switching practitioners
I'm 27 weeks along, and I'm seeing some wonderful CNMs (certified nurse-midwives) about 30 minutes away from where I live. I have no problem with them, personally - they really are great. However, they do practice out of a hospital, and as such there are some rather annoying regulations they have to follow during labor and birth.
They only recently, apparently after an effing SIX-YEAR BATTLE, convinced the hospital administration to let them have a labor tub - however, while the pregnant mamas can labor all they want in the tub, they are - under no circumstances whatsoever - actually allowed to give birth in it.
This really disappoints me, because I've wanted a water birth ever since my first child, and I was unable to do that with her because of medical issues. Since this pregnancy has been uneventful, I was really hoping to do a water birth.
Also, these particular midwives do not do home births - something I had also been considering. They only birth in the hospital. (Which is understandable, I guess, because they're on call.)
At any rate, I did find a birthing center about an hour away from where I live, which has some CPMs (certified professional midwives, who seem to have a rather more holistic approach to pregnancy than nurse-midwives). They do water births at the birthing center, AND they do home births. Altogether, I sort of wish I had found them in the first place, because their attitude in general (from what I've read on their website - I haven't actually met them in person yet) seems to be a lot more in line with my personal desires regarding labor and birth.
My question is this: If I do meet with them, and I do end up liking them, do you ladies think it would be worth it to switch practitioners this late in the game - not to mention the fact that they practice almost twice as far away as the midwives I'm currently seeing now? As I said before, I do love my current midwives - I'm just frustrated by my limited options regarding birth. Should I just suck it up? Or should I really consider switching?
Thoughts?
They only recently, apparently after an effing SIX-YEAR BATTLE, convinced the hospital administration to let them have a labor tub - however, while the pregnant mamas can labor all they want in the tub, they are - under no circumstances whatsoever - actually allowed to give birth in it.
This really disappoints me, because I've wanted a water birth ever since my first child, and I was unable to do that with her because of medical issues. Since this pregnancy has been uneventful, I was really hoping to do a water birth.
Also, these particular midwives do not do home births - something I had also been considering. They only birth in the hospital. (Which is understandable, I guess, because they're on call.)
At any rate, I did find a birthing center about an hour away from where I live, which has some CPMs (certified professional midwives, who seem to have a rather more holistic approach to pregnancy than nurse-midwives). They do water births at the birthing center, AND they do home births. Altogether, I sort of wish I had found them in the first place, because their attitude in general (from what I've read on their website - I haven't actually met them in person yet) seems to be a lot more in line with my personal desires regarding labor and birth.
My question is this: If I do meet with them, and I do end up liking them, do you ladies think it would be worth it to switch practitioners this late in the game - not to mention the fact that they practice almost twice as far away as the midwives I'm currently seeing now? As I said before, I do love my current midwives - I'm just frustrated by my limited options regarding birth. Should I just suck it up? Or should I really consider switching?
Thoughts?