As Much As I Love My OB

Since moving into the new house, a trip to the OB’s office ended up being an entire day’s ordeal. As much as I love my OB, getting up 3 hours previous to any appointment and driving for 40 minutes on a highway with pot holes the size of small lakes to get there was just not my idea of a good time. Not that OB appointments are ever a good time, what with the needles in the arm and the weird metal things in, you know, that place. Not to mention she doesn’t deliver at the hospital closest to me. I was not about to drive that 40 minutes on that damn highway while in labor. Imagine a very angry, violent woman throwing raw meat and amniotic fluid at cars on the way. It wouldn’t be pretty.

Since I am a tad bit of a hippy, I decided to look into midwives in the area. I’m quite lucky in that my hospital has a CNM practice that works directly with them. I’m also lucky that my hospital has jacuzzis, squat bars and birthing balls in every one of their rooms, and the CNMs are not afraid to use them. Again, as much as I love my OB, when I mentioned the possibility of a waterbirth, I got a very sweet, but frightening look. The look of blind amazement and intrigue, something you never want to see on the face of your doctor when you mention a procedure you’d like them to assist in performing. “How does the doctor deliver the baby if it’s in water, then?” And that was that.

I was a bit nervous going in to see the midwives for the first time. They were at a “women’s clinic.” I’ve never known anything good to happen at “clinics.” I was fully prepared for a waiting room full of very pregnant crack whores. Yes, I do realize how ridiculous I am. Thank you for pointing that out to me. One thing they do not tell you about pregnancy, you lose all brain function. Be prepared to say and think the stupidest things you’ve ever said in your whole life, and repeat yourself 400-500 times. Ben is eating my brain.

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The office was beautiful and the staff was as nice as staff generally is - you know, the type of people you’d never invite out anywhere but wouldn’t necessarily throw poo at either. The nurses were wonderful. It was all lovely.

We met with the midwife and she was a sweetheart. It’s a practice of 7, that I will probably not meet before I give birth. However, she assured me that although their personalities are all very different, their professional philosophies all remain quite consistent with one another. She took the time to answer our questions about when to call, cutting the cord, taking the placenta home, everything I could think of. She was wonderful. Really, as much as I love my OB, I always felt like she was on her way out the door. This woman sat down and talked to us for 20 minutes. It was incredibly comforting.

It also helped that I never once got that look. The midwife knows how to use and loves the jacuzzis. It’s quite comforting to know your healthcare provider is right on board with you. Again, as much as I love my OB, this just feels like it’ll be the better fit for me and I’m terribly excited.

Filed under 3rd Trimester, doctor appointment, pregnancy |