Homebirth
May 30, 2007
Our due date is around July 1. When we lived in Arlington we planned to have the baby born a separate birth center run by Certified Nurse Midwives. A home birth was out of the question there. It would be too difficult to get to a hospital in an emergency, too difficult for assistance to come to us.
Here in Blacksburg, it’s the birth center option we have to abandon; there is no independent birth center. At least, not yet. All of the ones here are run inside of hospitals — and those don’t count. So a home birth it is. We are close enough to a hospital and it is very easy to get there.
We don’t want to go to a hospital if we can help it. Familiar surroundings and familiar people will, we think, lead to a healthier birth than a bunch of machines that go “ping.”
That’s not to say, though, that we’re just going to boil some water and be done with it. The list of preparations for a home birth are somewhat intimidating. It’s not labor-intensive as much as it is the organization and purchasing of needed supplies. Some of the requests are straightforward. Some are a little odd — the midwife demands a specific brand of paper towel. And some, like the organic chlorophyll, are pretty mystifying. But I think we’re going to get it together.
The right of midwives to practice in Virginia — practice alone, without the supervision of a doctor — was only secured a few years ago. So the number of certified midwives in this area are rather slim. I’m glad to say we’re doing our part to help this along. If all works out well, we’ll have a certified midwife, an apprentice midwife working on certification, and a third person on-hand who’s just taking the first steps towards training. I used to think that I’d hate having students gawk over a medical procedure, but I’m excited to think that even as our son is born, he’ll be helping two other people get a little further down the road towards midwifery.
Posted in Daddyblog
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May 30th, 2007 at 9:09 am
I can understand the toilet paper. There are probably many many chemicals used to bleach the paper to be white. Not to mention every which way the paper is processed.
We also have a theory based on the research we’ve done that SIDS could be derived from all the chemicals used in standard mattresses and fire retardant clothing for babies. But we’re not scientists, so who knows. I just don’t think it has all that much to do with the way a baby sleeps.
PS. I think our next birth will be a home birth. Please keep us posted!! We’re so excited for you.
May 30th, 2007 at 9:37 am
The paper towels she wants are bleached and, what’s more, manufactured by a company notorious for its disregard for the environment. So I don’t think she chose them out of an abundance of caution.
June 5th, 2007 at 11:05 am
I don’t know if you’ve heard about this, but two birthing centers in in the DC Metro area have closed and another is in danger of closing soon. Malpractice insurance is so high that they can no longer stay in business.
It’s a real shame. I remember when my former housemate Rhonda had her second child at a birthing center in Bethesda, one of the places which recently closed. The atmosphere was very comforting and the midwives treated the birth the way it should be - as a happy occassion rather than a medical procedure.
June 5th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
I had heard about that. I think malpractice insurance is a means of controlling entry into medical practice — you have to be able to afford it in order to do anything.
Another reason our national health care needs serious help.
June 7th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
I told a friend who has one baby and another on the way about your home birth. She said that the one thing that keeps her from wanting to do her second birth at home is that it is much messier than you would expect. She doesn’t want to have to worry about getting blood and other fluids out of the carpet, draperies, etc.
July 5th, 2007 at 2:08 am
Congratulations on choosing homebirth. I had two homebirths, one just last February, it was the best decision I’ve ever made. For anyone else who is looking into birthing at home, check out these two articles http://www.thewishingwellness.com/waterbirth#more-21 and homebirths, they offer resources you can trust and gives some facts about homebirths and waterbirths.