After just having had my last postpartum midwifery visit
last week, my experiences with a midwife throughout my
pregnancy and postpartum period are still very fresh! I cannot
speak highly enough of the care I received during this most
exciting and wonderful time of my life.
A year ago when I discovered I was pregnant, my husband
and I were celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary on
Saltspring Island and staying in a bed and breakfast. At
the same time Kim Campbell was staying there too with her
husband! I was thrilled to meet a midwife and discover that
here in BC, midwifery is covered by BC health care!! (I
am from Alberta where it is not!) I saw this whole meeting
as an answer to prayer, as I REALLY wanted to experience
having a midwife and I wasn't sure where to begin looking.
Kim gave me the names of several midwives in my area and
told me to call as soon as possible.
I was soon meeting with Anne Barkham and I knew right
away that this was right for us! I can't quite explain how
wonderful our visits with Anne and Sarah were! A whole hour
to discuss questions, options and anything else that was
needed, in a relaxing, friendly environment! Sarah and Anne
were always so kind and reassuring-not to mention extremely
thorough.
Our birth didn't exactly go as planned-an induced labour,
it ended up being a highly "medical" event with our baby
being delivered by the obstetrician (an excellent doctor
who stayed with us the whole time!) due to distress in the
baby. However, Anne was right by my side for the whole thing
giving us reassurance and acting as our advocate. It was
Anne who was so tender in all the little things like getting
me toast and tea following an exhausting labour.
She was with us almost all of the next day, helping with
breastfeeding and taking excellent care of us!! She discovered
a heart murmer in our son and it was her caring concern
that had him admitted to the SCN after he ran into a few
other problems. After we were home with our happy and healthy
little boy, Sarah came to visit. Both midwives were wonderful!
I can't say enough! I also deeply appreciated being able
to call them at any time with any questions or problems.
I am so thankful for the wonderful experience we had with
our midwives.
My mother practised as a nurse-midwife in Alberta for
a time, and my sister had all 4 of her children with midwives.
I can now share in their excitement about midwifery!
Sarah Bonikowsky
Delta, BC Canada
After losing our first baby to miscarriage due to a
partial molar pregnancy, suffering a recurrance of the tumors,
and then losing our second baby to an unexplained miscarriage;
I knew I needed a kind of medical care that western medicine
didn't seem prepared to give me. I was sick to death of having
medical decisions made FOR ME and of having doctors who didn't
think I could understand the medical information. I was hoping
for a practitioner who help me to gather and understand the
information so that I could make my own informed decisions.
I contacted the Victoria Midwifery Group and scheduled
a pre-pregnancy appointment with Deanna Wildeman. After
my first meeting with Deanna I was positive that I had found
the right practitioner for me. I felt like this option of
care and must have been designed for me personally!
Many months of worrying, waiting, crying, and hoping later
- I was pregnant! I scheduled my first prenatal appointment
and began the greatest adventure of my life! My husband
and I both felt absolutely comfortable with both Deanna
and Deb Little, her partner. Our questions were answered,
our concerns responded to, and we made our own decisions
- confident that we had the necessary information to do
so.
Our birth experience was wonderful. It was faster than
we expected and much less painful than I expected. Even
though I ended up having a C-section because our daughter
was stuck in a posterior position, I feel that our birth
went really well. I know that Deanna and Deb helped me to
be realistically prepared for all the possible outcomes
of birth and during the birth I knew that Deanna would make
sure that the doctors respected my wishes as much as the
situation would allow. We did get excellent care from the
doctors also. Her presence gave me the confidence to accept
the situation and see the positives. I felt safe in her
care.
Although I could go on endlessly about the excellent prenatal
care we received, it was the care after Kali jane's birth
that really stands out in my memory. Deb, Deanna, and Selina
stayed in touch throughout the 11 days Kali spent in special
care. They helped us to understand what was going on with
her health and helped ud to understand our options. They
gave us the information we needed, again, to make informed
choices for our daughter. Without them I am certain we would
have spent at least another week in the nursery trying to
make sense of the conflicting information and actions of
the nurses. Even with their help, my confidence was shattered
and it took many weeks at home before I was able to believe
that my daughter wasn't in imminent danger of starvation
or dehydration. It took 9 weeks for Kali to be ready to
breastfeed and I was encouraged and comforted during those
weeks of endless pumping, bottling, and frustration.
I will definately choose to be in the care of a midwife
in future pregnancies and I can't at all understand why
anyone would choose otherwise. Our daughter is a healthy,
happy, beautiful gift and we appreciate so much that her
entrance into the world was positive for all of us.
Thanks Deanna and Deb!
p.s. Kali Jane was in special care because she has Down
Syndrome and as a result she was a bit slow in learning
to suck.
Heather Carley & Mitchell Jones
Victoria, B.C. Canada
Hello my name is Louise! I was estatic to find this
website! I am currently living in Red Deer AB and as of April
1,2002 my family and I will be relocating to Abbotssford.
We had the great experience of having a midwife and a homebirth
with the birth of our third child in April of 2001. It was
amazing and would never do it any other way!
Thanks everyone and I hope to meet others with similar
interests are parenting concerns as I do.
Louise Helder
Red Deer, AB Canada
I am almost at loss for words. My experience with
my midwives has left me with memories to cherish forever.
Everyday I look forward to sharing my next pregnancy and
birth with the most amazing women I have ever met. It's
too bad that midwifery care couldn't be family practice
for year-round health check-ups!
Kelsey Paolino <aja292001@yahoo.ca>
Maple Ridge, BC Canada
This is the story of my experience with a midwife and
a home birth - a very satisfying and memorable experience
that I will cherish forever, especially as it was my first.
I had been inspired to seek midwifery care before my pregnancy.
My doctor impressed me as very professional but lacked the
personal warmth I was looking for… not to mention the fact
that there was never much time allotted for monthly visits
to address issues that were important to me. I decided to
meet with the midwife who had cared for two friends. Her
practice was very busy, and I learned she often must turn
women away. Over the months our one hour sessions spent
together I was impressed with Kim’s professional knowledge,
her caring concern for me not only as a client but as a
person, and her deep love for babies. What impressed me
the most was the way she imparted her knowledge to me, making
sure I was aware of all the facts in order to be able to
make informed decisions. I wasn’t just sent off to this
or that routine test like all of my pregnant friends – I
was able to make the decision myself based on the information
she gave me. Kim never tried to persuade me one way or another
– the decisions were up to me. I really appreciated it.
Kim provided solid professional facts after my commitment
to a homebirth was challenged following one particular prenatal
class my husband and I were attending really scared us.
The instructor covered some of what could go wrong while
giving birth. I had the worst possible fears after this,
and it didn’t help to have practically everyone I knew advise
me against having a homebirth, making their point by telling
me all these horror labour stories. I realized later that
all of this well meant advice was based on ignorance – people
had no idea how professional and absolutely capable midwives
are. They brought suitcases of equipment, right down to
oxygen, a scale and a baby’s heart monitoring device and
much more. During the final stages of labour a back-up midwife
came to help, just in case both mother and baby need tending
to. If they sense even the slightest bit of risk, they whisk
mother with unborn baby right off to the hospital. Kim calmed
my fears with facts and once again I could look forward
to having my baby at home.
The long awaited moment came not long after this, and
I paged Kim who told me to have a hot shower and try and
get some sleep. My water broke a few hours later at 2:20
am and Kim showed up soon after that. The rest of my labour
is a blur (one year later)… I do remember being surprised
at how painful the contractions were . I also remember the
peaceful, quiet warmth of our home, the soft lights of our
bedside lamps and the familiar surroundings. Kim’s calm
presence was a wonderful thing – both my husband and I felt
very safe and secure knowing that she was there. She was
very helpful with the pain management, offering me all sorts
of advice and tips on helpful positions and breathing techniques.
It took nearly 2 ½ hours of pushing before my son was born
at 8:29am, towards the end of which I was totally exhausted.
Kim and the back-up midwife Ann were very encouraging, cheering
me on and telling me that I was doing a great job. When
the happy moment came Kim helped place our baby straight
onto my chest, it was my husband and I who got to lift him
up and see his sex.
After Micah was born, Kim and Ann buzzed around like 2
bees, quietly and efficiently taking care of all the things
that needed to be done while my husband and I cuddled in
our warm bed with out new baby. As I had torn I was stitched
up right there on my bed, later on all the routine newborn
checks were performed on our baby with us watching (and
filming). I was shown how to breast-feed by Ann who demonstrated
a lot of patience with both inexperienced mother and baby,
and while I lay there cuddling with Micah, a load of soiled
birth laundry was done for me. I was helped to the shower,
given breakfast in bed and then instructed to sleep.
Despite the great prenatal care and the excellent professional
care during labour and birth, I have to say that what I
appreciated most was the postnatal care I received. I was
visited every day for 6 days sometimes for up to 2 hours.
I was helped based upon my needs, which included instruction
on how to bathe a newborn, care for my battle wounds, and
hands-on help with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding was a real
struggle for both myself and Micah, yet we had Kim’s full
encouragement and support in every way, without which I’m
not sure if we would have made it. I was able to page her
at any hour if I considered it an emergency, and her support
during this (terrifying) time of dealing with a newborn
was invaluable. I consider these early postpartum days reason
enough to switch over to a midwife… which doctor could offer
that kind of care?
My pregnancy and birth experience were very special indeed
thanks to our midwife. At the time of this writing I am
18 weeks pregnant with our 2nd baby. We are planning another
homebirth of course. See you there, Kim!
Tanya Karreman
Abbotsford, BC
When I became pregnant with my third child, my family
doctor advised me she no longer delivered babies and I would
have to find an obgyn after 32 weeks. Upon meeting the obgyn
in my area and finding out she was one of five in a practice
and she would only deliver my baby if she was on call I
knew I needed to look for another alternative. I had just
read a story on midwives in our local paper and thought
I would phone and get some info.
Upon meeting the two midwives in the pracise I immediately
felt at ease and was thrilled to learn they would follow
my wishes for delivery. My previous 2 births involved lots
of drugs and stitches. I still wanted to deliver in a hospital
but wanted a calm drug free and quiet relaxed birth.
All my appts with my midwives were amazing. They always
had time for my questions and concerns never made me feel
rushed.
My 3rd labour lasted almost 14 hours and Cathy was with
me the entire time, keeping me calm and focused on the task
at hand. For the first time I held my baby before anyone
else and once she was born everything else just took a back
seat until we were ready.
I am now expecting my 4th child and I will again have
a midwife to deliver but this time I an going to stay home
and have my baby with family all around and my caring midwife
guiding us.
Angela Conner
Langley, B.C. Canada
Hi my name is Katie,
I am 22, unmarried, and I have never been a mother. So
you are probably wondering what my story about a midwife
is...Well almost my whole life has been influenced by one
very strong inspiring woman. I grew up on Saltspring Island,and
when I was young I used to tell people wild stories about
what my mother did for a living. "She's in Africa studying
mermaids!" I told my best friend in grade 3. She didn't
believe me of course. The problem was, while what my mother
did for a living was just as magical and beautiful as one
might imagine working with Mermaids would be, it was illegal
and I wasn't alowed to tell anyone. Growing up with a midwife
in the house was a unique and amazing experience and I will
definitly use one for that special time when I want to be
a mother. So my experience with a midwife is that I was
brought into the world by a midwife, a mother, and a friend
forever. I Love you mom
Katherine Rachel Ramsey-Watt
North Vancouver, BC Canada
The Midwifery Choice - A Consumer's Perspective
Choosing who will help to deliver your child, particularly
your first child, is a highly personal choice about what
will best suit you. Considerations involve the amount of
time the practitioner will spend with you, your options
around delivery, and choices surrounding specialized procedures
and medications in the event that either is necessary.
For me, the ob-gyn option was not suitable. I did not feel
that any ob-gyn practitioner would spend enough time with
me, explaining what was happening to me, and making me comfortable
with my changing body and with the child's development.
In addition, I wanted to explore some unconventional choices
around pre-natal and post-natal tests, choices about which
I did not feel a conventional medical practitioner would
be fully informed or supportive. Finally, an ob-gyn practitioner
would not spend enough time with me during labour and delivery,
nor would they make home visits post-delivery.
A doula could have provided the coaching and information
that an ob-gyn practitioner would not. However, this would
mean my care would be divided between at least two people,
and likely more when I entered into the hospital environment
for the actual delivery.
I needed an advocate, a health specialist and a teacher,
and only one option provided the services and perspective
I was looking for - midwifery. As legalized health practitioners,
midwives offer a comparably higher standard of service and
care to the expecting mother. The practice of midwifery
involves the same standard of care in terms of monitoring
the health of the mother and baby. In addition, they provide
24 hour access, information and assistance, they are more
flexible around pre- and post-natal options, and they provide
excellent advice on options surrounding treatment for complications
which may arise. As an advocate, they represent your interests
to health professionals during delivery and in the event
of complications.
In my case, I developed a complication in pregnancy. I
have no doubt that without the advice and professional treatment
I received from my midwife, my pregnancy and delivery would
have been entirely different and considerably less pleasant.
My midwife continued to advocate for my decisions and choices,
and advised me throughout labour and delivery of my options
and risks. They were clear about dangers and how far they
would recommend I go. I was confident both in their specialized
knowledge about my specific complication and their specific
understanding of my situation and health.
I don't believe that an ob-gyn would have continued to
give me the options that the midwives advocated for. Indeed,
the specialists at the hospital made it clear that their
preference was a ceasarian, which would have been performed
many hours before I gave birth vaginally to a healthy and
strong baby boy. The midwives continually monitored my health
and that of the baby. They kept me informed throughout of
my status and options, and let me know when my decisions
were misinformed or were perhaps coloured by my distress.
They were calm and professional.
I cannot imagine ever giving birth without the guidance
and professional assistance of a midwife. Their standard
of care is beyond compare; their knowledge of pregnancy,
labour and delivery is highly specialized, and their personal
attention to their client's needs far surpasses any service
that can be provided by a traditional ob-gyn practitioner,
or a combination of ob-gyn and doula/birthing coach.
Allison Bond
