask or state when I tell them I'm having a home birth) "I'm afraid for you," and "What if something happens?"

We are not opposed to doctors. Doctors have their places, and they are trained for emergencies and operations. They are knowledgeable about synthentic and sometimes necessary medications. However, having a baby is RARELY an emergency, and there is RARELY a need for an operation. Labor and birth are natural human functions, like using the bathroom or having sex. As long as I can perform those functions on my own, I'll do it. Should I be in that special group who has to have a doctor, we will make a wise decision and seek a doctor immediately. Thank God that if there is an emergency and need for an operation we have doctors!

Note to my midwife:

The best thing so far about using a midwife is that my husband is very excited about labor and delivery. He's not only excited about having a baby, but he's excited about the process. He has two other children, and that was not the case with them. At first he was skeptical and went along with the "midwife thing" because it's what I wanted, but now he would not have it any other way. Together, we agree that we would be putting our baby and me at risk if we would have used a doctor. My husband is wowed by the amount of education we have received from [the midwife]. Today he was more excited about our baby than he's been this entire pregnancy, and he made several comments to that effect. He, as well as I, look forward to a home birth. Even if complications arise, we are both very glad we chose a midwife as our primary care provider for our baby and me.