Natural Childbirth

Immediately upon finding out that I was pregnant, I decided that it was important to me to have as natural a pregnancy and delivery as possible, while knowing that there may be issues that are out of my control and being ready to accept whatever childbirth experience we are given. Personally, since it's my body and my baby that will be affected, I feel very strongly about being able to make choices without outside pressure from others, such as doctors, nurses, concerned friends, etc. (even though their intentions are usually good).

It's interesting to me how people react when they find out this is my choice. Some people think it's great but most people make a comment something similar this, "Oh, just you wait until you see how much it hurts - you'll want drugs for sure!" And then they tell me how horribly painful childbirth is and how I can't understand this since I've never experienced it before. While I appreciate and respect the fact that this may have been their experience, I truly resent being told that I don't have the ability to make the correct choice about my body, my baby's body and drugs, simply because I've never experienced childbirth.

During my first appointment with my physician (who is no longer my physician), she callously advised me that I would not truly want a waterbirth as the only thing I'm going to want to do during labor is lay flat on my back in bed and accept the pain relief they provide. I'd like to think that as a smart, educated, independent women, I CAN make that decision for myself - thank you very much!

In her book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, Ina May Gaskin writes:

So many horror stories circulate about birth - especially in the United States - that it can be difficult for women to believe that labor and birth can be a beneficial experience. If you have been pregnant for a while, it's probable that you've already heard some scary birth stories from friends or relatives. This is especially true if you live in the United States, where telling pregnant women gory stories has been a national pastime for at least a century. Now that birth has become a favorite subject of television dramas and situation comedies, this trend has been even
more pronounced. No one has explained the situation more succinctly than Steven King in his novella "The Breathing Method." Commenting on the fear many women have of birth, his fictional character observes, "Believe me: if you are told that some experience is going to hurt, it will hurt. Most pain is in the mind, and when a woman absorbs the idea that the act of giving birth is excruciatingly painful - when she gets this information from her mother, her sisters, her married friends, and her physician - that woman has been mentally prepared to feel great agony." King, you may not know, is the father of several children born at home. The best way I know to counter the effects of frightening stories is to hear or read empowering ones. I mean stores that change you because you read or heard them, because the teller of the story taught you something you didn't know before or helped you look at things from a different angle than you ever had before.

My beautiful doula, Sarah, has been the best in reassuring me that I am strong and I have the ability to have a baby. Now don't get me wrong... I don't believe that I can control every aspect of my labor and delivery and if something happens which requires intervention OR if I decide at some point that I do want drugs, then I'll be ok with whatever happens.

What I'm focusing on is believing that the birth of our child will be an amazing, beautiful, life changing experience (no matter how it occurs) and that I am truly strong enough to birth a baby without drugs. Millions of women, all over the world have done this and continue to do this everyday. I am choosing to trust my body and my instincts and to believe in the strength that ALL WOMEN possess, including me.

I hope that everyone who knows me, can both accept this choice and support me in this effort.