I always find it amusing when old practices become "new" again. One perfect example of this is midwifery. For centuries, women have helped other women give birth, and even though midwives lost their popularity with the rise of technology in the medical field, lots of women around the world still give birth with the assistance of a midwife today. It's not just celebrities and rich women, like a recent article in The New York Times would have you believe.
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When I found out I was pregnant with my first child, the thought of having a midwife didn't really cross my mind. Nothing against them, but I had been going to the same OB/GYN for years and I not only trusted him, but I felt completely comfortable with him. But then I started taking prenatal yoga classes with a woman who was all about natural childbirth and I was intrigued.
So when we moved from Miami to Denver during my third trimester, I figured it wouldn't hurt to find a midwife to go along with my new found desire to try to give birth to my child in the most natural way possible. And I totally lucked out! I found an incredible team of midwives who were caring, supportive and incredibly experienced.
The difference between them and my OB/GYN were like night and day. For starters, my appointments with them were much longer, they never felt rushed and they were obviously totally open to my wishes to labor at home as long as possible and to give birth without drugs. While my childbirth experience didn't go exactly as planned because I ended up having a C-section, my midwife was with me in the OR every step of the way–which was a huge reassurance considering I had really not prepared for this possibility.
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I would've totally done it all over again with them the second time around had I not been considered high risk. Since I wanted to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after C-section), I HAD to go with an OB/GYN who could perform an emergency C-section if necessary. Having had pretty much every experience possible during childbirth, I would highly recommend going with a midwife. After all, that's how children have been born for centuries!
Did you consider going with a midwife when you were pregnant? Share your thoughts with us by leaving us a comment below.
Image via eyeliam/flickr
