Follow Your Gut, It Rarely Misleads You.

Status: 36 weeks, 3 days

I'm sure I won't win an award for "Most Indecisive About Care Providers", but it seems to be a theme for me. I have done a lot of bouncing around during this pregnancy. Back at the beginning, you'll remember that Joel and I decided we would like to have the most control over this pregnancy and birth as we possibly can (since when is that NOT the way I want something, right?) and we left the practice that had helped us to achieve our pretty awesome VBAC last year. Well, around 20 weeks (and this is how behind I am in updating - sorry!), something happened. I had my regular appointment with Brenda (our midwife at the time), and it was fine, but there was something in my gut telling me that there was a better fit for me out there. I know that feeling very well, as I have experienced it a few times with pediatricians.

I was panicked. I thought I knew what all my options were. I knew I could have a good birth back in the hospital (I even went to an appointment - and I cried), but my gut was still telling me that wasn't the right answer either (which is good, because I didn't want it to be). So I did what any good person does - I talked to my doula. We discussed the other midwives that might take on a VBAC, and she suggested I try talking to some that I had thought would have completely turned me down. In a matter of hours, I had two different midwives agree that they could take me on. One of them would be out of town immediately around my due date, but the other one (who would be out of town with the first midwife) worked with a second midwife and they were available! Seriously, I felt like I had won the lottery when they told me they would be happy to meet with me! It's not often, as a VBAC, that you feel treated like any other mom. A lot of the time it's almost as if you are a second-class birther. You have "SCARRED" tattooed across your forehead, and that's the first thing anyone thinks about without actually talking to you. Things are a little more lenient when you have a "proven scar" (ie. you've already had one or more VBACs), but there are still barriers.

Enter Debbie Pulley & Kay Johnson of Atlanta Birth Care. They had just (well, Kay) attended the birth of one of my doulas' babies, and it sounded awesome! I had a consult with them on June 12. It was a great appointment. I had already had a long talk with Debbie over the phone, but it was nice to be able to really sit down and chat with them and their two apprentices (Whitney & Kim) and learn more about the way things would go. I went home after that appointment feeling like I had found my place. Debbie "got" what I was looking for, and the team felt like I was sitting down with a group of friends.

I talked it over with Joel, and we decided to make the switch! I'm very happy we did, as I have been EXTREMELY pleased with my care so far. They have complete faith in my ability to birth my baby any which way I want, and they really put me in charge of my care. I love going to visit them every few weeks!