Back on the Grid

Like a lot of women who opt for a homebirth, I did not choose to let my mainstream ob/gyn provider know that I was leaving that practice for the rest of the pregnancy and the birth, instead opting to "go off the grid" quietly by not scheduling another appointment. My last prenatal appointment with the practice was at 18 weeks. As such, I expected to get some questions when I showed back up at the practice last week with a two-week old baby and case of mastitis. However, I must say, I was a little surprised at some of the questions I got.

The nurse in the office was a little surprised to learn that we had delivered our son at home without assistance. But what seemed to really surprise her was the fact that the homebirth midwife sewed up the 2nd degree tear that I had; her facial expression and tone of voice suggested that she wasn't aware that direct-entry midwives knew how to do such things. The doctor who examined me also had some questions, such as whether I had received any prenatal care from the midwives (um, yes - I received excellent prenatal care from the midwife, as a matter of fact) and whether I was receiving any postpartum care from the midwife (again, yes).

What was interesting, to me at least, was that prior to leaving the practice and opting for a homebirth, the subject of having a homebirth came up during one of my visits, and the care provider railed against the idea, calling it "dangerous." And yet, from the questions I was being asked following my successful homebirth, it was obvious that at least two providers in the practice had little understanding of what homebirth actually entailed or what the training of the homebirth midwife might have involved. It makes you wonder - how can you argue against something if you honestly know nothing about it?