Midwife wait-list

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, i knew i wanted to talk to Curt *again* about using a midwife at our small town hospital. (Curt is not too warm to the idea.) After my last experience at the big city teaching hospital though, I have a stronger case. My stay included a room FULL of freshly delivered babies and moms. Most of them were c-sections. I know this because of the nurses that came in frequently to turn on the lights, wake everyone up and ask personal questions through the curtains. One woman had twins. Every other woman had visitors. The visitors stayed till 1 in the morning. At one point, deep in sleep, a dinner tray was pushed out of the way, (I'm guessing to make room for more company) through my curtain and right into my head as i lay sleeping with my new baby. The lady across the curtain from me also had her company lean against my bed as i tried to sleep, bonking and jostling the bed till the wee hours of the night talking about their baby's private parts and making jokes about their sex lives. When i tried to use the washroom i had to push through men and women who were crammed in the doorway to visit the woman with twins.... i held my frail nightie together at the back and shuffled my way to the washroom, hoping Wes would be okay for a minute alone behind our curtain. When i finally couldn't take the noise anymore, i gathered Wes and tried to make it to the nurses station to phone Curt. I opened my curtain and took a step. Just then a newly minted "Grandma" who was celebrating loudly with the rest of the extended family backed into me wildly while trying to get a picture. I clutched Wes tight and tried to get my balance. The nurse came in just then and scolded me for walking around with my baby. I put him in the bassinet and wheeled him to the front desk. By then i was so close to tears i had to whisper to the ladies behind the desk. "Could I use your phone for a minute?" I dialed Curt's cell and when he answered, i could hear my kids in the background. Hot tears streamed now.
"Can you come and get me? I gotta get out of here. I'm so tired. Please, come get me."
Curt was relaxed. "I thought you'd be sleeping. It's only 7:30. Can you wait a couple hours?"
"no...i can't"
"Well, i've got to run into work and then I'll come and get you." I hung up the phone and one of the nurses said "Sorry"... and meant it. Another more ignorant one said sarcastically, "You think it's more peaceful at home with your six kids than here?!" She had no idea how incredible my kids are. Home is my peaceful place. I have to admit... i let myself hate that nurse a little bit.
My heart sank and I pushed Wes back to my room. I could feel eyes on me as I came back into the room tears streaming down my cheeks. I crawled back into bed with Wes and had a good cry into his hot soft little neck behind my curtain. Finally Curt came. I have never been so happy to see him. I can't explain how angry i was then when we went to leave and the nurses tried to tell me that the baby wasn't fitted tight enough into the carseat so we "couldn't leave yet" The carseat was the kind that a person has to remove the child, flip the carseat over, remove metal posts from the back of, remove straps, replace straps, replace posts, flip carseat over, replace baby in order to "tighten". I couldn't look them in the eye as i performed this task and they argued that i "should" be able to just pull a strap to tighten. (I threw that carseat out as soon as Wes was done with it.) ......Needless to say, i am looking to find a more quiet and peaceful delivery and recovery option than I was offered this last time. The problem is, so are a lot of other women. Since the government started funding midwives this year, demand has gone through the roof. I am presently on 3 wait-lists... and I *just* found out I am pregnant. Some, when i called, told me that they were booked until the end of September! That would have been impossible because no one would have even known they were pregnant yet if their due dates were in September. Not sure how all of this works, but if you ask me.... pregnant women need more options than what is presently available when it comes to the safe, peaceful delivery of their babies. I know that some women get angry at the mention of a midwife. I'm not sure why. There have to be more options. A "birthing center" as well makes far more sense to me than sending a vulnerable mother and child into the vortex of H1N1 hospitals writhing with sick people. That doesn't add up for me either. I hope my children have better options when their time comes. In the meantime... I'm waiting for my "in demand" midwife and a small town hospital birth.