birth plans

Some of you out there know that we have chosen to deliver with a midwife rather than having an OB, and lots of people ask me questions about that, so I thought I'd clear the air a little ... First of all, no I am not going to deliver at home (at least, I don't plan to!). I don't think there's anything wrong with home-births, I've just seen too many complications and I want the security of being close to all of modern medicine, just in case. The midwives are a hospital-based practice at OHSU and they do all of the same pre-natal care and birth preparation that an OB would do, but they take a different approach. They view pregnancy as healthy and birth as a normal human process (rather than a medical procedure). This means that they approach the birth with the least amount of intervention necessary. A few examples:

• my midwife won't require me to wear a fetal monitor (straps around the belly that monitor contractions and baby's heart rate) unless there's reason to think the baby is in distress
• I'll be allowed to move around - in and out of the tub or shower, walk around, be in a variety of positions (rather than being confined to the bed with my feet in stirrups)
• They won't pressure me to have an epidural except in the occasional case where it's indicated
• I won't have an IV in my arm
• We'll be allowed lots of 'bonding time' and baby won't be 'stolen' right away for measurements and bathing
• the midwife is present to support both the parents throughout active labor, rather than showing up just to 'catch the baby' as an OB would

However, if something goes 'wrong', we'll be in the same birth unit that I would with an OB, and the full operating room, anesthesia, forceps and magic of modern medicine are right around the corner - hopefully just for peace of mind. Midwives aren't for everyone; some people like knowing that an MD is in control to keep them as safe as possible, but I strongly believe that this is something that my body knows how to do, and we want to go through the whole process with as little intervention and as few external distractions as possible. Joey is excited about our birth preparations too and says he is looking forward to being my "birthing companion" (very P.C.).