I switched care to Metro Midwifery in the 25th week of my pregnancy because I was less than happy with the care I was receiving at the midwifery center attached to a hospital. My first pregnancy was with midwives in a freestanding birth center in Albuquerque who provided me with very holistic care which was missing at the hospital. I was nervous about attempting a home birth but felt reassured after talking with Gina prior to
switching care and reading literature on home births. All my visits at Metro Midwifery were about an hour long in which the midwives talked about all aspects relevant to the pregnancy. There was no excessive and senseless use of technology (I say this as a scientist who loves technology and appreciates that there is no replacement when technology is in fact needed). Finally, I had a long prodromal labor. The midwives’ obvious competence and quiet confidence gave me the strength to not go to the hospital to get induced. In this, my second labor, I only felt the pain was unmanageable for about 30 minutes in the end (vs. about 6-7 hours of unmanageable pain in my first labor). I believe this is partly because I was at home and partly because the midwives’ strategies to deal with labor. My baby was finally born at home in my bed around 8:00 p.m. with my husband, mother, and daughter all present and cheering us on. We were given quiet family time to bond with the baby before her health assessment was done (with a lot of regard for the baby’s comfort which is not given
priority at the hospital in my experience). Sleeping in our own bed that first night with the new baby was magical! We had postpartum home visits from the midwives on days 2 and 4 to check on mom and baby, followed by some visits at the office until the baby was 6 weeks. Throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, all our queries were answered quickly and concerns addressed with empathy. The midwives had evidence based reasons for their recommendations throughout. They were very up to date with all the latest research which was very reassuring. We were also provided high quality literature to decide what we wanted for our pregnancy, birth, and baby. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I wish everyone could have the competent and compassionate care that they provided. I will definitely go back to Metro Midwifery if I have any more kids.