the Midwife!

Well, I got to visit the midwife this week, and I am so excited! She is very supportive of the kind of birth I'm looking for: no drugs, minimal techno/medical interventions, and personal support throughout labor and birth. One of my big questions was: "What if I go past my due date?" and she was so in line with my own desires in her answer.  If I get to 41 weeks, they will do a biophysical profile and a nonstress test, and make sure everything is OK with Elijah and me, and there are no signs of an aging placenta - which can cause serious problems for the baby. If everything looks OK, they'll keep monitoring me every other day or so until 42 weeks, and if I stay pregnant that long, I will need to have a repeat c-section, since the risks of a Pitocin or prostaglandin induction, including uterine rupture, are too great. So, if I make it to 41 weeks, I will be trying every natural method to induce labor that I can find!!

My midwife is partners with an OB/Gyn, and they cover each other's births. He is supportive of her and her patients' birth plans and will not try to push me to take an epidural, induce or augment labor with drugs, or jump to a c-section at the drop of a hat. On the other hand, if a c-section is MEDICALLY NECESSARY, then he will be on hand to perform it, and the hospital has an anesthesiologist on staff 24/7, and is always ready for an emergency c, should it prove necessary.

I am trying to continue to eat healthy, get exercise, stay active, read about the labor and birth experience and pray. I am praising God that Elijah is head down (the ideal position for vaginal birth) and that I am measuring "just right" for this point in my pregnancy, and that our insurance company will cover either the midwife or the OB and the hospital!

Thanks to all of you who have had supportive and challenging things to say as we seek "Our Best Birth." I am so excited to enjoy this blessed event in our lives!