Home birth, here we come!

  After lots of research and some deliberation, we have chosen our birthing caregiver! We had been seeing an Ob/Gyn with midwives in his practice who do most of the deliveries. We were happy with the caregivers there, but in the end could not get comfortable enough with a hospital birth and all the rules and regs that come with it. It is really important to us that we have as much control as possible over the birth, the environment, the people present, and the power of that experience. So, we have decided now to go with a midwife who does home births here in Bradford. She has many years of experience, first in hospital labor and delivery and now as a home birth caregiver. Today was our first official prenatal visit with her and it went really well. We heard the heartbeat loud and clear and I'm measuring right along with where I should be at this point in the pregnancy! We enjoyed that much of the visit was spent simply chatting about how we're feeling, any concerns, upcoming childbirth classes, etc. The collaborative nature of this interaction was just what we were looking for. 

  Our midwife's name is Jennifer and her website is: http://caringforwomenmidwifery.com/index.php

  On the site there is great information about home births and a few birth stories from women who have worked with Jen to have successful home births.
  I know that some people read this and probably think, "AWESOME!" and others might think, "Whoa, girl, are you crazy?" For the nervous nellies in the crowd (Hi, Mom!), we want you to know that we have come to this decision after much thought and analysis of the options. We have done our homework and are very confident in the choice. I feel empowered by the millions of women who have birthed babes before me and I will channel their strength on the big day. If you haven't seen it, The Business of Being Born is an amazing documentary that demystifies home birth. And if you are still feeling that an intervention is needed, please mapquest or googlemap 18 Abbott Rd, Bradford PA (our address) and you will see that we could practically skip right over to the hospital if necessary! But hopefully that won't be necessary...for several reasons. 
  We feel a relief and excitement about the whole situation and with following our intuition. We will keep posting about the experience.