Very well taken care of during a c-section
Choosing a care provider for pregnancy is a very personal choice. For my husband and me, the Midwifery Services of Haliburton and Bancroft was an excellent choice for a number of reasons. The first reason is my husband's main reason; I like to feel very well taken care of. Our midwife appointments lasted from 30-90 minutes, depending on my number of questions or concerns. Every question or concern was met with a thoughtful answer and advice. This leads me to our second reason for midwives; they are very knowledgeable about what they do. They only deliver babies and thus have a wide range of knowledge from anecdotal to highly researched. Lastly, living in Haliburton, where the nearest Labour and Delivery Ward is over an hour away in every direction, made our choice to take this journey with midwives even easier. 'What ifs' went through our minds, and knowing that our midwives were just a call away 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, allowed for better peace of mind during that time.
I was asked to write this little piece in regards to my experience with midwives in a hospital and ultimately undergoing a c-section. When we first made our decision to go with midwives for our care, it didn't really go through my mind that I'd have a c-section. During our appointments we were given information about the types of birth that we could have. I always very much wanted an all-natural vaginal birth, but at my husband's encouragement I remained "open to whatever had to happen." I went into labour thinking it would be an all-natural birth, but open to any choices we'd have to make to ensure the health of myself and my baby. To be honest, I didn't think I'd have to make those choices, but after a day of pre-labour that wasn't doing anything (insert expletive here!) I was a little worn out and knew based on previous conversations with my midwives that a tired Momma will sometimes progress slower because of fatigue. I decided that I'd have some morphine ... it was lovely. Over the next day and a half my midwife was right by my side helping me and my husband evaluate the options that were presented to us. During that time I was induced (at this time my care was transferred to the hospital), given an epidural and eventually told that my 'little' guy just wouldn't fit, and although it wasn't an emergency yet, it was highly advisable that we undergo an 'unplanned' c-section. When my midwife looked at me after having been told the information, I remember feeling emotional. She could see my disappointment and unease but knew why I had to make this choice. She was with me and my husband during the c-section. I held her hand and she spoke reassuring words to both me and my husband.
I want to break down this experience a little more. Once we decided to start the induction process, my care transferred to the hospital. This meant that the attending physician and nurses were now my primary caregivers. My midwife, however, never left our side. She was still there to support my husband and me in all of the decisions we had to make. During the c-section she stayed with my husband, explaining what I was going through when we were separated and I was being prepped in the OR. Once the baby was delivered, the care of my baby went back to the midwives.
After the c-section I stayed in the hospital for a night but really wanted to get home. I had a huge amount of support at home plus the care of the midwives. If I didn't have this support I obviously would have stayed at the hospital longer, but I knew I would be well taken care of at home. For the following six weeks after the birth, the midwives cared for me and my baby. I was able to talk to them about the grief I felt for not having the birth I had envisioned, because for all of the "open to whatever had to happen" conversations, I felt like I had failed. They put all these ideas to rest and built me up as a new mom. I needed that extra support, and they were able to give it to me.
For almost a year, these ladies supported and cared for me and my baby. It was a truly amazing experience, and I'm so glad we decided to take this journey with them. They are a fabulous team!
Jessica (2015, 2017)
