SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Something Different. This is the phrase that I have heard over and over again. A large majority of my clients have chosen me as their midwife because they are seeking something different, which I offer. You are likely here today, because you are seeking something different.
Nineteen years ago, I was in my second pregnancy, seeking something different. I wanted a different pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience to my first one. I felt there was fundamentally something not right about the approach to my maternity care in my first pregnancy, but I did not have the language or experience to really describe what bothered me.
Not until I spoke with a midwife did I feel empowered to make different decisions for that pregnancy and subsequent ones. She told me, “I know you’ll make the best decision for your family!” I was empowered, I was changed, I held the decision making power about my care in my hands. Going forward, I never looked back. I became a better person, parent, and advocate for both my own family and those who haven’t yet found their voices. And over the process of refining what care was best for me, I developed better language and concepts to describe what had bothered me about my birth.
CHOICES
When discussing choices for testing, I educate my clients about what is considered standard care, what is evidence-based, and then leave the choice up to them. My informed consent documents have space for them to indicate their choices of care, AND blank spaces to come up with a different plan!
COMFORT
One client I had was in an excessive amount of discomfort during advanced labor. (Now, choosing homebirth requires accepting the normal discomfort of certain stages of labor, and developing coping techniques (self-hypnosis, meditation, dancing, moving, etc.) to deal with that discomfort). Excessive discomfort for a long period of time often indicates that the baby isn’t in the best position, and is trying to get into a better position! I collaborated with my client and my assistant, and accessed tried and true information and training to position the mother in such a way that space was made and baby could navigate the hard position, finish turning, and get born in just 15 minutes!
CARE
Prenatal visits happen in your space. I come to you. I have found this to be so delightful in helping to understand your family’s dynamics, and it helps the siblings to get ready and geared up to see their baby born. The rhythm of a family is different at home; and really as the midwife, I want to become part of the furniture.
Birth is an opportunity to transcend. To rise above what we are accustomed to, reach deeper inside ourselves than we are familiar with, and to see not only what we are truly made of, but the strength we can access in and through birth.