Sunday, March 4, 2012

Preparing for Birth



So, I'm 20 weeks pregnant with my 4th baby. I can't believe it. I never thought I'd have 4 kids! I've been working on a few things, preparing for the baby's arrival: mending broken baby things, making new baby things, cleaning house, etc. One of my biggest projects is preparing for the actual birth itself. It has been my dream the past couple of years to have a home birth. I have avoided thinking about it too often, well, because most  insurance does not cover midwifery attended home birth in Ga, and we do not have extra expense. I put the word out there anyhow that I had this desire. I have prayed this desire often to God as well. Through the grapevine, some midwives that I have worked with and love heard that I wanted a home birth but could not afford one. So they passed the word that they wanted me to contact them. After speaking to one of the midwives, I learned that home birth is a possibility for me. She is willing to attend my baby's birth knowing that I may or may not be able to pay her. This is one of the reasons among many why midwifery is so amazing.

 I am stubborn, and because I work in the birth world, I know there is no such thing as a free birth. There are always expenses. She lives pretty far away, she will have to pay her assistant for attending to me, she will use supplies, she will probably pay more than usual for her food while on the road, and I will also have to buy a home birth kit. So I don't want to leave her empty handed.

I put out word to a select few facebook friends to try and get ideas on how to raise money to compensate these midwives for their generosity. I had an overwhelming response of messages in my inbox of people who wanted to donate to the midwives in order to help me. This brought me to tears. I have actually been a bit paralyzed by the thought of it and I hadn't done anything about it till now. So, I have created this blog, per request of some of my supporters, in efforts to keep you up to date on my pregnancy, family, and such. I'll add a paypal button for those of you who want to donate to my midwives for their awesomeness. Until then, if anyone wants to donate, you can send a payment through paypal to que.brown@gmail.com.

If anyone has questions or concerns about home birth, I hope I can answer many of them through my blogging and my journey, but you can also email me privately at that same email address. I know it's not a popular concept, but it's what I feel is best for me this time.

Looking forward to sharing with you all. Sorry I'm so late getting started! I will do my best to keep updates as regular as possible!

****Edited to add: I posted a "Donate" button in the top right hand of the blog to make donations easier. You do not have to have a Paypal account to donate, just a credit card, debit card, or something like that. Thanks in advance for your help!!!!

3 comments:

  1. Hey Que!
    Although I'm not pregnant just yet, I'm really curious about births- especially natural births. I watched "The Business of Being Born" last year, and now I'm hyper aware and against un-necessary medical interventions in birth. So, I would love to hear your knowledge on the topics, and maybe your own experiences!You know for you to write in all your spare time! : )

    Excited to follow along and glean from you knowledge!
    Chelsea Leming

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    1. Sure- It's a topic I can go on and on about! I'll be doing my best posting stuff in the blog, but if you ever want to call and chat, let me know! Thankfully we have many great options in the metro Atlanta area, but it's hard to hear that info if you are not in any mom circles already or are just a birth junky (usually not common with first time moms or thinking to be first time moms, lol). I have a lot of info and links on my doula website if you ever want to read through it. Sometimes it come present itself as an overwhelming amount of info, but at least you don't have the pressure of having to work everything out in 40 some-odd weeks like a lot of women, which is smart! www.jessiquebrown.com

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  2. I had my second at home... Feel free I ask any questions you may have about the logistics and such! I'm sure you are fully versed in all that but if you just need some encouragement along the way, I can help with that too!

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