Ok, so I went away and checked out the Independent Midwives (IM) Association and found the details of some IMs in our area. Things didn't start too well when the first one I contacted was fully booked and told me another was fully booked also. She did, however, recommend the final IM on my list and said it was worth contacting her as she thought she might have some capacity. We dropped the IM an email and she confirmed that yes, she did have a vacancy, as sadly someone previously booked with her had lost a baby - eeek.
So M_, the midwife, and I arranged an initial meeting for me and F_ to meet with her, talk about her services and see if we clicked and wanted to go forward with her providing our care.
She came round the next evening and we spent about 90 minutes chatting. This represented more time than all the antenatal care I had had in the preceeding 29 weeks put together! She seemed very nice.
The success of the meeting left me with a major problem - how we would ever finance this enterprise. Having recently moved we are still recovering from the financial strain of the move and have to pay off our furniture in October. I couldn't see how we could go ahead and felt despondent. The next day however, lady luck intervened and some unexpected money came my way meaning that we only had a modest portion of the total to find ourselves and so I went ahead and emailed M_ to book her.
Word cannot describe how I feel a great weight has been taken from my shoulders. I hadn't realised just how much stress I had built up over the whole issue of my midwifery care until the issue was taken away. I now feel that I can have the personalised care that I need to have a happy pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. The stubborn part of me does think that I should have been able to have this care on the NHS, as I did in Essex, but I will do what it takes to have the care that makes me feel safe. I will, however, be writing to the Superintendent of Midwives to express my disappointment with the NHS service I have been offered.
So M_, the midwife, and I arranged an initial meeting for me and F_ to meet with her, talk about her services and see if we clicked and wanted to go forward with her providing our care.
She came round the next evening and we spent about 90 minutes chatting. This represented more time than all the antenatal care I had had in the preceeding 29 weeks put together! She seemed very nice.
The success of the meeting left me with a major problem - how we would ever finance this enterprise. Having recently moved we are still recovering from the financial strain of the move and have to pay off our furniture in October. I couldn't see how we could go ahead and felt despondent. The next day however, lady luck intervened and some unexpected money came my way meaning that we only had a modest portion of the total to find ourselves and so I went ahead and emailed M_ to book her.
Word cannot describe how I feel a great weight has been taken from my shoulders. I hadn't realised just how much stress I had built up over the whole issue of my midwifery care until the issue was taken away. I now feel that I can have the personalised care that I need to have a happy pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. The stubborn part of me does think that I should have been able to have this care on the NHS, as I did in Essex, but I will do what it takes to have the care that makes me feel safe. I will, however, be writing to the Superintendent of Midwives to express my disappointment with the NHS service I have been offered.
not trying to be too nosey about money, but i'd be interested to know how they charge! Is it an hourly rate? or is a short birth the same as a long one? what if you go overdue? or deliver early? how about some explanatotry notes!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete