Of Midwives, Doctors, Babies and Such
I’m trying not to make this blog about me and baby. There are plenty of those out there and women have been birthing since the dawn of creation. The fact that I’m pregnant is new to me, but run of the mill for everyone else. But, from time to time, I may drop a baby nugget or two. (Is that gross to say?)
Here we are sliding past week 15 and I’m finally starting to feel the pinch if I button up my jeans each day. The key word being “if” I choose jeans instead of opting for my cozy “house pants”.
At any rate, the baby is the size of a large orange and is already taking my breath away during Crossfit, climbing stairs or scaling fences to retrieve my naughty cat.
The baby is also causing me to rethink my 32 oz blender bottle full of water before bed (I peed 6 times last night), the necessity of makeup or matching my clothes.
And being pregnant has spurred me to read, research and question things I truly never cared about before. How do I want to give birth? On all fours? At home? In a tub? In a hospital bed? Knocked out, blindfolded and with ear plugs?
I like the idea of a midwife-but I like the idea of a capable doctor, too. Advances in modern medicine have saved countless lives-I won’t deny that. However, I don’t buy all of “modern medicine” hook, line and sinker.
After all, a lobotomy was considered a helpful procedure on mentally ill patients less than 50 years ago.
That looks fun.
If you are a mommy or daddy, I would love to hear your experience-if you’d like to share. Tell me what went right, what went wrong, and what would you wish you knew then that you know now?
PS-Just try not to scare the crap out of me. Thank you and goodnight. But, first I have to pee.
I for one won’t get tired of hearing more about you and baby. It’s such an exciting time.
I haven’t read you blog very long, but I felt this question was screaming for me to answer:
If you are a mommy or daddy, I would love to hear your experience-if you’d like to share. Tell me what went right, what went wrong, and what would you wish you knew then that you know now?
I have four kids. The first was a c-section, that may not have been necessary. The second birth was a c-section by choice for twins fourteen months later. Six years later I gave birth to my fourth son at home in water.
If I’m completely honest, the twins birth was the easiest. They just wheeled my back to the OR got the babies out and I was done (it might have been a little easier if I didn’t have the flu and puke all over one of them the first time I held him, but that doesn’t count.)
BUT, the home birth was the best experience, for me and the baby. I was able to make choices and be in control of my body. I completely trusted my midwife to guide and advise me when necessary. I found the strength to do something many think is improbable. That birth wasn’t necessarily what I hoped it would be either. I was in labor for 24 hours, I pushed for 3 hours and ended up with an episiotomy when the baby’s head was under too much pressure from crowning for an hour. But my midwife knew when it was time to use intervention and when to let my body do what it had been made to do. Like women have been doing for thousands of years before me.
I think that the postpartum period was easiest after the natural birth also. Besides not having to recover from the intense pain from the c-section, my baby seemed to have an easier time adjusting to his new life and was the most easy-going baby of all of them.
I hope that helps you, but I also think it’s best to read and do a lot of research to make sure you chose the best birth for you. I recommend Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth if you are leaning towards a home birth or natural birth. I also recommend Ricki Lake’s book, Your Best Birth, if you are trying to decide what type of birth might be best for you.
The good thing is whatever type of birth that happens holding that little girl for the first time makes it all worth it. I know it did with you and let me tell you–you were a pain!
Love
I think you meant capable midwife as well. I really like Mary’s answer. Look into finding a midwife you trust – doesn’t even have to be a home birth. But it is the safest way to go.
I LOVE being pregnant! When it came to “Where” to deliver-I chose the hospital every time (we just had our 4th). I’m sure midwives are great, but I want to be in a building set up for emergencies-if such an emergency were to happen. I also didn’t want to have to clean my house immediately before or after having the baby if I didn’t feel like it, another reason to go somewhere with room service/house keeping 🙂
With my first I had preeclampsia and had to be on all sorts of medication to keep from having a stroke. That was OH so much fun. I was stuck in a bed because they couldn’t keep track of the baby’s heart beat when I got out of the bed. I chose not to have any pain killers with my deliveries, and if I was going to chose one to go back and change that fact it would have been my first. Being on your back in bed while laboring SUCKS.
The next three labor/deliveries were uneventful and wonderful. Most of the stress came after the baby was born and nurses/pediatricians tried to scare us about babies health-turns out babies were fine and nurses/pediatricians knew nothing. 🙂
I’ve been thinking that I might go with a midwife if we have anymore kiddos. Maybe 🙂