Birthing in the Annapolis Area?
Here is a quick rundown of the resources in our area that support natural labor and birth. This is in no way intended to be medical advice or to substitute for regular medical care. The list below is based on my experience and opinion only. :)
Preparing for pregnancy and childbirth -
The Baltimore Chapter of ICAN meets the second Sunday of each month from 4-6pm at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Baltimore. They are a wonderful support group and have excellent resources from how to get the birth you want in any hospital in the area, to what support people to use, classes you can go to, books to borrow/buy, all kinds of stuff.
The Anne Arundel County Birthing Circle meets every month and includes doulas and midwives from around the area, as well as families who are in their childbearing years. I suggest going to meet some people.
Effective Chiropractic is also a Webster certified chiro in Millersville. I've never used them, but being webster certified is an important clue as to their capabilities of helping with natural labor and birth.
As far as care providers go -
Obstetricians - I personally do not recommend any of the obstetrician practices in our area as being supportive of natural birth. At best, some will "allow" you to do whatever you want as long as you still go with the routine interventions that everyone practices. At worst, many are coercive toward routine induction of labor, epidural use, and cesarean section with little provocation. If you want a natural labor, you will have an uphill battle with any obstetricians.
Birth Center based Midwives - Next on the continuum from most intervening to most supportive of natural labor are the local midwife-run birthing centers. The one attached to the hospital is Bay Area Midwifery. They are backed up by the in-house physicians, will support natural labor, you can birth in the birth center or the hospital, but they still have to follow protocols of the hospital in terms of how late you can go before being induced, how long in labor, how long with your water broken, etc. If you don't run into any major issues, you can have a perfectly natural labor with them, but you may have a battle on your hands if you go over your time limits.
Special Beginnings is another birth center, located on Rte 2 in Arnold (near the safeway), and like Bay Area, they are very supportive of natural birth. They will not push you to have unnecessary tests, and the rules they have to follow for inducing for postdates and other problems are a little more relaxed. Their back up OBs are very surgery happy, but also stay out of the way. It's a good combination because you get great midwifery care with back up OBs who stay out of the way until you need them. And if you need them, since they do so many c-sections in their OB practice, they're really good at doing what they do. They did my C-section.
Homebirth Midwives - Evelyn Muhlhan, CNM of Alternative Birth Choices is a home birth midwife who has back up OBs and privileges at Mercy Medical Center. I used her with my second birth. She is wonderfully supportive of natural birth. She has no time limits. If you get to a point where you want to call it quits or have an intervention, she will follow the wishes you have discussed with her ahead of time. She does not do unnecessary exams. I delivered Elijah at 41 weeks having never had a vaginal exam until I was 7cm dilated and working hard not to push. I asked her to check me when I was 40 weeks, and again when I was 41 weeks in my office visit, but she reassured me that all was well and that wasn't necessary and if I was still pregnant in another week, we could discuss whether I really wanted an exam. She is a WONDERFUL midwife. Down side: Crappily run business. The office was always running late, and the one time I was late due to traffic, I got a $15 late arrival fee. This while I arrived alone with my 20 month old and newborn. I was a little peeved. She almost didn't make it to my delivery because she had 15 women due to deliver in the same month as me. Because she is one of the only home birth midwives who is a CNM in this area, she is in high demand, and while she is very skilled, you have to be aware that she tends to be spread a little thin in terms of schedule and availability. There is now at least one other homebirthing CNM in the area, but I can't remember her name and don't have personal/professional experience with her. Jessica Groves (listed below) might have that info.
Karen Carr, CPM, is a homebirth midwife who does your prenatal care in home or in her office (your choice) serves a lot of the Mennonite and Amish
There are others, but to find them and their contact information, I suggest going to an ICAN meeting, or the AA CO Birthing Circle.
Doulas - Regardless of whether you choose Hospital, BirthCenter, or Home, Doctor or Midwife, you should have some additional birth support, and this comes in the form of a doula. Birth doulas are there to support a laboring mom, and for a few hours after the birth. They don't perform any medical services, but can help with positioning, remembering to keep you hydrated, ours even took photos and videos. We used Jessica Groves for Elijah's birth and LOVED her, but there are many wonderful doulas in the area and going to the birthing circle or ICAN meetings will help you get to know them and choose one. It's never too early for that. A doula is invaluable, and worth every penny if you find the right one, even if you have to pay out of pocket, though many are reimbursed by insurance.
Childbirth Classes - Hypnobabies classes are available in Riva, which is just down route 2 South from Ludia Sarmast. We did these and I loved them. She has very excellent outcomes with mothers laboring successfully without epidurals. They cover everything from diet and exercise to relaxation techniques and the actual process of birth. The CDs you listen to are great for helping you relax and sleep and deal with pain even while pregnant, and were helpful to me during the birth. I think the class itself met once per week for 6 wks, if I remember correctly.
Bradley classes are 10-12 weeks long, and another excellent resource. They really help you in making the best decision for you and your family about where to birth and who to use as a care provider. Jessica Groves teaches these, and there are other instructors in the area who do as well. I highly recommend them (her house is an hour away, and just having the drive time there and back with no interruptions allowed Dan and me to be able to talk and connect regularly right before the birth--it made for great date nights!)
Birthing From Within is a book (you can get it at the library) and there are classes in the area. I'm not sure who would be best, but Barbara Stratton of ICAN would be able to tell you. I've read this book many times and love working through it on my own, though I've never had the pleasure of taking a class.
If you want to prepare yourself for natural birth, do NOT take any classes at the hospital. They prepare you for the hospital process, which is not what your body was designed to do. They will not be helpful to someone who wants a natural birth.
