When I found out I was pregnant the first time I had discussed with my husband about having a midwife instead of an obstetrician. I had just finished a child development class in college that focused on ages 0-8. The instructor had a midwife come to our class and explain midwifery and natural birth. I was intrigued by what she had said and I was very much interested in a natural birth.
My husband and I scheduled a consultation with that same midwife. Things went well but my husband still felt uneasy about it. His parents are both nurses and so he was more comfortable with the medical based approach. I was also unsure about it. I had never known someone who had done it that way. I wasn't educated on midwifery and natural birth in the least except for that presentation given in my class. We decided we both felt more comfortable with an obstetrician.
While we were comfortable with our obstetrician and he did, in then end, deliver our baby healthy and happy we decided that next time we wanted a completely different experience.
My first big exposure to natural birth was The Business of Being Born documentary. If you haven't seen this movie you definitely should. It is an eye opening film and it made me want to learn more on the subject. It was after this film that I had decided that the next time around I would have a midwife. I made my husband watch the film and he felt the same way. We also watched the documentary, Pregnant in America. While that one didn't have as big of an affect on me it was also eye-opening and worth watching.
After watching those films I started reading blogs and articles online. I read several birth stories and I also read articles talking about interventions and the complications that can arise from them. I read about the power that women have during birth. The out of body euphoria that is felt. I read all of this incredible information and educated myself. I only wished I had read it all before giving birth to my daughter. I would not have had my membranes stripped. I would have waited for her to be ready. I wish I had been more patient with her.
If you've ever met my daughter you know how easily scared she can get. I was thinking about her fearful nature the other day and I wondered if it is at all connected to her birth. I know that may sound crazy but she wasn't ready to be born. I allowed my membranes to be stripped which sent me into labor. I believe she panicked and that's why the chord wrapped around her neck. Then she had to endure contractions which slowed her down and in the end was ripped from her cozy cocoon. Call me crazy, weird, or whatever, but I honestly think that she came into this world scared. She wasn't ready.
Back to the purpose of this post.
We moved to Salt Lake a year and a half ago so my husband could attend graduate school. It has been a faith builder for me. I have not enjoyed living up here much at all but we have been greatly blessed in so many ways. One of those blessings is the fact that there are other birth options in the Salt Lake area. In St. George, where we lived before, you had two options. One, obstetrician or family practitioner in the hospital. Two, midwife at home who has no privileges at the hospital. In Salt Lake you also have those two options in addition to a nurse-midwife in the hospital or a midwife in a birthing center. For my second pregnancy I chose to have a nurse-midwife attend my birth in the hospital. I debated having a midwife in my own home but because I had an emergency cesarean the first time I felt that It would be better for me to be in a hospital setting just in case something goes wrong. I am grateful that we have this option this time around. We are still getting the midwife philosophy of care while having immediate access to medical interventions if they become necessary.
Since being pregnant I have watched The More Business of Being Born segments. They have created 4 new documentaries which go more in depth into certain topics. One of which is solely on VBACs. That documentary has been invaluable to me. I've watched it twice now and keep bugging my husband to watch it as well. I have also read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. That was an incredible book. I couldn't put it down. If you don't know who Ina May Gaskin is you should google her name. She has been practicing as a midwife on The Farm for several decades now. She is basically a self-taught midwife genius. Read up on her and then read some of her books. She's awesome! She also has a documentary coming to Netflix in May. Oh and if you watch the More Business of Being Born one of the segments is about The Farm midwives. Watch her, read her, you'll be impressed. She is a hippie/granola and, to most people, has a peculiar lifestyle and mindset. She intrigues me and is so honest and spiritual in her midwifery care. Love her!
The more I read and watch the more comfortable I am with our decision to go natural and have a midwife. I am thrilled to be laboring and delivering the way it was all intended to be done. I am also terrified. A lot of it is still unknown to me. Will I be able to handle the pain? Will my body be able to handle a vaginal delivery? Will it be quick or take 20+ hours? I have a lot of mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical preparation to do. I am looking forward to the journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment