Your care provider is one of the most important factors in the outcome of your childbirth experience.  It is important to find someone in whom you can place your trust and with whom you feel safe. People spend countless hours mulling over their car purchase, search for their dream home for months, and even switch banks if they are not completely satisfied.

Why is it that time and time again there are stories about expecting women who do not like their care provider or disagree with their birth philosophies, yet stay with them? They are afraid to switch, or they feel they don’t have time, or they’ve been told there are no other options.

You hire your care provider and you should feel comfortable and confident in their care.

If you read my blog Happy and Healthy is Not Always Enough, you know the labor and birth of my first child ended in a cesarean section.  After my six week appointment, I learned that although the practice’s public stance is to say they support VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), the success rate depended a great deal on who was on call and that it would be very unlikely that I would successfully VBAC with that practice.

I sincerely believe cesarean sections can be good.  In some cases, they save lives. In other cases they feel right for the mother. A repeat cesarean wasn’t right for me.

 A VBAC was important to me, so I began the hunt for a new care provider- BEFORE I became pregnant again. Unlike a new car, your birth story stays with you for the rest of your life. I wanted my next experience to be different.

I am forever grateful my search lead me to a homebirth with Rising Moon Midwifery.

The difference in care was like night and day.

I chose my OB’s office for my first pregnancy based on proximity.  They had offices close to my home and work.  I heard good things about the hospital where they delivered.  Beyond that, I didn’t do any research.  During my prenatal appointments, everything felt rushed.  I spent no more than 8 minutes with any doctor. I was processed, and felt like I was nothing more than a set of numbers- “Your 4:30 is in 3.  She’s up 6 (lbs) and BP is 125/70.”

When I came with questions regarding my care or birth plan, my fears were often marginalized or outright attacked.  I left almost every appointment angry or upset.  After every one I thought about switching practices, but I was “too busy”.       – Aren’t we all?

The final straw was when they told me- a pregnant woman armed with hours of research and statistics- that my choices to decline induction “would result in a dead baby.” If I hadn’t been so mad about that comment that it put me into labor, I would have found a new doctor that night.

Why does this matter? Because our biological inclination is to wait to give birth to the baby until the mother feels safe and secure in her surroundings.  If you don’t trust your care provider, how will you ever find this state of mind?

Not all obstetricians office are this way.  I’ve since encountered those that can be wonderful.  But you can’t take for granted that they will be the right fit for you. It is important to talk candidly with your potential care provider and check their statistics.

For baby number two, I knew my chances of having a VBAC were much higher if I found a midwife. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, there were few choices for primary VBACs and even less who were well trained and experienced enough for my comfort. Luckily, I found Kate Aseron and Tyler Wilson.

How lucky? Between 2013 and 2016, they had a 100% success rate for VBACs and ZERO catastrophic outcomes.

My interview and first few appointments left me feeling comfortable. Kate was very confident about my ability to successfully VBAC. It almost seemed as if there was no question it would happen with proper preparation. She was understanding and supportive about my reservations. Tyler had a gentle, warm embrace that felt almost motherly. She also offered understanding and compassion I never received with my previous practice.

It felt right to entrust my care to them.

I was given their time and undivided attention. Each appointment was scheduled for an hour.  I was not a number.  I was not a due date. I was not a measurement of pounds gained.  And I was NEVER made to feel that I was a VBAC mother.  I was a woman who was pregnant who would be experiencing her first vaginal birth in the comfort of her home.

I was given space to process my previous birth, ask questions, receive reassuring and encouraging advice. Kate provides a monthly group for moms to meet and a Facebook page which created a community of like-minded individuals. They are a resource for me to ask questions and receive answers, not only from the midwives, but from other mothers.

I was able to enjoy my pregnancy and I was continually included in creating the plan for how my baby would be born into this world.

I choose  a home birth after cesarean with Rising Moon because my midwives got to know me. They cared about me. While I was in labor, they looked at me like this-

This is exactly what I needed at this time in my life.  I had two successful, peaceful, healing home births with Rising Moon Midwifery and I look forward to the possibility of another down the road.

Whether you choose a doctor or midwife, be sure the person you invite to join you in your birth space is one who supports you and builds you up.

Want information on the safety of home birth?

See the Cochrane Study, this article from Science and Sensibility, this story written by Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D., or consider these statistics collected by Certified Direct Entry Midwives of Alaska

Want more information about c-sections?

Consumer Reports shared that carefully selecting your hospital would be a determining factor in your risk of c-section.

http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/2016/05/push-to-reduce-unnecessary-c-sections/