There are two bills now facing the Virginia General Assembly. If they are eventually passed, they will allow midwives to be licensed by the state of Virginia. Hallelujah! I’ll explain my excitement, then I’ll tell you how you can help if you’re a Virginian.
When I gave birth to my first daughter, I was induced at 43 weeks. The gel they gave me to prep me started my labor, but apparently my body was over-sensitive to it. My uterus was overstimulated and my body went through some pretty harsh stuff (not that normal labor isn’t harsh, but this was a tad worse). Thankfully, I had a short labor, but I was told afterwards that if it had been longer my uterus could have ruptured, putting me in danger and keeping me from having any further children.
When I became pregnant with my second child, I determined that I would have a home birth, partly because I wanted to avoid induction. I went to 43 weeks again, so I would have been induced had I had hospital care. As it was, my midwife allowed me to go to 43 weeks and 2 days, and I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl without facing uterine over-stimulization. In other words, homebirth was a safer option for me besides being more comfortable. The whole experience was less traumatic.
The biggest trauma of all was probably the bill. Though homebirth actually costs less than hospital birth (there aren’t as many things to cover, after all), the cost to us was more since insurance wouldn’t cover a midwife unlicensed by the state. Virginia had no provisions set up to provide licenses to midwives, so licensure by the state wasn’t possible.
That could all change very soon. 🙂 The first bill, HB 1354, would exempt midwives from the statute governing the practice of medicine. (Many other professionals are exempt as well, and there are other statutes which cover the event of a midwife injuring a mother or baby, an event which has been shown to be extremely rare.) The second bill, HB 581, would provide a way for midwives to receive licensure from the state of Virginia. Hurray! This would bring costs down for many residents who wish to use the service of midwives, and it would make practicing midwifery in the state generally easier. 🙂
The bills will go through the first round of voting this Thursday, February 5th. If you live in Virginia, please help to support the right of women to choose the midwifery birthing option. You can call in your support to the General Assembly hotline at 1-800-889-0229, or you can contact your senator and delegate directly.