Where you decide to have your baby and who you choose to be your care provider is such an important personal choice. My first child was born in the hospital and my second was born at home (on purpose! - people always ask that as a follow up), and I’m glad I was able to experience both environments first hand.

With my first son, we had the same awesome doctor the whole way through my pregnancy, and she was there at the hospital to deliver our child. Then we moved to a new city, we were pregnant again, and we found out that having the same doctor at every appointment and at the delivery was not the norm for most of the country. We had unknowingly been very lucky the first time around, but now we were in a new city and had to find a care provider who we trusted and felt most comfortable with. We started off by going to a women’s clinic, but at every appointment I saw a different provider, including two students on two different days who were finishing their last week at the clinic. Despite asking to meet the specific providers who would have the highest chance of delivering the baby, I kept getting passed off to different (seemingly random) providers and students each time. By that point I was feeling pretty frustrated, so I met with a local doula who connected me with a local midwife.

The idea of a home birth was very intimidating to me. Even though I had an unmedicated birth with my first son with no complications, I didn’t know what to think and I worried about the safety of it. At the same time, I wanted to at least meet with the midwife to hear her out. As soon as I met Rachael Cook of New Day Midwifery, I was certain that she was the perfect fit for me. She was incredibly knowledgable, confident, and experienced. She was equally warm and caring and immediately put me at ease. Rather than being constrained to a 15 minute in-and-out appointment, her appointments were each an hour long, where I could fully ask all of my questions and feel heard. We built a close relationship and in the end, my second child was born safely and beautifully at home.

Ultimately where you feel most comfortable is a personal choice. While some would never dream of having their baby anywhere else than in a hospital, others would prefer the comfort of home with an experienced midwife. Please know that I will never judge your choice and I support whatever you choose is right for your birth experience. For those of you who are considering a home birth, the following is an interview with midwife Rachael Cook. Leave a comment if you have any questions or thoughts!

Alice

Interview with Olympia Midwife Rachael Cook of New Day Midwifery

Q: How do you address concerns about the safety of home birth?

A: In Washington state, home birth is as safe or safer than birthing in a hospital for a low risk healthy pregnant person. Our license allows us to obtain and administer pharmaceuticals to control things like postpartum hemorrhage, allergic reaction, stroke, fetal distress etc. We carry and are trained on the use of oxygen, resuscitation equipment, IVs, antibiotic, sutures etc.

The benefit to knowing and trusting your provider is there is never a long “chain of command” or risk of information being missed. We are there with our clients, we know their history, we care about them and their baby, and we are not relying on information from several different rotating nurses who are managing multiple people at once. The only germs you and your baby are exposed to are your own family’s - not that of every other person who your provider or room has come in contact with.

Q: What qualifications and licensing is required to become a midwife in the state of WA?

A: My license required a bachelors degree from an accredited college, 100+ births and 3 years of clinical training with multiple preceptors. Washington state requires extra schooling in order gain licensure. Because of this, and the ability to obtain and administer life saving medication, Washington state is often referred to as the “gold” standard in midwifery care.

Q: Are there benefits of having a home birth?

A: Yes! Statistically shorter labors, less complicated births, significantly lower cost, higher client satisfaction, and better outcomes for mom and baby, less risk of tears/lacerations/episiotomy use, higher breastfeeding rates, higher reports of empowerment, reducing obstetrical violence, and postpartum home visits in the first week.

To learn more about Rachael Cook and New Day Midwifery in Olympia WA, visit her website here.