Trains, Pains, and Stupid Laws

I spent the day at the capitol last week. As a single mom, taking a whole day, finding the money to get there . . . all of it was a sacrifice. I took the train as it was cheaper than gas, but still . . . the cost was a factor. (Note to self: there’s a reason the fare was so cheap. I arrived no less than 2 hours later than I should have.)

I left feeling incredibly frustrated. So much needs to change. Where to start???

Then I got home, spoke to my fiance on the telephone… spoke of the possibility of birthing together some day in the not-so-far-away future… and I thought of my options. Talk about frustration. On a very personal level. In my area of Missouri my birthing options include:

• A repeat cesarean delivery with an OB/GYN (CNM’s can’t take me because of the supposed high-risk status VBAC places  me in.) at the local hospital.
• A homebirth with a trained (but highly-illegal) midwife.
• An unassisted homebirth.

The only option that appeals to me is the middle one. It is legal for me to have a homebirth here, but it is illegal for me to hire a trained midwife to attend me during the labor and birth. Absolutely assinine. The medical establishment screams “safety, safety, safety” yet they are primarily responsible for forcing either an unnecessary surgical birth on me or forcing me to birth alone. Both are risky propositions and both are out of the question for me.

This isn’t front page news here in Missouri. Birthing families who want a spiritual birth, an unhindered birth, a family-centered birth, an unmedicated and intervention-less birth… we all find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. But really – that’s small potatoes when we consider what the midwives are up against. Talk about frustration…

They love what they do. Obviously it is a “calling” to one degree or another. When we consider what they go through to serve women, it must be a deeply held conviction. None of these ladies are getting rich. Ha. They are barely covering expenses in some instances. The hours are horrible, the pay is a joke, and to top it all off, they live under the constant threat of litigation and jail time. Missouri midwives believe in healthcare freedom and reproductive/birthing CHOICE. This is no school-girl banner. They mean business and are willing to put their money where their mouth is.

In Missouri, serving a woman who chooses to birth at home (no matter how “low-risk” she is) is a FELONY. A felony, ladies and gentlemen. A FELONY. Absolutely ridiculous.  I have known this fact for years, yet each time I think about it I am appalled. I just can’t believe that my home state would allow this archaicly-restrictive law to remain on the books another year.

When I consider my frustrations, VBAC bans at all the local hospitals around me, a strong preference for highly-medicalized births by the doctors in those hospitals, trying to find a midwife who is willing to risk her entire life to serve me at a homebirth (which, incidentally, is like trying to find the Holy Grail), the risk of birthing unassisted… they pale in comparison to the frustration and sacrifices Missouri midwives live with on a daily basis.

My hat is off to you – thank you for your tremendous sacrifices. Thank you for risking so much to serve where no one else will. For now you are nameless. But one day you will not be and we will have a “Midwife Appreciation Day” and hand out plaques or trophies or something. 🙂

In the meantime, I’ll keep calling my legislators. Making trips to Jefferson City on the “314 Ann Rutledge” and going home frustrated. And thanking you for being there – legal or not – when my time to birth comes again someday.