Oregon Public Broadcasting

1st congressional district 2012 election 2012 session agriculture art arts author beer births books budget business central oregon college congress crime culture death penalty eastern oregon economy education employment energy environment eugene fishing food gangs gay rights health health care high school history homeless housing jobs kids law legislature literature living media mental health military movies music native americans obama occupy portland occupy wall street onthejob oregon our town outdoors parenting police politics portland portland business journal portland mayor pregnancy prison public health race rebroadcast recess recession religion republicans rural schools science shooting sports supreme court talking business technology teen theater unemployment union university of oregon washington water weekend women youth

I had my first child a year ago. We were a planned home birth, that ended in a hospital transfer and C-section.

 At 20 weeks, I transferred care from a hospital OB to a local midwife team.  With the OB I would wait an hour to see her and then get 10 minutes of her time. I did not feel like an individual person. Rather I was measured, studied and quickly hurried out of the room. With the midwives I felt that their treatment was superior and holistic. I had hour long appts that looked at all aspects of my pregnancy (mental health, diet, excercise, interpersonal relations). My partner and I felt respected and we were able to develop trusting and rich relations with my midwife team over the course of the pregnancy.

The pregnancy was uncomplicated and I carried to term.

During my labor at home, I felt confident and relaxed with my midwife team. I was an active participant in the decisions and efforts to birth my son at home. I never feared for my health nor did I have any concerns about my son. We were diligently monitored and assessed and at no time did my son show signs of distress. We were calm, thoughtful and aware every step of the way.

 When I transferred to the hospital, my midwife team joined us. Upon entering the hospital setting my shift in care changed dramatically. I was disrespected as an individual, belittled, and made to feel like a bad person because I had not come in sooner and threatened the life of my child. I was offered inflated and inflammatory medical advice "you would have died" and my midwife team was disrepsected and dismissed on several occassions.

My son was born at 11am on Wednesday. He was healthy, robust, quick to latch and perfect! It was a journey and we were both elated and exhausted.

As I reflect back, a year later, I am thankful that I had access to skilled OB's trained in ceasarean delivery. However, I am still extremely disappointed in the transition of care and the inability of the hospital team to treat myself and my midwife team with equal respect for their reputable skills and our decision to attempt a home birth.

I feel that it will be important work for both communities (midwife and hospital) to begin to build bridges and communications that ultimately support and foster the needs of their patients in a positive and constructive manner.

posted 3 years ago
view in context