No.
If you want
to have an epidural or narcotics for pain during birth, you will want
to choose a hospital-based
caregiver: a nurse-midwife or an obstetrician. These
substances cannot be used outside of a hospital because of the risks
they carry for the mother and baby.
Yes, it
does.
Okay, not for everyone; some clients say afterward that it
was very intense but didn’t actually hurt as much as they thought it
would. Most women say it hurt a lot. But it’s different from just
pain.
Having a baby is
probably the hardest physical thing you’ll do in your life, unless
you’re an athlete. Birth gets compared to endurance athletics a
lot. It’s like running a marathon; it’s like
long-distance swimming; it’s like scaling a peak. Yes,
these things are very hard and exhausting and you have to keep going
through
the pain, even when your whole body is shaking. But there’s a
reason why it’s worth it.
It takes everything out of you and
gives it all back, doubled. You go from ‘I can’t do this’ to the
incredible high of realizing that you are doing it. There’s
nothing like it.
Yes, there are reasons to do it without pain drugs for your baby's health and safety, but there are also reasons to do it for yourself. And yes, you can do it. Even if you've never had any interest in running a marathon.
If you want to do it, you can, and we’ll help you. When you hit the lows, we’re there for you. We can help keep you going, and offer comfort that keeps your strength up and kicks in your endorphins. You ride contraction after contraction, and then you push your baby out and into your arms.For some women, the hospital is safer.
Most of our health processes, like digestion, function very well without outside intervention. The process of reproduction is the same. Most of the time, we grow and birth children without need for interventive technology. Our bodies just know how to do it.
And just as some of us do need medical and technological assistance with digestion, some of us benefit from the medical technology of obstetric and hospital care. The medical literature calls this being “high-risk,”and these parameters are clearly spelled out in state statutes.
Midwives are experts at supporting low-risk pregnancy and birth. At your initial visit, you and your midwife will have a detailed conversation about your health history to assess whether your pregnancy is high-risk. If so, giving birth with obstetric care would be best for you and your child.
In the months to come, we continue to monitor your and your baby’s well-being and risk status throughout your pregnancy and labor. If you develop concerning risk factors, we consult with other healthcare providers, including other midwives, OB/GYNs, naturopaths, and perinatologists to resolve the concerns. If you need care outside of the scope of midwifery, we will help coordinate transfer to an appropriate medical provider and in some cases can offer concurrent care.
Medical research says no. Recent large-scale studies show that, for low-risk women, giving birth in a hospital carries as much risk to your and your baby’s safety as a planned homebirth with a certified professional midwife or with a nurse-midwife. However, hospital births, even for low-risk pregnancies, do carry a significantly higher risk of medical interventions such as food and water restriction, episiotomy, mechanical extraction (vacuum and forceps), separation of mother and newborn, and cesarean section. The research demonstrates that these interventions do not succeed in decreasing the rate of newborn injury and death. Read it for yourself: see links to studies below.
Licensed midwives in Oregon carry equipment for fetal monitoring, including Doppler ultrasound, as well as anti-hemorrhagic emergency medications, oxygen, and resuscitation equipment to provide immediate care on site, preceding or pre-empting hospital transfer, should the need arise.
Midwifery care is much less expensive than hospital-based care, and we can take some insurance, including OHP Open Card. Payment plans are available for any costs your insurance doesn't cover. Money shouldn't be an obstacle to having the support you want for your pregnancy. Talk to us about your needs.