Complications before labor...

Over Christmas Break I had an appointment with my ObGyn to check on the baby's progress. I really like the doctor and the office staff but on this particular visit they forgot about me. Now this is my third pregnancy, third baby doctor and third hospital so it's not like I am unaware that sometimes things happen. Someone goes into labor or needs an emergency C-section etc. But it's always good to tell the person in exam room three that they are going to need to wait or reschedule their appointment. Not a problem!

Well that didn't happen December 28th of 2010. I sat in the exam room for 45 minutes waiting for some one to hollar at me. If I hadn't been busy sending emails I wouldn't have been so patience as to wait this long. But I was...

"Yeah Allison, they forgot about you, even though you had an appointment at 8:45am. Okay, I think I'm done. " was my inner dialogue. So I called my husband and told him I was sorry for making him late but this would not happen again. That is when I made up my mind that I am not having this baby in a hospital. I need to look at my other options. So I came home and pulled up a map of every hospital, emergency room, birthing center and Walmart in the area. Just kidding about that last one, I already know where they are ;)

We are absolutely smack dab in the middle of nowhere, the same distance to any hospital in three directions. Total crap! So I decided right then that, "I'm having this baby at home! I never know when to go to the hospital anyway so I'll just stay here and push when it feels right." Yes that's right folks a home birth. I found a midwife I liked and everything... but of course she is out of network.

We get on the phone with our insurance and say "hey wth man? You guys cover everything and I have a letter here saying you'll cover it 80% if she's out-of-network. But she says that you won't pay her? What's up with that?" (*she was very candid with the facts because most people don't just have 5k in there pocket that they can afford NOT to get back if the insurance doesn't come through). Long story short, BCBS says yes of course we'll pay for a midwife if she has the right initials after her name. "Okay, give me that list then," They give me the list with in 100Miles of our zip code. Five names and all of them only deliver at hospitals.They said that they cover home deliveries and I have the letter to prove it but the only midwives that aren't already booked up are so far away they said they won't take me as a patient.

I don't need to tell you how I feel about this because I'm sure you can imagine. Like I said this is my third time on this roller coaster and they can't fool me into thinking that if I just go to the hospital I'll have all these choices.

So I have a tour with a birthing center 30 minutes away from my home. I''m not happy about it but I'm going to try to give it a chance. I hate our location! I also don't like you folks at BCBS very much either. Just another random piece of info..did you know a midwife is "specialist" but your ObGyn is not. But isn't it interesting that you're suppose to be referred to a doctor if your midwife thinks you need it and not the other way around. That's like my kids allergist saying, "These allergies look serious, better send him to the pediatrician." WHAT!?

I'm half tempted to rent the birthing tub, have this baby here and make them send an ambulance out when I'm in transition only to refuse to go to the hospital. I'm spiteful when I'm pregnant but at least I know that it's covered. I know I should be thankful to have choices at all and that I'm not giving birth in a field somewhere (and I am, believe me) but man this sticks!!

At any rate we are  going to have this baby, God willing, without a hospital trip, drugs, or a lengthy stay afterward. I'm not nervous at all about this decision. After reading the Bradley books and seeing my son come out in practically a drug induced coma from an epidural that failed and all the narcotics they put in me to try and get it to kick in, I know that this is the right thing to do for Miriam. The pain is not nearly bad enough to put my babies through that again.