Community

The Super Bowl has come and gone (go Steelers!...no need to add new pictures since we wore the same clothes as before) and I've only received one more package since the last post and it was one I ordered off Ebay. So I'll move on to new news.

Despite Parker's continued efforts to wake me up every three hours during the night (this MUST end soon!), we've finally gotten in to a routine. We have a lot of fun going to the grocery store on Mondays, story time Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, except every other Tuesday when we'll be now attending MOPS: Mothers of Preschoolers. Yesterday was our first visit and I was thrilled to see so many young Christian moms gathered in one place! For the first time since moving here I felt at home in a place where I could meet and become great friends with quite a few of these women. I'm actually meeting one of them with her kids on Friday at the library for story time!

I had been meaning to join the MOPS group for a while but with the job, move, Parker's birth and the holidays all happening sequentially, I ended up waiting until now. Parker did great in the nursery but Madeleine wasn't ready to be in the classroom so she stayed with me. We'll give the classroom another go in two weeks; once she heard all of the kids laughing and playing she became really interested in finding out what they were doing. I hope she'll get brave and participate so I can have a little kid-free time. It's exciting to realize there's an un-tapped community out here waiting for me to join in!

And speaking of community, it was just announced two weeks ago that Community Medical Center here in Missoula is taking over the Birth Center where I had both Madeleine and Parker. Back in October the head doctor, Lynn Montgomery, died suddenly and unexpectedly. This left the Birth Center with no managing doctor and a sudden drop in patients and therefore revenue. After soliciting the other hospital in town to take them over and being turned town, the Center's only other options were to close completely, find a replacement doctor, or hope that Community would take them over but let them continue to operate as the Birth Center. Community did agree to take over the facilities but they are converting it to a family practice office. I was crushed when I first heard this! I had been in regular contact with a woman at the office named Theresa who I had become pretty familiar with over the last few years and she told me that this was a blow to everyone. This means all births have to take place at Community (they want to be the only birthing facility in town) unless one opts for a home birth. Fortunately for those of us committed to natural birth in as a home-like setting as possible, my midwife Jeanne has gone into private practice and has agreed to do almost exclusively home births. I'm no where near ready to have another baby but I'm relieved to know that the vision of Dr. Montgomery isn't dying completely. Jeanne has also promised to dedicate herself to opening another birth center as soon as possible.

Most of you know how meaningful my prenatal, labor and delivery care was and I'm sorry so many other women will not get to experience the same treatment I did. However, I'm staying committed to Jeanne and her vision and will help in whatever capacity I can to bring the Birth Center back to Missoula.