average size: 4 inches, 2.5oz.
what's going on with baby: "Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements."
it's true...can't feel movement yet, but i'm so anxious for it!!! hopefully soon!
well, we had our doctor's appointment this past monday, and i'm here to say that we are officially "TEAM MIDWIFE"!
at the practice that we go to, you have the option to choose an OB, or a midwife. both deliver at the hospital, and i like that. also at the practice that we go to, you don't know who will be delivering your baby (very common these days), because you don't know who will be working the night you go into labor. they all rotate, so it's good to meet as many doctors/midwives as possible in the practice so you know a familiar face when delivering. everyone we have met so far has been really friendly, but i chose to have a midwife deliver our baby for a few reasons:
☆ they are all women, and i just like that.
☆ they are all women, and i just like that.
☆ midwives have WAY less interventions during labor. they only push for things like pitocin, if it's really, really needed. i've read too many stories of doctors these days pushing pitocin to get you into labor faster, which makes you have stronger contractions, so you need another epidural for the pain, and this back and forth process could cause complications, which results in the final conclusion, which is a c-section (i am trying to avoid a c-section).
☆ which leads me to c-sections! the midwife rate for c-sections is only 10%, where a OB's is 40%. now, to be fair, OBs see high-risk pregnancies too, so they are going to get more c-sections. however, a c-section for a midwife is the absolute last resort, and that is exactly what i want. i only want one if it's an emergency.
☆ midwives stay with you the whole time during labor, where doctors just pop in at the end.
☆ they still let you get an epidural if you want one! and i do! that's the only medication i'd like while in labor. i want to avoid everything else, and let things progress on their own.
☆ and lastly, like i mentioned earlier, i can still deliver at the hospital with a midwife, and i like that because if something DOES go wrong, i have that safety net.
so really, after doing a lot of research, i realized a midwife is exactly what i've been looking for! i want someone who will let me do what i'd like for laboring, yet will tell me what i need to do in emergency situations. i understand my "birth plan" may not go as planned once i get to that point because a million things can happen, but i trust that a midwife will have my best interest in mind, and do what i'd like to do, unless there is an emergency.
also! some of you might remember this wedding cake i made a couple of years ago:
well, the bride's name is maureen, and she JUST got certified to be a midwife! at our doctor appointment on the 10th, while we were driving home, i told erik about it, and said, "that would be awesome if she could deliver our baby, but she is further up north from us..." but then, i saw on facebook that she was putting in her 2 weeks at metro, so i jokingly commented, "you should come work for paragon in the akron area so you can catch my baby!" and she replied, "i'm working for paragon now!!!" so she actually COULD be the one to deliver our baby now!!! how crazy is that?! it would be so neat! i made her wedding cake, and now she could deliver our baby hahaha...hopefully baby has good timing and she is the one on-call that night :) she has a 1 in 7 chance since there are only 7 midwives! had to share that because it pretty much blew my mind this week haha...
as for our appointment this past week on the 10th, everything is still going great. the midwife checked the heartbeat and found it right away with the doppler. sounds healthy! and we scheduled our big sex-reveal ultrasound for february 21st!!! so only about a month more to go until we find out if we're having a boy or a girl! can't wait!
Yaaaaaaaaay! This is so exciting! What an awesome coincidence with Maureen. Funny how things work out, hmm? Maybe it's meant to be!
ReplyDeleteTo be fair to OBs, I don't think its fair to cluster them together like that. I had an OB and she was with me through my whole labor, she also was the only one who checked me, (besides the first nurse to check that my water broke), and never pushed any meds. She was also with me the whole time I was pushing....none of that last minute come in to "catch" the baby business. I wanted a natural labor and labored until 7 1/2 cm, when i woke up and saw the light and finally got an epidural hahaha :)
ReplyDeleteSo, yes midwives are wonderful, but so are OBs! :) They aren't as bad as they are shown by the movie "the business of being born", it depends on the dr.
@brandi: yeah! i thought that was so cool! it would be amazing if she was the one to deliver our baby!
ReplyDelete@jess: glad you had a good experience with your OB! i've just heard so many stories (from friends, too, not just online) that the experience was not such a good one. and actually, i hated "the business of being born" lol...i decided to watch it after it kept getting hyped up, and i thought it was terrible. but, you're right, i am over-generalizing. i know there are great OBs out there too, and i'm happy to hear you got one of them! :)
Hey Jacqui, such a fun read! I had very little knowledge on midwives so this had a lot of good info. How ironic that a friend could potentially deliver your baby. What a small world.
ReplyDeleteGlad he pregnancy and baby are going well. Wow- just 1 more month until you determine team pink or blue :)