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Quote About Dandelions

"You fight dandelions all weekend, and late Monday afternoon there they are, pert as all get out, in full and gorgeous bloom, pretty as can be, thriving as only dandelions can in the face of adversity."

-- Hal Borland

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Don't Freak Out: I'm not using a doctor for my 1st pregnancy!

*Gasp*

I've slowly started telling people that I am choosing to use the only local Certified Nurse Midwife program in my area for this first pregnancy and it's definitely freaking some of them out. But that's ok, because until a few months ago I didn't know what a Nurse Midwife was or how they were different than a regular midwife, and probably would have thought someone using them was trying to give birth in a barn (kidding, kidding - if home birth with a regular midwife is something you've researched thoroughly and are comfortable with the risks, that's totally your choice and I support it!) I'm a huge proponent of using modern medical care, so this wasn't a choice I made lightly.

First off, what is a CNM? Here's a wonderful infograph that explains better than I could:

In short, CNMs are not just midwives; they are highly trained, certified, and qualified nurses who can deliver babies in hospitals (or at home, depending on the group near you), run full diagnostic blood work throughout the pregnancy, and monitor for health issues for both baby and mama along the way. CNMs are required to maintain their licensed status and attend Continuing Education courses yearly to stay up-to-date on proper medical care. They can induce, give epidurals, and will call in an OB should any emergency come up along the way in labor. Disclaimer: Midwives are wonderful and certainly have their place, but the more I researched them I was appalled at the lack of training and true medical care they can give here in the U.S. Other countries have focused more on the medical training of their midwives and I feel this is an area that we as a country need to be stepping up in. 

This group of CNMs only has 6 women in their group, and I will have met and had conversations with all of them by the time I go in to deliver. They will know me by name, and know my preferences for labor and delivery. I'm pretty much allowed to labor and deliver however I want as long as baby and I are progressing safely, and I will be intermittently monitored with an IUPC to measure the actual uterine strength of my contractions so they can better determine how close I am to delivery than they could with just the belly band. 

I was looking for a more personalized approach to pregnancy and delivery than I felt I would receive from my OB/GYN (whom I truly would recommend to anyone!) I want to know the person who will be delivering my baby and have them know me by name, not by file number. And I want more natural options in the delivery room - or birthing center in this case - while still receiving full medical care throughout the entire process. The nurse midwife I met at my fist visit reviewed the blood work that my OB had run to ensure that I had been tested for everything I needed to be. I feel very comfortable knowing that they put my and baby's best health at the forefront of what they do. My nurse midwife took extra time with to explain their program and let me ask all of the questions I wanted. I love the personal touch they use! It's something I felt unable to get at my OB's office - which is not their fault because they have thousands of other patients and literally do not have the time to sit and chit-chat with me. 

I will continue to use my local CNM group as long as I remain low-risk. The birthing center I will deliver at is literally attached to a wonderful hospital staffed by top doctors, so if any emergency occurs, an OB just has to walk through the doors. 

I am so grateful that I live in a country where I have as many options as I do for medical care, and I'm so glad that I can choose the one I feel most comfortable with!