"Why I chose home birth" by Mimi Eide

"Did you know the US has one of the worst maternal death rates in the developed world and that African American women are four to five times more likely to die from a pregnancy related cause than their white counterparts? A quick read through the CDC’s website will confirm this. As a nurse and a black woman in the state of Vermont this information scared me. What scared me more was thinking back about the experiences shared with me by my friends, family, and even strangers whose needs were not listened to during their labor and postpartum. I didn’t want to end up a statistic and wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t comfortable with home birth at the time so my husband and I made the decision to see an OBGYN and continue our research on home birth as a back up. My fear of being another statistic did not go away and after every appointment I attended, my fear got worse. I felt like a number in a deli store; arrive at the appointment, wait 10-15mins in the waiting area, wait another 10-15mins in the examination room, and when the OB finally arrives the appointment was over within 5-10mins and he/she was out of the room and moving on to the next person. I felt rushed. I also felt like I had to have my questions ready to go or I would miss the opportunity to ask them. After my 3rd appointment, I had enough and took a leap of faith, I chose to contact Full Spectrum. After our initial first appointment, my husband and I immediately felt at ease. We no longer felt rushed and instead found ourselves searching for more questions to ask as all of our original and followup questions had been answered. We felt at home. I never felt like I had to wait to be seen and most importantly I never felt unheard. Whenever I had a question, anytime, day or night, I sent a text and my question would be answered. The ladies at Full Spectrum really do go above and beyond. When I went into labor on 5/29, three of the four ladies were by my side the whole time paying attention to every detail. I felt encouraged, supported and empowered. I delivered my healthy son on 5/30 in the comfort of my home. Within a few hours my home was cleaned and back to its normal state. My experience didn’t end there, as a new parent I had many questions regarding my son, which were also answered within minutes via text. If you are considering a home birth I encourage you to do so. If your still nervous it’s ok, do your research and I’m sure you’ll love what you find. If you can I would strongly recommend going with the ladies at Full Spectrum. I can’t speak highly enough about them and I couldn’t be happier with my decision to choose them." -Mimi Eide