September 23, 2013

Small steps towards an ultimate goal

For years now, I've contemplated the pros and cons of going on to school to become a midwife.  It's something that I would absolutely love to do.  Unfortunately, there are some major hurdles to jump.  First is the cost of returning to school.  The money has to come from somewhere and I'm not rolling in the dough.  Second being that fact that I have 4 children.  They are getting older, but my youngest just turned 3 on Saturday (can you believe it!?!). Husband is starting to become a bit of a birth enthusiast himself, although I'm not sure he's willing to admit it yet.  He attended the improving birth rally on labor day in my place since I had to work! But we've talked, he knows that my ultimate dream is to become a midwife. I think it *may* become a possibility in the next few years!  Several tough decisions will have to be made and my way of thinking has really shifted in the last couple years.  Home birth or hospital?  CNM or CPM?  I see pros and cons in all directions.  I have a lot to think about and have several tough decisions to make.  I never thought I'd be at the age I am and thinking on embarking on a new career...no I'm not old per se, but by the time I am able to finish I'll be, well, older ;)  We'll see what time brings.

In the meantime, I'm doing my part to ensure that the hospital births are as mom-baby friendly as possible. We do skin-to-skin immediately after delivery with almost all vaginal births.  And I've been pushing skin to skin in the OR depending on mom and baby's condition, of course.  I've made some progress, but there is still resistance.  I've done it successfully several times and each time, the mom has told me that it made the c-section feel like a birth, not a surgery.  At the very least, if skin to skin on the OR table isn't done, the mom has that baby skin to skin as she's wheeled back into her room.  Rooming in is the norm...our respite nursery where the babies would sleep at night in the nursery is now a conference room for meetings...it never saw use in our new department!  So things are better, but there is still room for improvement.