I just finished my 2005 statistics, and I thought, in light of the great
conversation about the impact of birthing choices on breastfeeding, that
this might be of interest to some who do not really know anyone who works in
a non-medical setting/practice. Feel free to hit "delete" or scroll on by.
= )
I am "nobody in particular", meaning that I have no initials after my name
that would impress anyone. I am a Bradley teacher, a direct entry midwife,
and an LLL Leader. I could become a Certified Professional Midwife
http://www.narm.org/ and an IBCLC, but there is no economic advantage for
my doing so, so I have been dragging my feet. (I hate paperwork :P ) I
live in a big, busy, medically underserved, highly transient town, and I do
much of my work in a group setting, deliberately encouraging peer-dependence
among my clients. I have 50% group prenatals (and 50% private/one-on-one),
childbirth classes, LLL meetings, and a small Yahoo Groups for the moms.
LLL is at the heart of the social aspect of my work, and I provide very
little other social support, so it is assumed from the start that mom will
breastfeed. I lavish my love and attention on the moms who come to LLL
meetings, regardless of their birthing choices. Half of the LLL moms are
not my clients. Our LLL group averages 25 moms plus a few dads, grandmas,
other support persons, and plenty of kids, and my co-Leader and I take 60+
LLL calls per month combined.
I have what is basically a part-time practice. In 2005, I attended 26 home
births. 11 waterbirths http://www.aquadoula.com/ 8 birth stool
http://www.birthchair.net/ 7 born on the bed. 2 Puerto Rican, 3 Mexican, 2
Philippino, 3 India (Asia), 1 African American, and 15 non-Hispanic white
women. 7 of these women were not born in the US. 11 identify as Christian.
21 are married, 4 were under 18, 4 VBAC, 6 were having their first baby, and
5 were repeat clients. (Two are pregnant again!) The #1 reason my clients
chose homebirth was cost/underinsured; #2 was desire for natural birth or
VBAC. NONE of my clients who started labor in my care needed to transfer to
hospital care this year - all 26 mothers and babies had low/no complication
homebirths. (This is the first year out of 7 where this is true. Of my 130
total births in 7 years, there were 7 transfers in labor (5 cesareans), and
two babies transferred after birth.) All babies but one were breastfed at
least once, all but 3 were breastfeeding at two weeks, and 21 were still
breastfeeding past 7 weeks (when I close my charts).
Of my 19 childbirth students delivering in 2005, 10 were among the
homebirths above, one had another midwife, and 8 were hospital births. 3 of
the hospital births were unmedicated vaginal births, the other 5 had
epidurals, 1 was induced, and 1 was cesarean. None of those 5 experienced
urgent or emergent situations, just a failure or inability to choose
supportive birthplace and attendants, and a cascade of interventions
beginning with leaving their house in labor. 17 of the 19 were
breastfeeding at 2 weeks, 15 were breastfeeding at 7 weeks - 6 of the 8
hospital birthers.
I don't think the women I work with are particularly special. (Okay, I
think they are VERY special, but you know what I mean!) : ) Most did not
originally seek me out because of a strong desire for natural birth or with
an alternative-health lifestyle. I certainly am not particularly gifted as
a midwife or as an LC, there are plenty of other midwives and LCs in my town
who have tons more experience and much better credentials. I am, so far as
I know, the only person providing this kind of continuity of care, but only
rarely has anyone sought me out because of my philosophy or practice style.
Economically, my income is less than a part-time L&D nurse, and if my
husband were not paying the majority of the household bills, I could not do
this at all. Also, if my husband did not see my work as our family
ministry, I could not do this crazy work, with an unpredictable schedule,
and 24/356 on call.
If you made it this far, THANKS!
I would love to hear private or public feedback.
I love Lactnet!
Corrine Flatt, nobody in particular
Las Vegas NV USA
http://www.flattfamily.com/william/
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