Category: Deciding on a Natural Birth Team

Jan 07

Natural Birth Stories | Birth Center Birth | Allison S | Decisions, Decisions

I could literally write a book on how we progressed through the decision making-process on where to labor and deliver.  Being a military couple, we first sought care at the Naval Hospital.  It took exactly one appointment and a few frightening stories from other military spouses to dissuade me from continuing my care under the supervision of the doctors employed at the Naval Hospital.  At just 11 weeks began my search for an outside agency.  Once again through the power of the military community, I found a local obstetrics group run by an OB/midwife team, jumped through all the insurance and record-transferring hoops, and landed my first appointment.Still planning for a natural delivery at the local hospital but with new supervision, I continued my monthly appointments with the private clinic but in mid October (approximately 25 weeks) a new possibility arose.  I had sought out a local photographer to take some early maternity photos with which to surprise my husband for our anniversary.  During our shoot, naturally (pun intended), baby talk arose and I told her about my switch from the Naval Hospital to a private provider.  A fellow military spouse, she shared her very similar story which culminated in an eventual switch to the birthing center in Savannah, GA.   At this juncture I had not given up on the idea of a hospital birth, and felt fairly confidence in my OB and midwife to accommodate me as best they could.  I also knew there was a good chance my poor husband would murder me if he came home to find me ponder ANOTHER birthing option.  But she was encouraging, passionate, and convincing; seed was planted and the gears started turning once more.

I began another bout of research on the birthing center and with my photographer and friend as a continual source of support and information, finally broached the topic with my husband.  He agreed (a bit begrudgingly) to attend an orientation at the birthing center with me.  We traveled to Savannah, attended the orientation and tour, and hopped back in the car for the hour-long drive back home.  I nearly wrecked the car when he, of his own accord, informed me that not only did he love what the birthing center was offering but he really did not want me delivering in a hospital – period.  After 25 weeks of deliberation and discussion and frustration I was poised for yet another battle but his experience at the birthing center fought and won for me.  The major and perhaps most obvious appeal to us both were the unwavering support and enthusiasm for natural birth.  Even after switching to the OB/midwife team, I still harbored concerns that hospital protocol would override and possibly undermine my wishes/preferences for a natural delivery even with the support of my caregiver.  Similarly, the welcoming, close-knit, home-like atmosphere was extremely enticing to two somewhat frightened, first-time parents.  The next day I began once again the grueling insurance check and record processing and at 27 weeks pregnant turned my care over to the midwives at the birthing center.

You can read more of Allison’s Birth Journey by…


…turning back to read why she chose natural birth… Why Natural?

…reading the next page, her thoughts on support and encouragement during her pregnancy… Birth Encouragement

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Jan 04

Natural Birth Stories | Birth Center Birth | Stephanie R | Decisions, Decisions

After all the research I had done, I knew I did not want to give birth in a hospital, there
were 2 major reasons, first is my slight fear of hospitals. Ever since I was a child I have never
liked hospitals, they are a place where people go when they are sick. Plus, in all the scary movies
(I shouldn’t have been watching) the bad guy always comes to get them when they are in the
hospital. The second reason is My husband and I are military so I would be going to a military
hospital and a friend of my husband said he and his wife had a terrible experience there.  I
felt I would not get the personal care and experience that I would want for my first child.

I had made my first appointment to learn how I would go about being seen off post. The appointment
hotline told me I would just have to go to the new mother orientation and ask to get released
and they would give me a form to be seen off post. The day before my appointment I signed
up for the tour of the local birth center. My husband and I went and I loved it! I love the way they
explained everything compared to the military doctors who pretty much said ‘get this, you need
it’. At the end of the tour they passed out forms for the new moms to be seen there. I talked
with one of the nurses about getting released and if there were any issues with using Tricare
insurance. She said that the military does not release anybody and that I would have to downgrade
my insurance to standard to get seen off post. SHe also mentioned that Standard was not all that bad when using their birth center; they are in the network and it
would only cost us about a  $25 deductible, and once we had the baby we could get back on the prime
insurance.

The next day I Went to the new mother orientation on base. When I got called in, the nurse took my body
weight and began to ask the normal questions. I asked about being seen off post and she told
me that that was not possible. My heart sank at that moment; I had my heart set on delivering
at the birthing center. She explained to me that they have midwifes there and that they can
do natural births. So I asked if they did water births and she said that they did not have the
facilities to do water births. I told her that I had wanted to try a water birth is there any way I can
get seen off post. She said no. finally I asked what if I downgraded my insurance, she said “Oh
yeah, you can do that, but you can’t get back on prime for a year.” I thought about it for half a
second because I still had all of my pregnancy left and I would only have to wait a few months
after the birth to get back on the prime insurance. So I said “ok! how do I do that?” I filled out
the paperwork and called the birth center and told them the day it would take affect and my first
appointment was the Tuesday afterwards.

You can read more of Stephanie’s Birth Journey by…

…turning back to read why she chose natural childbirth… Why Natural?

…reading the next page, her thoughts on support and encouragement during her pregnancy… Birth Encouragement (coming soon)

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Posted in Deciding on a Natural Birth Team

Dec 18

Natural Birth Stories | Birth Center Birth | Bitty Mama | Decisions, Decisions (Part 1)

This week we are 27 and a half weeks along. We could be having this baby in 10 weeks, we’ve chosen her name, and I’m still undecided on where she’s going to be born! When we moved to Savannah, we quickly chose to deliver at the only birth center in the state of Georgia, which happens to be in Savannah. Our former midwives and birth center recommended we check there first and advised that since we’d already had a birth center birth, we’d probably never be comfortable in a hospital birth setting. We knew we wanted another natural water birth experience. We also knew we wanted for a midwife to assist us again, since it went so well with our firstborn.

So right now we know that our primary caregiver will be a certified nurse midwife. CNM’s are registered nurses who is educated in two disciplines: nursing and midwifery. And CNMs have been certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwifes (ACNM). They can work through hospitals, birth centers, or as independent homebirth practitioners. It’s my understanding that to do homebirths, CMNs have to have a written collaboration agreement with a physician and the laws and regulations governing them vary by state.

We’ve only been with this new birth center since August. I’ve heard great things about from like-minded parents and actually know a mom who’s due to give birth there any day now. I’ve been there four times so far. First, for a tour: One afternoon when we first moved here, I showed up unannounced & the midwife I met was very friendly and eager to give me a quick look around and answer my questions. It was a great day and I was pretty certain that was where we’d deliver.

Then, I went there for an official patient orientation led by a different midwife, which seemed a bit less personal. I sat in a room with several moms (and their family members) and was oriented on how things work at the birth center. We took our own blood pressure weighed ourselves, and submitted urine samples. We did this kind of orientation at our old birth center, but unfortunately there wasn’t much one on one time and I had a hard time staying focused for the plus two hour long visit because I had a fussy toddler in tow that day. I was also advised that since I was already so far along in my pregnancy that I wouldn’t be able to be part of their group program where you attend some classes with moms who are due around the same time as you.

The next time we went for a visit, we didn’t get to see a midwife at all. We went for a mid-pregnancy ultrasound and only saw the ultrasound technician. It was awesome getting to see our little one on screen, but the visit felt clinical and the technician said she’d move our due date up by a week since the baby was measuring big.

At our last appointment, I don’t even know who we saw! It was possibly another midwife (or nurse) who I’d not met before and who’s name and face is not listed on their website nor their birth center Facebook page. I cannot remember her name. She went over my history with me, measured my fundal height, and that’s about it. She shook her head and told me my due date was still the same and she wished the technician hadn’t said anything about changing my dating since it was based on details such as ovulation, last menstrual cycle, and first trimester ultrasound and measurements. I emailed the birth center the next day to confirm which midwife I had seen since I couldn’t remember her name and wasn’t familiar with her face. When I still hadn’t heard a response two weeks later, I emailed them again to confirm their email address was still valid and once again, I’ve not heard a response. Apparently their email address they give in their website and information packets is not valid? So to add insult to injury, this center seems more clinical (in look and feel) and impersonal than my former birth center where I was attended by only two midwifes and saw at least one of them each time I visited.

So, even though we only joked this summer about delivering this baby in our pool in the back yard, I started re-visiting the option of a homebirth with a CNM in the area. I know we could have a wonderful experience in the comfort of our own home. The biggest complication that will probably arise is getting the support of our families, who for the most part are strongly against homebirths. I have a girlfriend who recently had a very successful homebirth with this CNM and I have only heard good things. I did some additional research online, in forums, on Facebook and reached out to my network of natural parenting, natural birth, and homebirth friends to get more information and references. I’m scheduled to meet her for the first time tomorrow! I’ll have the opportunity to ask question about her practice, beliefs, and medical training, in additional to asking about risks, costs, possible insurance coverage, pros, cons, and anything else we’re curious about.  I’m very excited to meet her and the Certified Professional Midwife that attends births with her! So stay tuned… a decision is coming soon! We’ll either decide to stay at the birth center where we could have a decent labor and delivery OR we could decide to have our first homebirth experience in the comfort of our home OR we may be disappointed, nix both ideas, and end up delivering this baby in a hospital! Who knows!

*crossing my fingers that my mom and sisters don’t see this before we (my husband and I) have a chance to weigh our options and make a firm decision*

 

You can read more of Bitty Mama’s Birth Journey by…

…turning back to read why she chose natural childbirth… Why Natural?

…reading the next page, her final decision behind where to give birth… Decisions, Decisions (Part 2)

 

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Posted in Deciding on a Natural Birth Team

Dec 18

Natural Birth Stories | Birth Center Birth | Bitty Mama | Decisions, Decisions (Part 2)

Well, it looks like Divine intervention stepped in and the decision of birth center vs. homebirth is no longer in our hands. A day or two after I met with the CNM who would potentially do our homebirth, she emailed to inform me that her partner (the CPM), who is usually her backup, will not be taking any more December births due to a recent family emergency. Since there’s a chance that the CNM may be traveling over the holidays (when we’re due) and wouldn’t have a backup midwife, she had to decline service to us.

At first I was very disappointed, because we had decided mid-week that we were going to do the homebirth this time around. However, we never aimed for an unassisted homebirth. Since we have no other options for a CNM who’ll come to our house, we’ll happily continue with the birth center, whom we’ve already paid a hefty non-refundable deposit to.

To clear up some of our previous CONS to using the birth center, I ended up calling them during business hours and finding out that the last midwife I saw is the 4th CNM at the birth center and is fairly new. She is who saw me at my last appointment. Since she’s the newest of the bunch, they’ve not updated their Facebook page or website with her information and photo yet. I also found out that the email address I’d attempted to email three times is not really assigned to any specific member of the staff. They assured me that they’re working on having someone check it more regularly. So two of my biggest concerns weren’t really reasons to not use the birth center.

If this birth center is the closest thing available to having a home birth in the comfort of our home, then we’ll take it. I’m sure over the next 10 weeks I’ll get to know the midwives even better, and we can bring whatever items we want to from home to the birth center to make it as “homey” as possible while in labor, delivering, and in the first post-partum hours. It looks like God has a plan for where he wants our little girl to be born… and we’re happy to have a birth center as a reliable alternative to a hospital setting.

 

You can read more of Bitty Mama’s Birth Journey by…


…turning back to read more about the decision-making process… Decisions, Decisions (Part 1)

…reading the next page, her thoughts on support and encouragement during her pregnancy… Birth Encouragement

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Posted in Deciding on a Natural Birth Team

Nov 27

Natural Birth Stories | Birth Center Birth | Ashley B | Decisions, Decisions

As soon as that test turned positive, I knew I wanted another natural labor and delivery like I had with Toby, but I didn’t feel the hospital was the best place to do that. I had to fight the nurses and Drs the entire time to keep the interventions to a minimum and they still interfered more than I would have liked. Thankfully with the support of my mom and husband, we were still able to have a mostly natural delivery, but I really wanted a more hands off approach with this one. Being a military dependent, I thought I had to go to the military OBs, but I found that wasn’t true. I remembered hearing about the Charleston Birth Place when I was pregnant with Toby, so I started looking into them and to my suprise not only did the birth center take military insurance, which was a must for whatever provider we chose, but it was actually very easy to switch to them. Now it was set and I could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that a more hands off delivery was possible for this baby without having a home birth, which my husband was not exactly comfortable with.

There are 4 midwives at CBP and they make sure I got to meet them all. They are great ladies, but what mattered to me was not the title that my provider held (OB, midwife, general practitioner, ect). My main concern was that my provider is supportive of my birth plan and a hands off approach to birth. The midwives all were 100% behind me and totally embraced what me and Jo wanted, so there was no easier decision. I knew immediately after the tour and orientation of the birth center that we would end up having this baby there. The large jetted birth pool was just a bonus to our decision to deliver with CBP ;)

You can read more of Ashley’s Birth Journey by…


…turning back to read why she chose natural birth… Why Natural?

…reading the next page, her thoughts on support and encouragement during her pregnancy… Birth Encouragement 

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Posted in Deciding on a Natural Birth Team

Oct 24

Natural Birth Stories | Birth Center Birth | Amanda D | Decisions, Decisions

I originally started with my OB that I loved; Dr. M! I have used her since I moved here and Dr. M is hands down the best OB I have had to date. She, along with Dr. N and a Midwife, are the primary birth attendees. My first visit with my Doctors office, I never saw Dr. M. I saw Dr. N. I was a bit disappointed. I didn’t feel special. My visits felt very black and white, clinical, and LONG (waiting time).

Back when I first learned of this pregnancy I had called  Doula here in town. She was a book of knowledge. She asked me what I wanted fro this pregnancy and birth. After going through it all she laid it all out on the table for me. The local hospital was not natural friendly. They have very strict rules that you have to abide by and they do not stray from the norm. The want me to lay in bed, there are no tubs and I won’t be allowed to get in the shower. I won’t be able to eat or drink and once the baby is born the cord will be cute and he will be taken to the warming table for the nurses to asses him. She said that a natural birth is possible but it will be a bit of a struggle. She did say that part of a Doula’s job is to help advocate for the laboring mom. So I figured that having a Doula with us was going to be a necessity!

I stuck with the hospital route for a few weeks. Had a few more appointments with my Doctors office, but I never saw the doctor, I saw the midwife 3 times in a row. Then I met a woman, now a very good friend, who had two prior natural births in a hospital. She was the only one I had met that had an unmediated birth (and was planning her third!). Long story short… it was hard for her to keep the medical staff from intervening; it was a battle. Hospitals are not natural friendly to sum it up. She mentioned that she was planning a Birth Center birth so I decided to do a bit more research. First I talked to my husband and he was not super excited by the idea. He thought that midwives were witch like and felt more comfortable with a doctor. So with this idea fresh on our brains we watched, “The Business of Being Born”. This opened our eyes up and we hit the ground running.

Joe and I went to take a tour of the local birth center. We were immediately impressed with how well it was set up and all that they offer. They have 2 birth rooms; and both have tubs for a water birth. That was my ideal way to bring my son into this world, underwater! We transferred to the Savannah Birth Center at 20 weeks and never looked back. We have Tricare as our insurance. There are 2 different options for Tricare and the Birth Center is covered under Standard. Luckily, standard, was my current healthcare so I didn’t need to change anything.

You can read more of Amanda’s Birth Journey by…


…turning back to read why she chose natural birth…Why Natural?

…reading the next page, her thoughts on support and encouragement during her pregnancy…Birth Encouragement (coming soon)

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Posted in Deciding on a Natural Birth Team

Oct 15

Natural Birth Stories | Birth Center Birth | Sabrina S | Decisions, Decisons

I choose a birth center for this birth because I had such a wonderful experience with my last child who was born there. During my last pregnancy as I researched birth options, a friend of mine mentioned the birth center. I was coming to the realization that many of the things I wanted during my labor and birth would be hard to achieve with the doctor I was seeing. It was going to be equally as hard trying to convince the hospital to agree as well. At the birth center, many of these choices were standard practice. I called the birth center to see if I could get in (I was already in my second trimester) and they said they did not have openings for my birth month but would put me on the waiting list. Luckily, I got called around 25 weeks pregnant with an opening. I was very thankful since the more I studied and learned about natural birth the more I wanted what the birth center had to offer! My insurance covered prenatal care and birth at this birth center completely. If it hadn’t, I probably would not have considered it to begin with. However, now that I have experience with both a hospital and a birth center birth, if I was in a position where my insurance would not pay I would gladly pay out of pocket if I was able.

As I mentioned, a friend originally recommended the birth center to me. Nobody else I knew had done anything like natural birth and my husband was hesitant at first. But I felt strongly that it was the right choice for me and it turned out great!

You can read more of Sabrina’s Birth Journey by…


…turning back to read why she chose natural birth…Why Natural?  

…reading the next page, her thoughts on support and encouragement during her pregnancy…Birth Encouragement 

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Posted in Birth Center Births, Deciding on a Natural Birth Team