At 21 weeks pregnant, I decided that I no longer wanted to be with my OB group. By this time, I had immersed myself in research about pregnancy and childbirth. Some of the "policies" they consider routine were not in line with what I wanted for our birth. One that really bothered me was the mandatory induction at 42 weeks (I don't think babies read calendars while in the womb). I began researching other options. I decided that I wanted as little unnecessary intervention as possible. I ultimately decided to go with a home birth midwife in our area, from Believe Midwifery Services.
I think this was a turning point for me. Changing care providers was one of the first significant conscious decisions I made about birth and parenting. I decided that if I was going to be paying someone big bucks to be my care provider, I wanted to get what I want. It's not every day that you get to birth a baby.
I know that home birth is not for everyone, but I do believe that every woman should have the opportunity to have an enjoyable birth experience. If there was one thing I could pass along to every childbearing woman, it would be this-- you can have control over your birth and enjoy it; educate yourself and stand up for yourself! If something doesn't feel right to you, do something about it!
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