S: I chose to have a midwife because they tend to be more of naturalists than doctors do. I was very determined to let nature take its course and to do everything naturally and she was very supportive of my decisions, including my choice to breastfeed which was extremely important to me. She was amazing during labor and delivery and so was her entire nursing staff. I saw a doctor for my first pregnancy (which ended in a miscarriage), and I can honestly say I will stick with my midwife for any future pregnancies. She was so much more personal and positive and supportive than any doctor I've met.
L: I did! It started out as an accident, actually. I went to Massena OB/GYN clinic and they never used to have a midwife, and I didn't know at first that they had hired a midwife until I was about 3 months into it. My regular OB was out on a delivery and I was asked if it was okay if the midwife saw me instead, or if I should reschedule. I had no problem seeing a midwife, in fact, I was excited to know that they had one on staff. And from the minute she introduced herself I knew that SHE is who I needed to be with. She's young, and hip, and just so easy to talk to, like talking to a long-time friend, not a doctor who needed to be somewhere 10 minutes ago. After starting to see her, she got me thinking about all of the medical interventions. She got me seeing childbirth as a natural and normal part of life. It's something that we, as women, are meant to do. Pregnancy and Childbirth is NOT a medical emergency (in most cases). I just can't express in words everything that she has given me, but she (and my lactation consultant) is the reason why I've gone green (and a little bit crunchy around the edges). I can't wait to have another baby, because I'm pretty set on a homebirth now, and since meeting my midwife I know that I can do it.
H: The answer for me was simple. I worked on the postpartum floor at our hospital and I clearly got to see the difference between an OB and a midwife. A midwife had a more gentle approach to care. It was more 1 on 1 as well. I was very luck to have had 3 midwives instead of 2. I had a student midwife in her last year of school. She was the reason why I didn't get an epidural, she helped me through the pain with different pressure points etc. I went completely drug free. When Henry was about to join us in this world the midwives were amazing, they let me pull him up and out and right onto my chest. Quinton was then allowed to cut the cord and go with Henry to be weighed. He was 6lbs 4 oz (almost a month early) They were amazing at showing Quinton everything they did and explained it to him in full detail. After Henry was born we were released from the hospital 8 hours after delivery. I give them a lot of credit towards Henry's life. I was planning on exclusively breastfeeding him and they were very pro breastfeeding as well. We all thought it was going great,I had a ton of milk (so we thought) . They came over to our house everyday to monitor his feedings and weight before and after. We quickly noticed that he was becoming very lethargic and was loosing weight fast. He was admitted to hospital 3 days after delivery for severe dehydration and jaundice. He lost a total of a pound in 3 days. Come to find out I had no milk. My breast were big and full feeling but nothing was there. They helped me with the adjustment and thought to feeding Henry formula. The day he came out of hospital they were right there with us for support and readjustment to home life. The spent the next 6 weeks watching Henry grow and grow (he grew fast lol) The day they released us from their care was bittersweet. I wanted nothing more but to stay with them for support and care. The experience was the most wonderful scariest time in our lives, and I wouldn't of done it any other way. Midwifes are the way to go! ♥
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