Midwives

greets

well, this was in 81.
i had a midwife.
at that time, sometimes ones had natural childbirth at home and some probably still do.
my midwife was wonderful.
i did not have a homebirth, but was at CHM.
the midwife did everything but had to be attended by the doctor (his presence in the delivery room in case something went wrong).
it was the best experience in my life i tell you.
i am not familiar with the runnings midwifery wise in this time, but i do know they are there.
natural is the way to go if you can.
i remember i was in the throes of delivery and in the delivery room there was a huge window.......what helped me concentrate that day was the regatta crossing by the window while i delivered.........puff puff puff inhale puff puff puff inhale........lol, breath imitations, not herb smoking.....

We had the pleasure of birthing in STX in 2006. At that time there was one "midwife" available, but she lived in STT. For a first birth it was highly recommended to use a regular doctor, because the lady could not guarentee to be here when you need her. Instead we choose a doula...basically the same thing. I've got a great recommendation if you need. Also, i think the hospital here is great for birthing babies. Facilities have been upgraded in the past many years, and fathers are finally allowed to stay overnight with their wife/baby. If you choose a good Dr. (I can advise if needed, send me a pm) and a doula, you can rest at ease while you are in the throws of labor...well, at least the husband can rest as ease!

I appreciate the replies so far. I am not currently pregnant, but was more interested in finding out information for the future. Also, I plan to practice midwifery myself someday, after proper training and certification of course, and was curious about the network of midwives down there. So far it sounds like there are not many to speak of. My boyfriend and I are seriously considering moving to St. John in November 2009. Hopefully when we get down there and settled in, I can find out more about this through networking with people. Any furthur advice/information is greatly appreciated though. Thank you!

carambola7,
Actually there is a nice network of Midwives down here and I too, used one for a home delivery in 91 here in St. Thomas! She was a lay Midwife at the time and is now a certified nurse midwife. I will be happy to set you up with her, feel free to pm me. I too, did some studying in this field as well and was a birth attendant for a few home-births. As far as hospital midwives, the best thing is to go thru the clinic, this way you can have a midwife delivery also. My daughter did this and we had a wonderful experience without Dr. intervention, yet still in the hospital! Another source that would be extremely helpful to you is La Leche League! We have an active group that is just getting reinstated after a years break. If you are studying midwifery than I am sure you are familiar with LLL. This is a non-profit Breast Feeding organization that helps mothers..... mothers helping mothers and I was a LLL leader for 12 years here in STT. LLL is also nice as it a way to connect with other mothers and the birthing process is all a part of a healthy, happy start in Breast Feeding. Feel free to contact me anytime if I can answer any questions!

Aloha,

I am a speech therapist who has been living in Hawaii for the last 10 years. My partner is a marine biologist who used to work/live in the Dutch Caribbean on the island of Saba. We are just returning from a three week stay there. He was invited to be a guest lecturer on coral bleaching. Being there confirmed what we have been considering.... moving to the Caribbean. I am in the works with taking on a travel job in the schools on St. John and he would have to join me later once he firmed up some leads for work. However...I just learned that I am 5 weeks pregnant! I have been reading some of the postings on mid wives on here and was hoping to have some better insight as I still want to make the move but would feel much more secure if I knew I could find a clinical midwife to help us on our journey. If I accept the position I would have medical benefits. Any input is appreciated. Thank you

I had occasion to visit Dr. Prasad at Primary Care STX today and noticed a brochure, "What is a Certified Nurse Midwife?"

For more information, contact Shannan Calhoon, CNM, MSN, at the Clinic, 44 LaGrand Princesse, (340) 718-7788, or see her web site at www.shannancalhooncnm.webs.com

Edward