Good news and bad news
The good news: I submitted our doula fees to my flex spending, and delightfully, they were reimbursed. I wasn’t sure that was going to happen, since the language in the documentation about what’s covered is kind of wishy-washy about it. It was a pleasant surprise, and it was also nice that she let us pay in advance so it could be applied to this year’s credits. Our insurance is changing next year so we’ll get fewer flex credits, so it was good to get it done before the end of the year.
The bad news: Benazir Bhutto got assassinated. Holy crap. She was the first female elected official in the Muslim world, and bam.  How horrible.
I think the bad news outweighs the good news here.
That kind of reminds me of a conversation I had over the weekend. We arrived at Denny’s aunt and uncle’s house, and they had gotten some snow so things were a little slick and sloppy. Denny’s other aunt (there are a lot of aunts) greeted us, and I said, “Looks like you got some weather here.”
She said, “Yeah, it’s like our 9/11.”
I blinked a few times and said, “That sounds like a huge exaggeration.”
I hope she wasn’t offended—I don’t think she was; she’s a pretty jolly person—but seriously?
I blame Giuliani.
I once wrote a No Shame skit about how people reference 9/11 for trivial matters: I lose a game of Jenga, the tower topples, I am distraught. I say that when I lose at Jenga it’s like my own personal 9/11. Was the aunt being sarcastic?
And hearing about Bhutto yesterday morning did not start the day off well.
No, I don’t think she has a sarcastic element. She’s a very sweet and sincere lady, just prone to exaggeration, it seems.
How does a doula differ from a midwife?
Em,
A midwife is a medical professional–in our case, we’re working with CNMs (Certified Nurse Midwives), so they’re Registered Nurses who did additional training in obstetrics. A doula is a non-medical labor support provider. Our doula is also a childbirth educator, so she’s knowledgeable about prenatal and childbirth issues, but she didn’t go to nursing or medical school.
Her role is to support Denny and me: run interference if the hospital staff are being a-holes and telling us things that are more for their convenience than for my/the baby’s well-being; suggesting alternate positions that might help alleviate pain; helping Denny massage or otherwise physically support me; hanging out with me when Denny needs a break; bringing me food and drink as necessary; getting ibuprofen for Denny after I sock him in the gut and say “WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?”.
Also, the midwife on call may have more than one patient laboring while I am, but the doula just works for us, so she won’t ever have to run off and take care of someone else.
Very nice. What a great idea. It IS surprising (in a very positive way) that the doula was covered by your health insurance. Working for the state definitely has its advantages. My insurance didn’t even cover my trip to the ER last year and I work for a big corporation. My sister works for ISU now and her health care is amazing… I made her stop talking about it because it was making me feel jealous.
Here’s hoping your favorite midwife is on call when you go into labor! 😉 Or, take Leah’s route and stay in labor long enough that you get to see a couple different midwives on different shifts. Heh.
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