Yay for Midwives!

If I could offer any bit of advice to someone who would like to easily have a natural birth, it would be this: Do not become pregnant with multiples.

Julian and I, upon learning that we were pregnant, decided immediately on a home birth. We know folks who have birthed at home, and we've done a lot of reading on the pros, cons, and stats of birthing in various places - hospitals, birthing centers, home, cars, etc.... And heck, most humans have birthed at home for, well, most of human history! And yes, my own grandmother birthed one of her babies at home.
And so, here we are, exploring the possibilities of birthing our twins at home. We have been tolerating a less-than-ideal OB GYN group for 21 weeks now (I'm sure there are wonderful OBs out there, though ours cannot be counted among them!). OBs, however, like C-sections, epidurals, and deliveries in the OR for twins. We only like these things if they are absolutely needed. And frankly, the idea of birthing in the OR surrounded by 12 medical staff just 'in case' something goes wrong immediately fills me with a tremendous amount of anxiety. And so, we started the midwife search.
We received recommendations from friends and acquaintances for which midwives to contact, and so far we have found two who seem very promising. We met with one of them last night. IT WAS WONDERFUL. She spent an hour talking with us (yes, at no cost!), seems very solid in her medical background with 30+ years of experience in nursing and home birthing, and is a very put-together, inspiring, empowering woman. She has ideas for a midwife team for the birth of our twins, and would work with us to ensure a safe and happy birth at home. As long as our pregnancy continues to progress well, the babies cook for a long time (minimum 37 weeks), and they have their little heads towards the ground (send good vibes, all!), then the stars have aligned and we should be able to birth at home.
We meet with the other midwife at the end of the month, and then we'll make a decision on which way / with whom to go.
I am so so so happy and relieved to find the kind of birth support that makes the most sense to us.
The Business of Being Born
Study on the Outcomes of Planned Home Births