Would I do it again?

Every one I talk to wants to know if I would have our next child at home, knowing what I know now...

Before I answer that, I am really happy with my decision to have Mila at home. Several reasons why I feel good about that decision. 

1. From the very beginning I felt strongly that having her at home was the way to go.  We originally met with a Certified Nurse Midwife, and were planning on delivering with him at the hospital. After our initial visit it just didn't feel quite right to me, so I explored other options. After meeting Kat, I knew I would do it at home. 

2. There is a good chance she would have been a C-section baby, had I delivered at the hospital. Apparently Vegas has a huge C-section rate, around 65% of babies are delivered that way. The thought scares me to death! I would hate to deliver my baby that way unless it was necessary. Because she was so big, and I had such a hard time pushing her out, there is a good chance that a Dr. would have opted for a C-section. I would have hated being so drugged after having a baby, hated the recovery time and hated the scar! I definitely would take all those things if it meant the safety of my baby, but in this case she was perfectly fine the way she came. A little hard work (or a lot, actually) doesn't automatically mean C-section. 

3. Because I carried her for 41 weeks there is a chance I could have been induced. I would have definitely asked a Dr. about it because I was so miserable! Inducing me would have been a bad idea! When she was born at 41 weeks, after Kat examined her, she said she was actually about 38 weeks. She could tell by the folds on her feet. She had really deep lines on the bottom of her feet that hadn't filled in yet. Also, she still had the waxy protection on her skin, that she hadn't shed yet. An induction could have been a bad idea. 

4. Apparently, again this is coming from Kat, and all I can do is take her word for it, babies who are born  over 9 lbs in the hospital are taken to the NICU for tests and blood work and poking and prodding and observation, to see if they have diabetes. That would have broken my heart to have her taken away right after she was born. 

5. Its possible that with my pre eclampsia I would have been hospitalized, and kept there for tests and blood work and poking and prodding. They could have kept me there, lightly sedated to keep me on bed rest to keep my blood pressure and swelling down. That would have been the worst! I would have been miserable living in a hospital, and also Dave would have never been able to concentrate on the MCAT with me there. 

6. Dave is hearing horrible things about the health care in Nevada. He already knows he doesn't want to do his residency here, so why would I want to have a baby here? 

7. Dave gave me a blessing when my preeclampsia was really bad and I was told that I would have a normal delivery. That the baby would have good health and that my health would not be compromised. I was also told to listen to Kat and follow her treatment plans because she is very knowledgeable and has my best interest at heart. So I went with it, knowing everything would be ok.

These are all "what if" scenarios, there is no way I can really know what would have happened had I had her at the hospital. I'm just grateful we did things the way we did for Milana. 

So would I do it again?  I will definitely hire Kat again as my midwife. The treatment and care she gave was beyond anything I could have asked for! She kept me alive, with all her natural remedies, during this whole thing and I will forever be grateful! Even thought the trauma of giving births is still fresh in my mind, I think I will do it again. The only reservation I have is if I have another gigantic baby. So, next time around I will get an ultrasound or two during the last trimester to see the size and weight of the baby. If its a "normal" size baby that will fit through my cervix, then game on. If I'm birthing another toddler, then I might have to reconsider, but I can't say that I'm even totally set on that. The second one is always easier, right? Knowing both sides of the coin, having her at home, despite the pain and agony still outweighs the negative side affects of hospital births, in my mind. Something that helped form these convictions was a documentary done by Ricci Lake called, The Business of Being Born.   She has 2 kids, one born in a hospital and the other at home, so she talks about why the home birth was better. There is lots of facts and statistics about the drugs etc. at hospitals and why most of the stuff they do is actually unnecessary.  Also, she points out that we do actually have a choice as to where to give birth and we don't HAVE to go to the hospital.  Very good documentary. Its biased to home births so don't expect to get both sides. There's lots of boobies and va-jay-jays (it is a birth movie) and some language when a woman is in labor, but nothing you weren't thinking when you were in labor ha ha.  Its on Netflix and I think I've seen it at Redbox. Definitely worth watching!