My journey begins in the summer of 2010, I was 3 months pregnant with my son and seeking prenatal care. I decided I wanted to go the natural route and use a midwife. After only a few visits with what I will forever consider to be a "medwife" I decided that using a CNM in a hospital was not the correct route for me. I canceled my next appointment and started looking into a freestanding birthing center right over the state line. I started reading and researching on everything related to birthing outside of the hospital. The minute I stepped foot inside the birthing center I felt a sense on comfort and safety. We went to our first appointment and instantly clicked with the midwife, a wonderful CPM, and must have spent over an hour talking. I looked forward to every appointment with her, I no longer felt uncomfortable or pushed but instead felt as thought what was going on was my decision and it was respected.
As we prepared for our birth at the birth center I also learned about this crazy thing women do... home birth!! I was very interested but my first Google search into it told me home birth was illegal in my state so I left it alone. I knew however, my next birth I wanted to be a home birth! I continued to research about it and longed to have my baby at home, but my mothers home? No thanks!! In December of 2010 MJ moved to VA to get a job and get things ready for our new baby and I to move up, since I was comfortable and ready for a birth at the birthing center we decided I would stay and he would go, a nice 6 hour drive away. It did not take long for me to decided I did not like this arrangement, at 9 months pregnant and 5 weeks till my "due date" I traveled to VA to stay for two weeks. During those weeks I started looking at birthing centers in the area and decided I did not want to continue being so far away.
Im not sure what made me look, but I made the best Google search I could ever make and found that home birth was not only legal in VA but there were many midwifes to chose from! I knew 100% that I wanted a home birth and did not want to wait till the next one. Why? What was the point? I spoke to MJ and he agreed to meet with two midwifes that I had selected after reading wonderful things about them in a online home birth community for VA. With only a few weeks till my "due date" and having everyone tell me that my "baby would be here any day" we met with the midwifes. After only 5 minutes I knew they were a perfect fit!! I learned so much from them during the last weeks of pregnancy and my passion for natural and normal birthing grew every day.
On February 9th 2011 my son emerged in a pool of water in the middle of our kitchen into my hands. Two weeks later while holding my little boy I felt what I thought was baby fever, but how could it be since I was holding my brand new baby in my arms. What was I feeling? Birth Fever! I was longing to give birth again, many women would call me crazy but I was! It was then I realized I wanted to be involved in birth somehow, there was no other way I could satisfy my (what I call) birth craving!! After birth your supposed to stop researching and reading about pregnancy and birth, right? Not me!! I continued reading as thought I were pregnant, every day I learned something new! Besides my precious new baby, birth was all I could think about! At the end of my pregnancy MJ mentioned I would be an awesome midwife, I brushed it off because how could I be a midwife!? Who knew shortly after my sons birth I would be sitting at my computer nursing my baby looking at midwifery training programs.
Having a new baby, money is tight, so while looking at schools I had to pass up many wonderful training programs. I continued to look and pray though it seamed I would never be able to afford to get the training I wanted. I finally came across a program that was not only reasonable in price, but I could pay per unit as I go! I will be studying with a online program called Midwife To Be, based out of South Carolina. I will be able to pay $25 per unit (30 units) and the total cost will be $775. Thousands of dollars less than every other program I found. I will also have to pay for the many books I will need through out my training. Any donations towards my studies are greatly appreciated.
I will continue to post and update as I continue on my journey - Learning the ways of a midwife!
"Two weeks later while holding my little boy I felt what I thought was baby fever, but how could it be since I was holding my brand new baby in my arms. What was I feeling? Birth Fever! I was longing to give birth again, many women would call me crazy but I was! It was then I realized I wanted to be involved in birth somehow, there was no other way I could satisfy my (what I call) birth craving!!"
ReplyDeleteI have that same feeling after giving birth as well. And that 'birth craving' is the reason I am hoping to be a midwife someday!