[KarenK]

Hi all,

One last check in before we leave! I'm getting excited but I'm very nervous too. I'm not sure how Alex is going to do on the plane. Maybe I'll be more excited once that is over! I hope everyone here has a super week.

Hello to everyone!

[midwife]

Have a great trip Karen!! ( and I would not think twice about using the leash...better safe than sorry! My motto is "I'm paranoid but it's worked so far!")

Lauren, sorry I have not gotten back to you sooner. The trip to the state capitol was interesting. We did not get exactly what we wanted from the hearing, but our lobbyist believes that it was important for our overall objectives. So, we kinda lost the battle, but we will win the war, or something like that. I have not been very involved with politics before now and it was an eyeopening experience. Senators were in and out of the room the whole time, I know I caught a whiff of alcohol when one returned, and there was a slick lawyer who twisted and misrepresented our goals. Sigh. I guess I should not be surprised, but I am such a Pollyanna about most things.

As for your question several weeks ago about whether midwives are paid less than physicians, the answer is somewhat complicated. Since docs do surgeries and handle more complicated pregnancies, they get higher reimbursement for those services, which is only fair. For a normal vaginal birth, payment is the same in our state, depending on insurance, however, midwives see a lot more women on public assistance, about 65% of our ladies are on Medicaid, so when Medicaid gets cut, midwives really feel it. Also for Medicare, midwives are reimbursed at 65% of the physician fee for the exact same services. For a lot of midwives, one out of every 3 dollars they bring in for prenatal care, birth, and gyn stuff goes to pay malpractice premiums. And midwives are sued much much less frequently that docs, again because we take care of normal, healthy women mostly. So it is complicated.

It has been really great to read all of the postings by the newbies!!
Hello to everyone!

Jen

[lppennington]

Hello all,

I hope everyone is doing okay, especially with the bouts of illness and allergies.

I found out yesterday that I was not chosen to go to that institute, but I can try next year. After sitting through the interview, I just had this feeling that I wasn't going to get it. So therefore it wasn't a big disappointment. (Well kinda)

I was good and didn't even go back where the birds were so no attacks. I learned my lesson. Don't have to tell me twice.

Karen, have a good and safe trip. Hopefully you can come back relaxed.

Anyways, off to study. I will be so glad when it is summer. I plan on taking easy classes in the summer. These being basic math, Intro to Art, Intro to Music, and one business course. I am never doing 3 excellerated courses at one time again!

Well now that I got that out of my system, Off to study.