Lessons at Indian Hospital About Births

This post has nothing (and everything) to do with the kids.  This lovely little gem from the NY Times so epitomizes many of my thoughts toward birth.  For those who don't know, I am a big fan of midwives and had midwifery care throughout most of my pregnancy with the boys.  My midwives worked in conjunction with an OB/GYN practice, and once things got complicated, the doctors insisted I be under their care.

I did notice a substantial difference in the type of care I received once under the care of the physicians.  When I'd had a regular check-up with the midwives, they came in and chatted with me.  They made sure I was really okay, physically and emotionally.  We discussed my pregnancy and what to really expect along the way.  They were my advocates and wanted to make sure I had the birth I wanted, even with twins.  I knew all of them personally.  They knew the name of my husband and child, and I knew theirs.  When a new midwife joined the practice, she spent 20 minutes with me one day getting to know me and sharing about herself, so that if she attended my birth she wouldn't be a stranger.

While under the care of the physicians, my appointments dropped from 20-30 minutes with the practitioner to 5-10 minutes.  The doctors listed for fetal heartbeats, just like the midwives, and that was just about it.  They would ask if I was having any problems.  They didn't ask any probing questions.  Many of the physicians in the practice are renowned surgeons, and while I'm sure they are experts in an operating room, that is the last place I wanted to be when I ushered two new little people into the world.  They didn't want to even discuss that I wanted to deliver naturally.  They just assumed I wanted a c-section.

I was so frustrated that I am fairly certain this is why I delivered the way I did.  The mind-body connection can be powerful, and I'm pretty sure some part of my brain figured out there was only one (crazy!) way to get the boys into the world without a c-section.

Following my delivery, my midwives followed up with me even though I was no longer "their" patient.  They visited me in the hospital, and that new midwife who had taken the time to get to know me was the one who sat with me for half an hour the day I was discharged and my babies weren't.  The midwife I knew best followed up with me, calling me at home and checking on things.  As an added bonus, they were also lactation consultants, so I could get advice on feeding twins from women I already knew well. 

For those who couldn't care less about the birth process, just read the financial figures.  This model of healthcare could save billions per year.  That ought to cover a good chunk of the proposed healthcare reform...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/health/07birth.html?pagewanted=1&emc=eta1