Week 33/34: Ask Me About My Midwife

I'm going to be completely honest (when am I not?!).  I have always had the impression that

How I imagined birth with a midwife...

midwives were granola-crunching, hippy-dippy, anti-drug (the good birthin' ones) people.

When we found out we were pregnant, it seemed like a no-brainer that we would use a doctor, not a midwife.  But after not one, but two doctors changed jobs and left us behind, we were forced to reevaluate.

The first thing that changed our perspective was the instructor at our labor and birthing class at Mt

Auburn.  She introduced herself as a midwife and Meg and I both thought, "huh, she's not a weirdo. Maybe all midwives are not weird!"  She didn't poo-poo medications for pain, she didn't make birthing sound like a Joni Mitchell song and she was warm and kind.  I have to admit that, in a crisis situation, I do want an authoritative medical figure in the room, but I'm also kind of a big baby and just want that person to rub my back and tell me it's gonna be ok (Meg will certainly do that, but she has bachelors in Theater Studies and got a B in acting so I don't see me believing her as BGC splits me in two).

Sorority sister, Jenny,
is on the right- obviously

I did some research online about the midwives at Mt Auburn and picked Jenn Williams based on experience and patient reviews (I also felt good about this choice because she has the same name of one of my sorority sisters from college and I felt that was good juju- shut up).

We had our 33 week check-up yesterday and had the last appointment of the day- 5:45pm- which I felt bad about because nobody wants to be at work that late, I would know.








To sum up our visit, it was a perfect combination of medical and personal.  She first asked us why we chose to go with a midwife and we started to explain.  She interrupted our polite impression of midwifery (<<I love that word) and added "Birkenstock wearing" to our description.  Midwifery high fives.

Kate, do you work out?  Yes...?

She went over my past and present medical situation with compassion and without bias (Jenn: You want an epidural? Kate: YUP Jenn: Ok), she immediately acknowledged Meg and directed many questions to her and her feelings, she took the time to listen to my ramblings and explained many things I didn't expect her to.  She took the time is basically what I'm saying.




So.  I feel, although I have to keep reminding myself that we still have 5-6 weeks left, like we are ready... well, as ready as one can be...