::my midwives::

I need to just take a moment to make it clear how much I love my midwives. I LOVED Peggy when I was pregnant with Arden, and if we didn't think we were going to move during this pregnancy, I probably would've gone with her again. Our situation being what it was when we found out we were pregnant, the plan was to reduce some expenses by moving south toward Richmond. Cheaper homes, cheaper county and cost of living, shorter commute for Drew. [A few people thought I meant we were moving TO Richmond; that is not the case. We still plan to move, sometime after the baby comes, probably around Ladysmith or Ruther Glen. We'll still be fellowshipping in Fredericksburg though. It just cuts Drew's commute in half since we live north of Fredericksburg.] The fact that we live right on the edge of Peggy and Kim's service area already made it necessary to switch to a new midwife practice that could accommodate whether we lived here or down south. I asked Peggy for recommendations and she gave me several, but only a few came to both areas. Ten Moons midwives also trained under Peggy, and she really thought I'd love them so I contacted them. She was right; I do love them. I am so thankful for the blessing of these midwives. The fact that the fee was slightly lower than Peggy's, the fact that they take the state insurance we have (which is ALSO a major, major blessing), the fact they come to our home for appointments, saving me gas and trouble...and the fact that they are such sweet ladies. I can call or text, email or message on my online chart any time and I get a fast, personal, and kind response. They make time for every little question or problem I have. Just the other day I was having trouble getting Anthem to tell me anything about how to get my home birth covered with our insurance, and Aimee called them up for me and set everything straight. So thankful for that, especially since I'm totally clueless about anything involving insurance!


My appointments are always so enjoyable! Everything is so comfortable, and focused on HEALTH, instead of treatment of problems. Of course, if there is a problem, we treat it, but the pregnancy itself is viewed as a normal, physiological process that doesn't need a whole lot of "help". Nutrition, yes. Education, yes. Fitness, yes. Desiree and Aimee are probably more "hippie" than Peggy, but they are very respectful. At this point in our lives, our family can't afford to go as far as I'd like to in the nutrition department, and Aimee and Desiree are very non-judgmental about all of that. They know I give nutrition my best shot and do what I can with what I have, and trust the body to make up for anything I would give it in an ideal world, but cannot. The truth is, food is the best medicine and I love herbs and natural healing. I understand and believe that. Avoiding problems is far more effective than treating them with pharmaceuticals. So I do what I can with what I have. They appreciate my efforts and are very respectful. At first, getting to know them, I was worried about what they'd think of me and the contents of my fridge. They are so cool and easy-going that I shouldn't have worried.

So if you're wondering how a typical midwife appointment goes, it's something like this:
Aimee or Desiree arrives, and, after asking how I feel and giving me a hug, they ask for a drink of water, or go ahead and use my bathroom. (told you it was relaxed!) Then we sit in the living room and they get out my chart (either paper or online) and start asking questions...most of the time we get off subject because Arden is running around, or we just start chatting. They hand me a Dixie cup and a urineanalysis strip and I take a little trip to the bathroom....and if I haven't weighed recently, I run upstairs to weigh. More chatting about everything. More Arden getting crazy or needing a diaper change. Good thing they are patient! After taking blood pressure and pulse, and if needed, a finger prick for iron levels, I lay down and she'll [ETA: forgot to mention the fundal height measurement, which is before she palpates] palpate to determine the baby's position. After this, she'll get out the fetoscope and take the baby's heart rate. This last time, she (Aimee) let Arden listen, too! Arden loved it. Aimee was her hero! She was quite upset when Aimee had to put away the fetoscope...she wanted to keep listening to the baby. By all appearances, she seemed to really grasp the reality of the baby in my belly. After listening to the baby, we talk a while longer about pregnancy or non-pregnancy related topics. Oh, and also they check my lower legs for edema. The entire appointment usually lasts around an hour, sometimes longer if there's a lot to chat about (like this last one! I think she was here closer to an hour and 25 minutes). Oh, and every appointment they alternate, so I can get to know them equally. Their client load is small enough that they both attend MOST every birth (unless there are two at once, which happens rarely), so the alternating is really nice.

Anyway, I just had to share how happy I am with our choice of midwives. They are so sweet and I am thrilled they'll be with us for the birth of our second little one! Being respected and an active participant in my own prenatal care is so awesome. I don't feel one bit like an observer or bystander. In my case, I enjoy knowing exactly what's going on and what I can do to resolve any issues naturally. Not waiting until a problem gets out of control to "fix" it with a drug. Not that I would refuse treatment like that if it became necessary, but that I can know what I can do, and do what I CAN to avoid a situation where it does.

Ok, I'm really starting to wonder how this post became so long. It was supposed to be a short, easy read on why I love my midwives, but it turned into somewhat of a wordy epistle.  Anyway, here's a picture of the two lovely ladies:

Desiree is a great artist as well...she does henna and also creates some adorable onesies--I'd like to get ahold of one of her batiked "born at home" onesies!