Wednesday, May 14, 2014

We Had Prepared

We had prepared everything for her transfer. Her sweet baby was apparently very contented to remain nestled up in her warm womb. All measurable signs and tests were done and everything pointed to a happy, healthy babe. Mama and her family were hanging in there, anxious to meet this little one, but willing to be patient....

Every birth center has regulations to deal with and work within, we are no exception. I agree with many of our regulations; no Mama's with hypertensive disorders, no twins, no Mama's with major preexisting medical conditions like epilepsy or severe heart diseases to name a few. And then there are regulations that I do not agree with; no Mama having their sixth or more baby and no VBAC's. These examples are by no means a complete list of our regulations, just the first that pop into my head. Our regs were originally written in the early 1980's and can be very restrictive. We struggle with some of them to even remain open to serve our families. Part of the reason why there are so few birth centers in my state (mine, one on the other side of the state and one in the process of opening) is the restrictiveness of these regulations....and we seem powerless to change them.  There is no desire on the part of the state to re-open them. It would literally take an act of (state) congress to make this happen and unfortunately the care of Mama's and Babies falls to the bottom of the priority list when budgets are tight. This is so wrong and is such a travesty, but it is the reality that we currently have to function in. So, we struggle on, we make personal sacrifices and we fight the fights so we can be here to care for our families. And sometimes we have to make decisions based on these regulations that we may not agree with. However, my goal is to remain open and to serve as many families as possible so I must "follow the rules" and walk the line.

We had prepared everything for her transfer, the very next day she was scheduled for an induction as she would be two weeks past her "due" date. The reports had been given, the records has been shared and all was set. Then in the last possible hours, blessedly, her babe decided to make the move.  The birth was beautiful; a wonderful messy mix of strength, perseverance, radiance and sweaty work. Then I got to make one of my favorite phone calls; to the provider who was going to do her induction, and cancel it!

4 comments:

  1. You do wonderful work! Love reading your stories. God bless midwives!

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    1. Anonymous, Your words are felt and much appreciated, thank you.

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  2. I'm glad baby came safe and sound! I'm not pregnant yet, but I'm thinking about it. Having a midwife never really entered my mind, but I think I'm going to start thinking about it! Thank you for sharing your stories! http://www.whallc.com

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  3. Angela, thanks for visiting my blog and taking the time to write a comment. I am grateful that my words may help lead you to a midwife if that is the provider you choose. Good Luck to you!

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