I’ve had several emails asking if I got an ultrasound. No, I didn’t. Actually, I didn’t have the option yet. My initial visit with the new midwife was a consultation; I don’t think I get to make the decision about whether to have an ultrasound until I’ve signed her contract, for entirely understandable reasons. I imagine lots of new clients would come for the ultrasound, then never show up again.
However, my sister just announced that she is pregnant! Although we carpooled and visited midwives from the same distant office in the past, my sister is also considering a newer closer midwife – and it’s not the one I visited recently. Hubby and I are thinking seriously of scheduling a consultation with the other midwife too, in the hopes that Steph and I can carpool to checkups as we have in the past.
There are two other reasons I’m considering a consultation with the other lady: she’s even closer than the one I visited already, and the lure of an ultrasound is no longer a strong factor. Now that I’ve looked the chance of an ultrasound in the eye and found that I’m entirely unsure as to where I stand, I can choose a midwife without being unduly distracted by that possibility.
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how wonderful for the two of you to be expecting at the same time. awesome!
If it makes you feel better, or validates your decision, ultrasounds are not all they are cracked up to be. We went to ob/gyn and hospital route, and it turns out it was God’s blessing as we would have ended up being refered at the end anyways if we had gone with a midwife! Any how, the point is that we had the ultra sounds, and in not a single one of them did our baby reveal anything that would compromise her modesty. We went into labor having no idea if we were having a boy or a girl.
It was a girl, and she is a sweetie. So is her sister.
I was surprised with Garrett. I knew with Matthew. (Of course, that was a different experience altogether being that he is adopted.) If there were ever a third, I would definitely prefer to NOT know. It’s just so amazing to find out when you look down at that little person squirming there.
Im glad that the decision is a bit easier for you now that you have another option. When you’ve not actually had to deal with ultrasounds before, it can be very overwhelming. I suggest you go with what feels the best. Everyone is going to have an opinion about it, but the only one that matters is yours.
Blessing for you that you even have the option of more than one midwife in your area. We have one within a reasonable distance. One. How exciting for you and your sister to be pregnant at the same time! Congratulations to her too!
well you know i had ultrasounds with both and i will have them with any other babies i have! they are enough surprise for me when they come out. but i recently had a friend who went in for a late ultrasound and found out the cord was wrapped 3 times around the baby’s neck and had to have a c-section because of it,it saved her babies life.So what will ya’ll do if Perry wants to find out??
I think it’s amazing that you have two midwives to choose from! My first was attended by two midwives right here in Memphis – they closed their practice that same summer and both moved away, for other opportunities and due to the hostility of local doctors. My second was born in a small town about 30 miles away, and then she also stopped delivering babies. My third and fourth were in another town 80 miles away. My youngest is eight now, and as far as I know, that practice (Jackson TN ) is still the closest midwife practice with hospital privelidges.
Holly and Tami,
I think we have lived in good areas for homebirths. Although the legal status of midwives was murky in Ohio, the heavy Amish population ensured that we had choices. Now, in Texas, we live near one of the 10 largest cities in the country. We have choices for nearly anything!
Having said that, the midwife that I’ve seen for our last several births was 70 miles away. The “closer” midwife I visited recently was barely 50 miles away. Either way, it’s still a good long drive!
Have you ever considered going unassisted? Like Mary and Joseph?
We chose to do our first homebirth ourselves and have never looked back.
Freida,
My parents had a few unassisted births over the years, usually not by choice, but we’ve never chosen to go that route.
I do like to have somebody with plenty of experience and some training nearby. I just don’t care much for what I hear about hospital experiences. Midwives work very well for us. Of course, it would be nice if they were cheaper, but now we have Samaritan Ministries to cover the cost so even that has ceased to be an issue.
Not sure if this info is helpful or not, but we live in the Austin area and there is a new ultrasound office that just opened up here that specifically caters to midwifery clients. We don’t have insurance and they only charged us $99 for a diagnostic which is the cheapest we’ve ever paid. We did need a referral from our midwife but they were very nice and allowed us to bring all six of our kids in. The name is Bluebonnet Diagnostic Imaging.
How wonderful that you’ve never had to go through a negative hospital birth!
Here’s an ultrasound link:
http://www.unhinderedliving.com/pultra.html
I thought you may be interested in reading this lovely story:
http://enjoyingthesmallthings.blogspot.com/2010/01/nella-cordelia-birth-story.html
It is be shocking to us that a genocide has been occurring with babies diagnosed with DS. The amniocentesis has made this a reality.
Ultrasounds have also been the instrument in the killing of girls in China and India.
Knowing ahead of time doesn’t give us the grace we expect to find. Instead we have to make decisions that really shouldn’t be an option.
freida,
That just wasn’t nice, sending a link to such an emotional post to a pregnant woman. I hate when the internet makes me all teary-eyed.