SO I have baby on the brain lately. Everywhere I go, it seems there are newbie squishees... The crazy part is that I've never really been a "newborn" person. Maybe it just took me awhile to "warm-up" to them, or maybe it's just because as each day progresses, Little Man looks less like a baby, and much more like a boy and it's making me extremely sentimental...
Anywho, I've been chatting back-and-forth with a friend that is struggling with the thought of TTC after previously having a cesarean. It's crazy how much one scar can lead to so many...
She asked me, "Why does birth matter so much to me?" I've often asked myself that very same question. Why is it that I would fight to- the-death for something that other woman will happily do heavily sedated and on their backs? Why does it matter so much to me?
The more I think about it, the more it seems to be a very personal answer. I guess the answer that I've come up with is that we were created to give birth- our bodies were made to push a baby out and if you are in tune with the natural flow of life, then that desire is recognized. Or at least that's why birth matters to me. I know in my brain that normal birth is better for me and my baby, I know what the research says about its importance, but I'm not always sure why it's such an ingrain desire. I'm sure it's different for different women.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on why birth matters to you (and if it doesn't, with all due respect, please don't bother to comment).
What a great post. I always wondered why a VBAC mattered so much to me. I just felt like I wanted to have that experience. Even though the birth part was more difficult then just having them cut me open it was soooo worth it. I guess I wanted to have a natural birth so I could actually hold my baby afterwards. My plan was to nurse right away, but he was having breathing issues. It was so awesome to experience though. I just wish I had been giving the chance to birth my first baby naturally. I just trusted the doctor...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Sarah! I agree, all the extra effort was 100% worth it. To have my babe in my arms was such an amazing feeling :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are prepping (probably a little far in advance, but I feel like it's worth it) for baby number one. I had been having that "I want to go natural" gut feeling too, and I couldn't really explain why, and neither my mom nor my husband really understand why.
ReplyDeleteMy mom's words were "you don't get any sort of award afterward for going natural, so why would you do that? It's not like you're going to get a trophy or anything."
The only response I could come up with was that I just had to know that my body could do what it has been programmed to do for thousands of years WITHOUT medical intervention. And, much to the chagrin of my mother, it's not about any "prize" or award afterward... it's about the empowering feeling knowing I could do it and did it.
AMEN, Andrea! Thanks so much for your thoughts :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I have had two vaginal births, but not the drug free like I wanted. My first I was so set on it being all natural, but after 26 hours of contractions 1-2 minutes apart and only getting to 4cm, I knew something had to give (I had hip surgery in college and she was posterior-bad back labor & that weren't allowing me to relax & dilate) so I got the epi. With my second child, my water started leaking at my 39 week check, & being Group B + I got admitted right away. My nurse was awesome with holding off on the pit for as long as possible, but I ended up having to use it. Long story short, I got the epi, not b/c I wasn't handling the contractions at the time, but b/c I was afraid of what to come. It was 2am, and I had about 10 hours left on my hospital's window for broken water with Group B. My husband also was encouraging it. They were able to eventually turn it off towards the end, but still, I had the epi.
ReplyDeleteI just feel like people don't understand-I had a healthy baby, that's all that matters. But it isn't. I hope so much that we have another baby and I can have the birth I want. My husband doesn't understand why I want a natural birth so bad. I am seriously thinking about hiring a doula next time.
followed you from the twitter party! www.grabenandgabi.blogspot.com