our birthing team
Why
we went with a midwife team & a doula.
BESIDES BEING GRATEFUL FOR MATT, MY OLYMPIC LEVEL BIRTHING COACH. WE ARE SO GLAD WE WENT WITH A MIDWIFE TEAM & DOULA.
When Matt and I found out we were pregnant we were trying to decide between going with an OB or a Midwifery team. We thought because I was going to be considered high risk that our only option would be to go with an OB. We are SO glad that we at least explored both options as we learned that we were able to be under the care of a midwife. If there are two things I could suggest to any expecting mother it would be to at least learn and explore the option of going with midwifery and hiring a doula.
I want to share our experience because I feel like there is a lot of misconceptions about being under the care of a midwife.
Midwives are primary maternity care providers: they provide pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care equivalent to what you would receive from a family doctor. And in my opinion, midwives provide you with WAY more flexibility, care, and support than you would get with any OB.
Visit Pomegranate Midwives to learn more.
“Midwifery is listening. We support choice by learning about you and your values and providing you with up-to-date information about health care options so you can make the best choice for you and your family. Birth is a life-changing event. Our goal is to help you feel honoured throughout the process.”
The truth is Matt and I had no idea what the difference between a midwife and an OB so we made an appointment with both an OB and a midwife. We had our appointment with the OB first and by the end of it, our instincts were already telling us it wasn’t the right option for us. The moment the OB learned that we were also meeting and considering a midwife team, she pretty much ended the appointment and told us to come back when we decided which option we want to go with. The appointment lasted less than 10 minutes and she didn’t seem very interested in answering any of our questions.
We were referred to Pomegranate Midwifery by a couple of Matt’s friends, and our midwife appointment was the day after and the experience was completely different. Matt and I mentioned at the beginning of the appointment, that we had met with an OB and were considering or wasn’t sure which option was best for us. The midwife was super understanding, continued with our forty-five minute appointment, answered all our questions, and completed our first prenatal checks that included hearing the baby’s heartbeat, a requisition form for the required blood work, and a referral to the diabetes clinic. She took the time to explain the difference between care with them and under an OB, and most importantly what it would look like for me if I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Impressed was an understatement by our midwife appointment, I rarely have positive interactions with doctors that leave me feeling good and this was by far the best experience I had with a medical professional. Matt and I reflected and discussed everything we learned and it was pretty obvious which option we were going to go with.
WHY WE WENT WITH MIDWIFERY…
Your care under a midwife is covered by MSP in British Columbia and you do not have to pay anything extra and the amount of support you get is WAY more than what you would get with an OB. We went with Pomegranate Midwives and we were placed with the Brown team based on being referred by Matt’s friends. Throughout the whole process, we felt completely supported and cared for. There wasn’t a moment we felt that we were not given the time of day, we were never rushed out the door, and we always felt like a priority.
We had nine appointments/calls before we gave birth.
We were referred to the diabetes clinic.
We were referred to an OB who shared care with the midwife team.
We had/have access to our midwife’s team non-urgent line throughout the pregnancy & up to 12 weeks postpartum.
We got home checks on Day 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 28 with phone checks in between for a total of nine check ins. This does not include any other additional calls we made with our concerns.
Midwives are the only ones who can do a water birth either at home or at the hospital.
We had access to a team of five midwives and each had their own tips and tricks to share with us to help with our first month at home with Kazu.
The care felt personal and we were able to get to know each and every midwife on our team.
I believe there is so much misconception about midwives; their skillset, their scope and what they are capable about. I highly suggest everyone to at least explore and learn about the care under midwives. I have no regrets at all even though I was considered a high risk pregnancy.
WHY WE DECIDED TO GET A DOULA…
We were told by a friend early on that if we could afford it that we should hire a doula, we went back and forth about it but we ultimately decided to go with a doula and it was the best decision ever.
Our doula, Michelle from The Divine Child Doula was amazing and we highly recommend her. Choosing the right doula is SO important and I did my research, I made a list of doulas in our area and contacted the ones I thought would be a good fit. We ended up interviewing four doulas and Michelle was the fourth doula we chatted with and we knew right away that she was a good fit for us. Michelle had just recently completed her 1,300 birth, she had two children of her own, she was also a surrogate and she had experienced a medically intervened birth, and two home natural births. We felt she had similar beliefs as us and would authentically support us in our decisions. She believed that something medical intervention was necessary but also supported natural births if possible.
She was available via text and phone at anytime,
we had a prenatal visit where we talked about our birth preferences,
she introduced us to the idea of a water birth,
she gave us little tips and tricks about how to get what we wanted at the hospital,
she suggested things we could do to help induce labour naturally to avoid induction,
she was there not only for me but there to support and make sure Matt was taken care of,
she took care of all the little things during birth,
she coached me on how to push,
she would further open up dialogue when a decision needed to be made,
she made sure we understood what the midwife and nurses were asking/implying,
she made sure we felt empowered,
she took amazing photos and videos we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise,
she went and grabbed us food and coffee immediately after,
when my milk dried out she jumped into action and created an action plan,
she was also available by text postpartum at any time we had a question about anything,
two postnatal appointments were included but we only needed one,
she would have also continued to support us past two visits if required.
Who knows what we would have done if we weren’t giving birth during a pandemic and was limited to only one support person at the hospital but regardless we are grateful we decided to go with a doula and have no regrets.
