What can I say? I'm Obsessed.

Today I had my first OB appointment here in MD.

Can I just say that transferring gynecology practices half way through pregnancy because of a move is probably the MOST stressful thing a woman can go through?

For people that know me, and "understand" me (which is very possible it's only my husband, and thats ok) know that pregnancy, labor and delivery is very important to me. 

As a stay-at-home Mom, my priorities are taking care of my child, my house, my husband and basically EVERYTHING in the world (or so it seems). Seldom, I have down time. VERY SELDOM. But when I do, the majority of my time I spend reading and researching and learning. 

About what you might ask?

About birth. 

I'm weird! I know! But it's something in my life that I've honestly become passionate about and hope to continue to pursue professionally. 

Being passionate and well educated also means that I know what I want and what I don't want when it comes to my birth and labor. 

I'm preparing in ways I didn't the first time around. I plan to do things this go around that I didn't with Baby Dean. I'm looking to God and nature, and I didn't when I was pregnant with Baby Dean.

One of the ways to achieve the birth I want is by having a medical provider that understands my wants and is willing and even encouraging of those desires. Plain and simple, facts show that using a midwife when you desire a more natural birth, will help you get what you want. 

Ever heard of The Business of Being Born? You can watch it on Netflix for free. I encourage everyone to whether they've had children or not. It's important to get the word out on how birth has changed over the years. 

Anyway, when I lived in WV I had a group of midwives that, while I didn't have the best experience with one while laboring with Baby Dean, I did have a vaginal delivery. And I didn't have major tearing (I had to get half a stitch just to be sure I didn't get an infection, less than 1 degree tearing). And both my child and I were healthy.

So when we moved to MD, I knew I had to start with where I wanted to deliver. Once I had decided that, it was just a matter of finding a midwife group that had rights at Mercy, and I would be happy. Sounds simple enough.

Well. It's not.

I called places, I cried. I called more places, I cried harder. 

I finally had to suck it up and just pick a place. 

It took a lot for me to do this. To pick a place that I wasn't sure I would get what I wanted. Obviously, the most important thing is that both my child and I are healthy at the end of the day, but anywhere you go can't really guarantee that. Part of the reason people fear birth so much is because up until the baby is in your arms and you're going home, there is so much unknown that could or couldn't happen. Because of that very reason, birthing in America and all over the world has changed dramatically. (Again, see Business of Being Born)

So I went. And the first impression of the place wasn't the greatest. The practice's office is actually in the hospital. So there's parking garages, and getting lost walking trying to find it. I had to ring a doorbell to get into the office. There is one single bathroom for ladies only that is small, and not the cleanest, and doesn't have a changing table. I had to wait 30 minutes past my appointment time just to get into the room (mind you, when I got there, I was the only one there and everyone was on lunch until 1:40. My appointment was at 1:30.) I had to wait in the room for the OB to come in for another 30 minutes. The room was tiny (and SUPER ugly!). But everyone was nice. The nurse was even telling me that her nephew was Dean and so was her brother and her Dad. We laughed at how it was so random and neither of us had met another family with the family name being Dean. When the OB did come in, she was really really nice.

She took her time, and talked to me. She explained to me that there were 5 OBs and 5 midwives in the practice. That almost all of them had had natural births themselves, so they would be more than willing to support me in that. There is always an OB and a midwife on call. When a patient goes into labor,  She said that as long as everything was in the normal/average range, the midwife takes care of the labor and delivery. If something happens where the patient or baby are in risk, the OB takes over. The hospital requires intermittent monitoring (which I'm fine with) but otherwise I can be up and walking around or in the tub.

She made me feel confident in her and the rest of the physicians in the practice, and that's a big deal for me. I need to have the support of everyone in the birthing room. I need their encouragement. I don't need people that laugh at me, or tell me to just give in to meds. I need people that will tell me I CAN do it, not that I shouldn't.

I need to add, that I say all of this fully knowing that plans are just that. Plans. Plans change. You have to be willing to change and go with the flow and do what's necessary to achieve the end goal. All of this is important to me, but not as important as my child's health and mine. I will do whatever it takes to  achieve the end goal, but I won't be talked into things or told things I know simply aren't true. I will follow my gut and listen to it more this time around. I'm confident in the hospital I've chosen, and while it's going to take more than one office visit to make me completely confident in the practice I've chosen, I think we're on our way to getting there.