Choosing a care provider for your pregnancy is an important decision. When my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first baby, we researched our options and chose the Methodist Midwives.
At 10 weeks, we went to our first appointment at 1440 Pleasant Street. We didn't know what to expect, but it felt right, and immediately, we both felt certain that we had made the best choice for us. We love the philosophy of care of the midwives there and couldn't have been happier with our experience.
5 Reasons We Chose the Methodist Midwives
- I wanted to be an active participant in my care. Birth is a sacred event that we only experience a few times in our life. I wanted my birth plan to matter to my provider and to be followed if at all possible. I was able to meet my goals during labor because my midwife cared to ask what I wanted and was trained in supporting me emotionally. I felt like my opinion mattered and my needs were accommodated.
- I like attention. (Ha!) Des Moines is a big city, and there are multiple births every day. The doctors are busy and aren't able to devote much undivided attention to each birth. The Methodist Midwives typically assist one birth at a time, are they trained in providing supportive emotional care during the labor process. Pamela Jach was the midwife on call on March 2 when our daughter decided to come, and she helped me through labor and delivery. Pam applied counter pressure to my back, offered suggestions for coping with the pain and took extra steps to reduce tearing.
- We wanted a hospital birth. The Methodist Midwives are a hospital-based practice, which means all their babies are born at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. I know home births can be safe, but we didn't feel comfortable with our first birth taking place in our home. With the Methodist Midwives, we were able to have a midwife-assisted birth with the added comfort of the hospital staff and a two-night stay. The midwives work with the OB physicians and can involve them in the birth process at any point if necessary.
- Care provided by nurse-midwives is characterized by low rates of induced labor, episiotomies and Cesarean sections. I'll have that, please and thank you.
- We wanted to bring our baby into the world as naturally as possible. I'm not completely against pain medication during labor and delivery, but I think there are ways to limit exposure to such things, and we were so glad we were able to do that (I hate needles!) and had a provider who supported our decision. (Note: You can also have a midwife and choose to use an epidural or even have a scheduled C-section.)
I believe each pregnancy, baby, doctor, midwife and hospital is unique. Luckily, we found what was right for us, and that's the Methodist Midwives. We will definitely use them again next time!
Would you use a midwife for your birth?
P.S. Check out the documentary The Business of Being Born if you're interested in learning more (it's on Instant Netflix!).