Meet the Midwives!!

Ever since we decided to try and have a baby I knew midwives were for me. Its hard to explain or even to remember when or how I started thinking this way. I believe that pregnancy and birth are some of the most natural parts of being a woman. Its what our bodies are meant to do and that is amazing. As I saw my personal health care over the years evolve to more natural doctors, chiropractic care, acupuncture and yoga, the shift to midwifery care while pregnant makes sense. 

I started doing research on midwifery and Seattle area midwives once we started down this baby road. I wanted to be prepared and knowledgeable. I also started to ask myself - do I want a midwife that has been catching babies since to dark ages or possibly a younger midwife. I also wondered - would they even take me into their care? Here I am in my early 40's and just starting on this baby thing? 

Then I found In Tandem Midwifery. Reading through their website I knew that I needed to meet them. Mr. Ramon was on board to go meet and greet Christine and Taylor. And at that visit, I knew - just like you know on a first date that these ladies were for me. 

I was excited to hear from them how they work with clients, what our birth options were and how we would work together. Mr. Ramon asked a lot of the tough questions - like "Have you ever lost a baby or a mom?", "What if something goes wrong?". They were completely prepared for any question we asked. I was so exctited to know that I am considered a low risk pregnancy and that Midwifery care would be in the cards for me and baby!

Some people worry about the level of training that midwives receive. Fear not - midwives go through extensive schooling and many hours of real hands on experience before becoming licensed. A great resource in Washington is Midwives' Association of Washington State. 

"Licensed Midwives (LMs) complete a state-accredited midwifery program and are licensed by the State of Washington. Washington state law requires licensed midwives to complete 3 years in a state-approved midwifery educational program, which includes participation in 100 or more births and verification of clinical skills and didactic course work. To attain licensure, all LMs must pass an examination provided to the state by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)."

The care I receive with Christine and Taylor is so amazing. Our monthly visits are in depth and we talk about all aspects of my pregnancy from physical to emotional. They have been able to recommend a wonderful Naturopathic Physician for me as well as a new chiropractor. Having this amazing team support me during my pregnancy feels so powerful. 

Back to the land of the living!

While summer plowed forward around me I tried to just hold my own against the storm of nausea, food aversions and extreme tiredness. I desperately wanted to hold BBQs, go out with friends and have some sort of a normal life. And while I am very aware that what I went through is mild compared to what some pregnant women experience during the first trimester, this was all new to me.

I am the girl with 2 paying jobs, 1 volunteer job, a couple of “job hobbies”, three active dogs, a husband and lots of side projects. My days are usually packed to the gills with lists and activities. During these months I found that I could pretty much only do one thing a day other than work. On some days just going to work was all I could do. I would fall asleep on the couch at 8pm like an old lady. I would clean the kitchen and declare that I was done for the day. I have never been tired like this before.

Then came the food aversions. This was such a strange thing to me - I have never had an aversion to anything! Eggs were out for awhile, the idea of a runny yolk just made me terribly uncomfortable. Mr. Ramon brought home some oysters one night and I could not even look at them - I had cereal for dinner that night. Sometimes just a certain type of food did not sound pleasing. Nope - not pizza and not a burger. Weird stuff for sure. Cereal, toast and drinks with bubbles were my friends. And refried beans - what? Warm bowls of refried beans with salsa - bland, warm food - so comforting.

Nausea is my kryptonite. As a child I had pretty severe motion sickness. It caused my mom to announce on field trips as I entered the bus “My daughter has motion sickness and has to sit at the front”. Mortifying! I could not read in a car. Roller coasters seemed fun but left my brain scrambled and my forehead clammy. The idea of nausea makes me want to offer up a toe to be removed as a trade off. This was the one “symptom” of pregnancy that I could have lived without.

Finally I made it to the other side. I counted down the days and weeks until I was supposed to find some relief. And like a light switch it was off. I had a surge of energy that even surprised me. Food sounded good again - some things were and are a little weird for me but more or less I am back to normal. Nausea - gone!!

So onward I go into the next phase of this journey. I hope I can continue to feel this good!!