I had my first baby at home with BirthCare and am seeing them currently for prenatal care for my second child.
All of the staff was attentive and personable. The midwives always called back to answer my first time mom questions no matter how late it was or how insignificant the question.
The midwives offered and educated me about all of the tests that are available to a mother in the hospital. When I was found to be GBS+ they were able to prescribe me antibiotics. During birth they administered IV antibiotics as well, just as they would have in a hospital except here I didn't have to worry about anything else being ""snuck in"" on the IV.
My midwife did all she could to help me avoid an episiotomy but I ended up needing one anyway which she skillfully performed. Because my birth was long and I have a low iron count (not anemic but still very low), my midwife was also able to administer a small amount of pitocin to assist with healing contractions as well as apply a catheter and stitch up my episiotomy. In my opinion BirthCare demonstrated that they were able to perform all of the gold standards of care that any woman expects from a hospital birth in the comfort of my own home.
However, my birth was 21 hours long with lots of stalling and I feel that if I were in a hospital I would have been pressured into a C-Section or at the very least medicinal intervention. During my long labor my baby's heart rate was monitored regularly and at no time was it abnormal. My baby was born all pink and healthy, looking around and cooing contentedly and was immediately placed in my arms/on my chest. On a personal note, it was absolutely the best feeling I had ever felt in my life, and I don't know why anyone under normal circumstances would forgo that natural cocktail of hormones for a numbed delivery. Afterward my husband and I fell asleep with our little one between us and the CNM and birth assistant tidied up and left. We didn't have to worry about getting in a car or messing with an infant carseat. Our pediatrician does home visits and BirthCare also has the ability to do the newborn metabolic screening at your home. It was just rest and basking in the new baby glow. Absolutely fantastic.
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