Did you know that in nearly every industrialized country except Canada and the U.S., maternity care provided by midwives is the norm? I’m talking about places like Scandinavia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. Not exactly the backwaters of the world. Many of the women in those countries would probably assume you’re having some kind of high-risk pregnancy if you told them you were being cared for by a doctor during your pregnancy.
And yet, it seems that here in Canada many people (especially those who don’t happen to be women of child-bearing age) are surprised or even horrified at the idea of having a midwife. Last year, a man actually left this comment on the Yukoners for Funded Midwifery blog:
“We should be moving forward, not backwards, which is why we should fund hospitals, doctors and nurses and not archaic practices like midwifery.”
I was completely flabbergasted. This kind of comment really brought home to me how little awareness some people have of midwives.
The tide is turning to some degree. Midwifery is becoming more and more accepted — and more in demand — as more provinces start funding and regulating midwifery. For better or worse, Yukon is one of the last places in Canada where midwifery is both unregulated and unfunded.
As I’ve mentioned in past blog posts, even though I’ve been active in the Yukoners for Funded Midwifery advocacy group for the past two years, when it came to this pregnancy, I suddenly didn’t know whether or not I wanted to have a midwife. Initially, I think this was because of the jitters I had about the pregnancy, worrying about the possibility of a second miscarriage. Now, though, it’s mostly about the money.
Both the local midwives charge $2,500 for the care they provide, from prenatal care through to six weeks post-partum. Given the time they put into the appointments (often an hour or more, compared to a 15-minute visit with the doctor) and the fact that they can only take so many clients at a time, I certainly don’t think the rate is unreasonable. Heather’s been practicing in Whitehorse for almost 10 years and I don’t think she’s ever raised her rate.
But still, you know… it’s $2,500.
In some ways, I feel I don’t need much prenatal care at all. I breezed through Jade’s pregnancy, and I’ve got a bit of “been there, done that” going on. I know, I know. Every pregnancy is different. (That’s almost cliché.) But still.
I’m not afraid of the labour and delivery part. Again, perhaps I’m cavalier because it was so quick and easy last time (and, say it with me, “every baby is…”). But I definitely wouldn’t want to do it without support. And having a midwife is my best bet to have a birth that is as non-medicalized and natural as possible. Although I don’t have regrets about Jade’s birth, I hated being attached to an IV and sometimes wonder if it was really necessary. But is it worth $2,500 just for the birth part?
Every woman I know who has had a midwife is absolutely thrilled with the care she has received. I know quite a few women who’ve had both doctors and midwives (for different babies, I mean) and still it’s no contest.
I really like Dr. Gudapati, though. She’s sharp, competent, and sympathetic. She’s also pretty supportive of midwifery. And, this being the unregulated Yukon where midwives are not recognized as part of the health-care system, Dr. Gudapati would still technically be my maternity doctor.
Then there’s the fact that we’re doing renovations. A new shed that will probably run about $6,000. New flashing and eavestroughs. Fixing up the other room in the house as Jade’s bedroom (we’ll need a new big-girl bed for her)…
A frivolity: $2,500 would be just about the right amount for a new electric piano, which I’ve been fantasizing about for some time. The one we have has a few temperamental keys and is also a bit awkward to transport for gigs. Then again, once Nugget makes his or her appearance, I won’t be performing anywhere for a while. Want ≠ need.
The more I mull it over, the more I’m leaning to the midwifery side. There’s the fact that the prenatal care will be so much more than pee-in-a-cup-take-blood-
pressure-listen-to-heartbeat-ask-if-there-are-questions-now-see-you-
next-month. And there’s also the fact that I’m finding the idea of a homebirth appealing. (Lots of places have midwives practicing in hospitals, but they don’t have hospital priviliges here, obviously.) We wouldn’t have to worry so much about what to do with Jade, and she could be a part of the birth so that Nugget would be “her baby”, too. Interventions would certainly be a lot less likely. Michael wouldn’t have to sleep on an uncomfortable little chair.
Wow, I’m long-winded tonight. Anyone still with me? Do you see why I’ve been having a hard time making that final decision?
