And....we have a doula

When I look back at Mini Me's birth, there are many, many things I enjoyed about it. There are also a few things I wish had gone differently. In an attempt to perhaps minimize repeating those not so desirable items on the list, I knew before I even got pregnant, that I would be switching to a midwife.


With that decision, I have also carried a hope that I would be able to have a birth that did not involve pain medication, IV's, catheters, stitches, etc. To that end, I have been toying with the idea of having a doula present for the birth.


Generally, this goes against my philosophy of having as few people as possible in the delivery room. Not that I don't love all of you, but there is NO WAY, even if ya'll lived right next door, that I would choose to have any of you in the delivery room. No offense. Just not my thing. In fact, if I could give birth at home with only hubby and a midwife, I would be happy. But, hubby is really not cool with that, so we compromised.


However, as anyone who knows my hubby probably can guess, he's not really the "crunchy" type. He's analytical, scientific and cautious. To him, the medical model of birth is just fine. I respect his opinion, but we do have very different views. I don't believe that birth is a medical issue. I believe that women were designed to have babies, and while complications do occur that can and should be handled by doctors, in hospitals, that the majority of births should be able to happen as nature intended.


With that thought, I am preparing to have this baby, with as few interventions as possible. While hubby does not really understand my desire to do so, he respects my decision. However, he has also chosen to not actively participate in preparations to assist me with labor (learning massage techniques, positions for pain management, relaxation exercises, etc). So, I have decided that to give me the best chance of the birth that I hope for, I would compromise one of my preferences, and have a doula assist with the birth.


The glitch in all of that, is that a certified birth doula in this area costs a substantial amount of money and is not covered by insurance. Being a Stay at Home Mom doesn't really put a whole lot in the bank, ya know? But, thanks to my internet friends, I have been hooked up with a woman in a doula training program. She has completed the training and must now attend several births to complete her certification. She's not completely new at this. In fact, the first birth she participated in was a completely unmedicated home birth. Sweet.

And, so the stage is set. I will give birth to this baby, in the same hospital that Mini Me was born. I will have a L&D nurse present at all times. My midwife will be there for medical support (there is an OB supervisor who will not be present, but is available should there be any complications), and I will have hubby and a doula for emotional and physical support.

Now, we just wait....