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Ask A Midwife

Q. I am nine weeks pregnant and my prenatal vitamins are what making me sick not the baby. Is there an alternative to this? Do you have any suggestions.

Secondly, I live in central California and I am extremely interested in home birth and using a birthing tub. Can you put me in touch with a very qualified individual in my area?

Thank you,
Stacy

A. Just stop taking the PN vitamins until you feel better. Or, discuss with your provider or the pharmacist what other vitamins might be more easily tolerated.

Depending upon where in California you are: there are lots of midwives there, and lots of resources for a tub. There are Certified Nurse Midwives doing home births, so you should be able to find someone very qualified. Here are some folks to contact. Where do you live. I know a few folks in the SF Bay area that I would recommend, but check out these references too:

• Visit the American College of Nurse Midwives
  1-888-643-9433, and look/ask for the practice locator.

• Midwives Association Of North America
  1-800-923-MANA

• Look under Midwives in the phone book, there should be something.

• Call your local health department.

• Call someone with La Leche League.

Pat Sonnenstuhl is a semi-retired nurse midwife with over 30 years of experience in health care (first as an RN, then as an ARNP, CNM). She has experience with hospital nursing/midwifery and home and birth center midwifery.

Two areas of special interest to her are GBS and nutrition.

She is about empowerment, and helping folks find their own answers, what is right for them, not what is right for her. But, she wants you well informed.