I’m thirty-four weeks pregnant, have two weeks of work left before I start maternity leave, and I still don’t know who’s going to deliver this baby. My doctor can’t, because the local hospital (which is only two blocks from where we live) doesn’t deliver babies. (They claim it’s because they have no anaesthesiologist. I’d like to tell them that the hospital where Sunshine was born didn’t have one either; if I’d required a C-section, it was a fifteen-minute ambulance ride down the highway to the city hospital.)
At my last appointment, my doctor transferred me to the care of a doctor in the next town over, where the baby will be born. (On a more interesting note, that means this baby share a birthplace with both his or her grandfathers.) However, that doctor is on holidays and hasn’t called back yet to schedule an appointment with me. Her office also told my doctor’s office that she’s very booked up for May and might not even be able to take me (though if she doesn’t, another doctor in her practice will).
Great. So now not only could I not get a midwife because there are so many babies due in May, I can’t get a doctor either. If I’d known May was the month that everyone else was having a baby, I would’ve had this one in April or June. (Yes, if you know how much planning went into this baby’s arrival in May, you can laugh at that.)
So on one hand I’m a little bit stressed over the doctor situation, and on the other hand I keep telling myself that Sunshine’s birth went fine and this one will too, no matter what hospital we’re at or what doctor we end up with. Then an article in the autumn 09 issue of Birthing caught my attention. Janine Carter says, “We can remember that pizza and packages are delivered, babies are born and women give birth. We all, each and every one of us, has a birthday. We do not celebrate our delivery day. So why do we continue to detract from that special process that only the female of our species can do, by saying babies are delivered?”
That made me stop and think. Maybe I shouldn’t be so worried about who’s going to deliver the baby. Rumour has it that most doctors only show up in time to catch the baby anyways (and to make sure that everything’s okay). So six weeks from now, this baby and I will do our thing, and it’ll go just fine, wherever we end up and whoever is there with us.
8 Comments
Carla – thanks for the prayers. 🙂
Nat – um… not sure I’m ready to go there! That would be stressful too. The doctor did finally call, so I meet her on Tuesday; we’ll see how that goes. 🙂
How about a freebirth? It’s never too late to consider it… 😉
You’re right. It does all work out, but pregnancy does seem to come with enough hormones stressors that worrying about where you’ll have the baby doesn’t need to be added to that. You look fantastic, and pray for a smooth road ahead.
Nat – I’ve thought about that more than once. 🙂 If I had gotten a midwife, I’d definately have tried to have a homebirth.
I just read the opening lines of your post and thought “YOU are going to BIRTH your baby! No-one’s going to deliver it!” so I was happy to see you mentioned that quote. 😉 How about you stay home and Just Give Birth?
Krista – I’ve been “small” with both my pregnancies. That’s just how I carry, I guess. 🙂
Emily – I agree. Sometimes the way Europeans do it sounds way easier – midwives are more common and women only see a doctor if they have complications. We need more midwives here!
The whole thing is a bit ludicrous… they make having babies seem like such a production! Too bad everything is so up-in-the-air, that would drive me crazy too!
I wish you all the best, can’t wait to hear how it goes for you :D.
EMILY
Good luck on finding a doctor!! I’ve never heard of a hospital that doesn’t deliver babies… that’s crazy! 🙂
Side note, you make me jealous slightly! I’m at 21 weeks and look about as big as you in that picture! 🙂