FAQs about the birth
Were you scared by not being medically assisted? I wasn’t scared during the birth, but once the baby was born and things had to be checked I was scared something would not be ok. I had not done any research on what happens after the baby is born - a big mistake! - so I think it was normal for me to be scared.
Are you going to pay the midwife even though she didnt make it to the birth? Ofcourse! The midwife’s care is not just during the birth, but also all the prenatal care. Using a home midwife our care was not only physical but also emotional. She heard my fears and doubts as well as my hopes for the birth. I used the book “Birthin from within” to guide me through this process, I believe it is the reason why the birth went so well. Hopefully the insurance will cover it, we are still waiting on that.
Why couldn’t you reach the midwife? I didnt take down her cell phone number! It was on my to-do list and I never got to it. I did have her office number that in the past had a message with her cell phone number, but that night it didnt. The answering machine had reset itself and had a default message.
Why did you choose a home birth? It sounds so scary. I may sound scary at first, but after a little research the hospital is the place that sounds scary. The cesarean rate in hospitals is usually between 30 and 40%, for my midwife it is 5%. In hospital in USA the use of pain medication is about 70%, for my midwife it is again 5%. “The official Lamaze Guide” states only 1% of women in a study gave birth naturally and none of those women gave birth in a hospital. I wanted a natural birth!
My first birth was a hospital birth and the main difference between the two is that for my second birth I prepared myself. I read a few books, took prenatal yoga and improved my diet and excersice. I think the mentality today is that at the hospital they’ll take care of you and deliver a healthy baby, you really dont have to do much more. This is true, but what is not mentioned is that birth is a very emotional event and if you are unprepared you will probably suffer from a traumatic experience were you will feel powerless, inadequate and very scared. I think this is why the horror stories about birth. My second birth left me feeling empowered and confident in myself as a mother.
As I was preparing for my second birth I realized the intimate nature of birth. It is a time when the women must feel very safe as she is going to deliver a delicate newborn. Being at home and with people you can trust provides the perfect setting for birth. i think this can happen in a hospital too but it will be a lot harder to acheive, meaning you will probably need to prepare more and bring a good support person with you.
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