Happy International Midwives Day
In honor of International Day of the Midwife, I wanted to take a moment to thank all the midwives for the amazing work they do. They work tireless hours with such passion and care for their clients.
As a doula, I’ve been able to work with some amazing midwives. But for today, I want to share my personal experience with out-of-hospital midwifery care. With my oldest, I went the traditional OB route. My doctor was kind, but the appointments were so brief that I never really formed a relationship with her. She was part of a larger practice and another doctor was actually present for the birth that I had never met before. Now only 7.5 years later, I honestly cannot remember either of their names. With my next child, we decided that we wanted to hire a midwife. We set up a few consultations with local midwives until we found one that we connected with and felt the most comfortable with. We chose Jaymee and Lourdes with Inbloom Midwifery out of Pearland. Each appointment after that lasted 30-60 minutes where I was able to ask all my questions and form a relationship with. I looked forward to every appointment. I was guilty of lingering in the waiting room after appointments just to visit with Lisa, since I rarely had to wait before appointments! I used them for my last two pregnancies and wouldn’t hesitate to hire them again.
One of my favorite appointments is the 36 week home visit where my midwife comes to my house and makes sure I have everything necessary for my upcoming birth. It suddenly feels so real! My midwife Jaymee really took the time to connect with my kids and make them feel comfortable.
Jaymee asked my 3-year-old for a towel and she enthusiastically went to the bathroom and grabbed one square of toilet paper for her. So cute! Big brother wasn’t as interested in what was going on.
One question I am often asked, is if you need to see an OB as well as a midwife. Typically the answer is no. Midwives are trained medical professionals that run all the same tests and ultrasounds an OB would. They specialize in physiological normal and natural birth, and are able to manage most things that come along during pregnancy. If a patient becomes high risk, then yes they could potentially need to collaborate with an OB or transfer care.
Left undisturbed, birth just works. There is a saying that says “A midwife has skilled hands, and knows how to sit on them” Midwives trust you and your ability to give birth. But there are times, where they do need to step in and they are educated and trained to handle those situations. As a doula, I’ve worked with my personal midwives on the other side and it’s really neat to see how they’ve handled potentially stressful situations with grace and knowledge.
I think my favorite part of hiring a midwife and having a home birth is hopping in the shower immediately after birth and then crawling in my own bed for baby snuggles.
Home birth midwives typically come to you for your first postpartum appointments and it is so amazing not having to haul your new baby and car seat to appointments when you are still leaky, crampy, and sweaty. My midwife provided care for my newborn for the first 6 weeks as well. The final appointment is always bittersweet, since the midwives are now friends and I’ve really enjoyed visiting at each appointment. Until next baby!
If you are considering a different level of care, I highly recommend setting up a consultation with a midwife or two! It could possibly be a great option for you.
PHOTO CREDIT: Chelsea McLure Birth & Lifestyle Photography
MIDWIFERY TEAM: In Bloom Midwifery
