| Brooke's
Story For me, childbirth was one of the most important and most powerful events of my life. Initially, my husband and I would have heard about homebirth and run the other way. We thought we wanted to be in a hospital where "we would be safe if anything went wrong." Pregnancy and childbirth were viewed by us as medical procedures . . . to a point. I knew God had created women to have babies, but I don't think I believed it. When we found out we were pregnant, we wanted to take a childbirth class to learn about the process. I had begun my prenatal care with a doctor in the community when we decided to take birthing classes from Rhoda. I had known the family for years, and thought it would be fun to take them from her because we knew her. I told my husband "yes, it would probably be taught from a from a "homebirth standpoint" but that I just want to learn about childbirth itself. Homebirth was not something we were considering, in fact we were total skeptics. Little did we know, our lives changed that weekend. We had no idea how just how much, or the journey we were about to take. As we sat in class that weekend, it dawned on us how little "care"
we were shown at the doctors office. The one appointment that Brian
was able to come to was our ultrasound. As the doctor swept into
the room, he did his usual routine. There was no greeting, no "how
are you feeling", no eye contact, no notice of an extra person
in the room. I simply was told to watch what I am eating, to not
eat salt because I had a minimal amount of swelling in my ankles
and that I was gaining too much weight. Then out the door he went.
I had gained 7 pounds in a month. As we left that day I remember
my husband saying "Is it always that fast?" My appointments
rarely took more than 12 minutes, and that was mainly time spent
with the nurses. I spent more time in the waiting room. As we sat in class that weekend, it dawned on us that there was much more to this than we had realized. We spent a large amount of time praying and talking about the homebirth option, and decided that it was the only way to go for us. Yes, the step was a big one for us but the peace that accompanied it was incredible. Part of that peace came when I realized how my prenatal care changed. You see, for me to trust someone, especially when essentially you are trusting them with your life and the life of your child, it takes a relationship and a real connection. Looking back, I only felt like a number at the doctors' office. Just another file that he really didn't differentiate from any other file on his shelf. When we began care with Rhoda it was a whole new world. We felt
cared for. One of the biggest differences for me was that Rhoda
loves to teach, not just tell you what is what. And I could call
her with questions. And did I! Under the care of the doctor, I was
left on my own to figure it all out; there was no teaching. Another
huge difference was the mindset. I was left to my own fears and
doubts with the doctor. The first moments with Rhoda, even before
we made the decision to have our baby at home with her, I was told
repeatedly that God had designed my body to do this and that it
will be amazing, and that I could do it. The birth of our daughter was the most empowering experience of
my life. I am changed. Not just because having children changes
you, but I have more confidence to encounter difficult situations
each day with a different attitude, more confidence in myself as
a person and as a woman. God has given us this gift and instinct
of being a mother, no matter if you have your baby in the hospital,
at home on your living room floor, or through an adoption agancy.
It's all the same: you have to work for it. The difference is that
with Rhoda, I was told that I could do it; that I was created for
this. I know I paint a bit of a bleak picture of my experience with the
doctor, but that is MY experience. No one method is for everyone.
My point is educate yourself. Explore different options, take the
time to ask questions, don't make assumptions, keep an open mind.
Having a baby can be the most unbelievable experience of your life.
And I mean the labor too. You'll never work so hard in all your
life. But the outcome can be unreal. I thank God everyday that He
lead us to Rhoda.
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