So, I hang out on babycenter quite a bit and read the message boards and contribute once in a while. There are always threads about delivering the baby and whether a mom will go drug free or choose and epidural or take narcotics or be induced. For the record, this is what I want.
First of all, I am seeing a midwife group rather than an OB and I plan to labor and birth in a birthing center rather than a hospital. If I do end up in the hospital next door, I will still be going through the process with a midwife. There are lots of reasons I am choosing this route. First of all, I think it is better for me and the baby to not have drugs/pain killers moving through our systems. I want to be alert and I want my baby to be alert when he or she is born. I have read that there is less chance of tearing without an epidural. I want to feel my baby coming out. I want to be able to move my body any way it needs to for that baby to make its way out. So in preparation for the big day, Justin and I will be taking Bradley Method classes. It is 12 weeks of classes taught by a couple on the NW side of town--they come highly recommended. Bradley method, from what I understand, will give us the tools and knowledge we need to manage this birth without the interventions that might happen in a hospital if things are not progressing. the midwives also have their own bad of trick to help labor progress. So, I think I am making the right choice.
When I tell people my choice, most say "well, good for you, I couldn't do it." OR they think I am crazy because there are so many things that could go wrong and I should just be in a hospital with and OB in the first place. Well, I am sticking to my guns. I am not doing something dangerous by choosing this path. Justin is being supportive but he does think I am crazy for choosing the pain. This may be my only baby and I want to have the full experience of bringing a child into the world. Crazy or not, here I come.
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3 comments:
i am with you on wanting to birth outside of a hospital. actually, i (if i ever get pregnant and have a healthy, non complicated pregnancy) fully plan on doing a natural water birth. the women that i have seen do it always look so calm and it just seems like a much better way to bring a baby into the world. i am all for natural ways to relieve labor pain and i love that you want to use a midwife instead!
It's good to know what you want and to be an advocate for yourself, your baby and your family. Times are changing. Give it a few decades and your ideas won't be surprising as they will be more "normal."
I ended up with a hospital birth, but my midwife was there for my entire labor and the birth. Hardly any hospital staff touched me. I had a long, rough labor (27 hours of pure back labor) and didn't have a single drug. I was able to eat and drink as I chose, I labored in water, I walked around and I labored in any position I wanted. Being able to move freely makes a WORLD of difference. My next birth will not be in the hospital and the same midwife will be delivering.
Good luck with your birth and enjoy your classes.
I think this is great Sarah. I wish I had more of an opinion when I got started...I think I was all about the drugs because I can barely handle the dr touching me at my yearly exams =( but you are right...sooo much safer to do it your way...even many women I know in the medical field would support that as well. When I lived in New Zealand, they all used midwives there and I thought that was amazing...I dont think I even realized people had those here...what a dumbhead I was. Enjoy your classes, this is going to be such a wonderful time for you and Justin. Can't wait to hear all about it.
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