An epic unmedicated, hospital, and midwife-assisted birth story
The mother of all natural, midwife-assisted, hospital birth stories. Buckle in, because this one is long, challenging, and glorious.
Should you use a midwife with your first birth?
The ability to “go with the flow” and learn from this transformative, amazing (if challenging) experience called pregnancy and birth is how you will grow your womb-an wisdom. Whether you successfully give birth at home with a midwife or have unexpected problems that result in a transfer to a doctor and/or hospital — you’ll experience the initiation ritual into motherhood.
A water birth story
I floated through my labor, literally and figuratively. I spent seven hours in a big round tub, making my own waves as each contraction made waves through my body.
How to find the perfect midwife or OBGYN for your birth
You have mentioned the necessity of finding a health practitioner you trust and feel a connection with. Do you have any tips for how to go about this? Are there particular questions you recommend asking to help “screen” potential midwives and doctors? Any responses that should trigger a warning? The very first step is to […]
A fast and furious second home birth
July 18th, 2009 – the day I had guessed my baby would make her grand entrance, and by 5pm I was showing no signs of labor whatsoever and feeling pretty discouraged. I was only six days overdue, as I had fully expected, but my parents had to travel back to Wisconsin the next morning, and […]
How much do midwives cost in the United States?
How much do midwives generally charge for their services? My husband and I both have jobs with crummy insurance (What? In the United States? Shocker), and I’m a little worried about the cost of birthing a baby in a hospital. Do midwives offer payment plans, like I’m currently making on my couch? -Eliza Midwives, especially […]
Facing your birth fears
Q. We are planning our first homebirth with our 2nd child due in February in a state that has laws preventing homebirth. I am so excited to not be in a hospital setting….but I am becoming consumed with fear. Fear that something is going to go wrong, that we’ll have to transport to the hospital […]
Introducing Therese, our resident midwifery advisor (and Ariel’s mom)
Yes, nepotism is alive and well here on Offbeat Mama! I’m not sure how many of you know this, but my mom Therese is a retired midwife, midwifery advocate, and educator.
Offbeat Mama supports each family choosing a birth plan that’s right for them, but it seems like we would be remiss if we didn’t take advantage of the fact that my mom’s got a massive wealth of knowledge about midwifery … and so I’ve asked her to write a column for us called Ask the Midwife.