A Friend's Prenatal Experience - What Have Midwives Become?

Talking to a good friend on the phone after not talking for a while sure feels good. This was the case for me this evening; the phone call lasted just over an hour and we had a blast chatting and laughing.

My friend, we'll call her 'M,' is pregnant with her first. Like myself, she's carrying a "love baby," one who came along as fate intended.

M was the friend who came over on the afternoon that my contractions started to burn me music to listen to during labor. She and I timed them together between conversation and giggles of anticipation for the next. It was such an exciting time.

Now 6 months pregnant herself, she's anticipating her own start of labor, thinking about it often, as first time mothers do. She's thinking about having a home birth. Says I've really inspired her with the way I did things (you can read about my home birth story). But of course, that is not the only reason why she (and her husband) are planning for this option. She can't imagine being able to relax in a hospital. That's a big sign that she won't be laboring there - it's how I felt when trying to picture it...I couldn't even picture it. Neither can she.

Many women where she lives (and where I lived when expecting) are often referred to who I will call Mrs. Finch. "Oh, are you going to Mrs. Finch?" is a commonly asked question in those parts. She's a popular midwife who works with two other midwives in a local hospital. These are who M is currently seeing for her prenatal care.

Upon meeting Mrs. Finch, she asked M if she was looking forward to her due date and how she felt about it - whether she was nervous and/or excited. Of course, M said excited and a little nervous, as is natural for a first time mom who doesn't know what to expect from labor (and labor and delivery are always met with a mixture of these emotions). Mrs. Finch replied, "well don't worry, we have plenty of drugs."

Huh? That calls for a "whoa, wait a minute..." No discussion of whether M is planning for a natural birth or how she feels about induction. Just, "we have plenty of drugs." Outrageous! I still can't believe it. And this came from a midwife!

So M is looking into home birth. I'll keep ya posted.