Yippee and Hooray!

Why am I so ecstatic?  I think we have a midwife!  I had been in sporadic contact with a midwife here in Istanbul while we were on vacation, and at first I didn't think she was terribly interested.  Plus, I had read some information in another source that seemed to indicate that she wasn't actually practicing as a midwife or catching homebirths.  (By the way, the practice of nursing or midwifery by non-citizens is illegal in Turkiye, so I won't be mentioning her name unless she gives me express permission.)  But she called me yesterday and said that yes, she is practicing and catching (albeit under the radar) and that she would love to meet with us and discuss our expectations as well as hers.  I had to tell her right off the bat that I'm not some young chickadee who has read about homebirth in a book and thought that it sounded like a neat idea.  I let her know that I'm a nurse, have worked in OB, have been a natural childbirth and homebirth advocate for many years, and that I'll be having a homebirth regardless of attendant.  She was thrilled to have someone to talk to who doesn't need to have statistics and stories trotted out, or to be convinced that drug-free is the way to be.  I've had my token hospital-birth experience with no desire to repeat it.

She also works with a partner who is a doula and massage therapist.  Although I already have a doula, I have doubts that she will still be here when the time of the actual birth comes, so it's just as well that we have another birth assistant in the mix.  We are planning for the three (or four, if my doula can make it) of us to meet up after 1 September to discuss the situation and get started on our prenatal visits.  I would also like to discuss the idea of setting up a La Laeche League group here in Istanbul, because so many women have difficulty breastfeeding here.  Most of the time, I think it's due to the usual after-effects of surgical birth, and women are so often given the subtle (and not-so-subtle) hints that their bodies are not effective, that they don't work properly.  This is hogwash, of course, and even a surgically-born baby can breastfeed, given the right encouragement and patience.  There's no reason to run straight to bottle-feeding with artificial milk just because a baby is suffering the usual after-effects of a surgical birth.  Ideally, we would have both English- and Turkish-speaking volunteer leaders, as well as other native-speakers who can help everyone in this international community.

I expect to keep up visits with my doctor, just in case of any unforseen transfers to hospital.  Hopefully we can convert her, also, to the truly natural birth camp.