Recently, I have had a lot of people ask me what hospital we are delivering at. Another question I have been asked is whether or not I am going to have an epidural. You should see the looks on people's faces when I tell them that we are delivering at a birthing center completely drug free. Not only do most people not know what a birthing center is, but when I tell people I'm not getting any drugs they look at me like I have a third eyeball.
Regardless of the chosen method, I am incredibly surprised at the lack of knowledge that people have about the birthing process in general, and how lackadaisical moms-to-be are about what they want their birth to be like. It's a huge event that deserves a large amount of research and consideration! This post is not intended to be an "in-your-face, everyone should do it like us post." Scott and I are going a route that is a little off the beaten path, and with all of the questions I've been getting, I just wanted to explain a little bit about where our thought process is coming from.
Why We Want a Natural Birth
When I became pregnant, I started doing some research on the labor process. I knew my mom had done 4 natural child births, and I wondered what her reasoning and thought process was. I watched a few movies such as "The Business of Being Born" and "Pregnant in America" and did some research on epidurals. I talked to friends who have given birth at home as well as naturally in a hospital, and listened to their birth stories. I also read blogs and listened to friends' stories of those who had given birth in the hospital with epidurals, and I noticed a pattern.
The women who gave birth naturally seemed to go on and on about the beauty of birth and what a wonderful experience it was, and the women who took the normal hospital delivery route told me about the scary complications they had during delivery (fetal distress, abnormal fetal heart-rate, baby pulled out with forceps, mom's blood pressure dropping...). None of them seemed to be aware (or at least vocal) about the fact that most of these complications were side-effects of the drugs they decided to take! I kept hearing, "I was so glad the hospital was there to save my baby," when in all actuality, it was likely the hospital that helped cause the complications in the first place....
Then I thought about having a giant needle stuck in my back, and what it would feel like to not be able to feel my body from the waist down. It didn't seem to make sense to me. If I'm trying to push a baby out of that region, why would I numb my entire lower body? Doesn't seem very efficient... Plus, I hate hospitals to begin with. The smell, the halls, the sterile ugly walls, and a bunch of sick patients... I am not sick! I'm just having a baby! I'm pretty sure God created women to bear children and that women have been doing this for thousands of years. God has been growing this precious child in my womb, He invented childbirth, and I am in awe of His whole creative process. He wouldn't give me something I couldn't handle. I started thinking about a place I could give birth where I could be completely comfortable, relaxed, and not have machines beeping at me and people constantly coming in and out. Where can I give birth where I feel safe, focused, and can have candles, music, and do whatever I feel like doing without an IV in my arm? Where can I walk around, lay in a bathtub, or do whatever I feel like doing? Certainly not in a hospital. I've been told that birth is faster and easier when you feel most comfortable. Makes sense to me! I considered giving birth at home, but didn't want everyone to completely freak out on my first birth, so I decided a birth center would be a good compromise.
What is a Birth Center?
Birth centers are comfortable, homelike medical facilities designed for low risk, healthy, pregnant woman who want an alternative to a hospital or home birth. Located a couple of blocks from the hospital, I will be giving birth at Blossom Birth and Wellness Center where I feel I am getting the most comprehensive and compassionate prenatal care. Then, assuming Kaelyn doesn't present herself before 37 weeks, I will give birth here as well. They also offer different educational classes on a variety of subjects including breastfeeding classes and support groups. They seek to care for their patients holistically and really seek to understand who you are as a person... What brought you to this point in your life... What your plans are as a parent... Every visit we have had here has been at least an hour, and it is the exact opposite of your typical crazy OB/GYN office. It's quiet, calm, peaceful, and the providers take the time to really get to know you. It is here that we feel I am getting the most comprehensive and meaningful, informed care, and it is here that I can give birth the way that I want without interventions or interruptions.
And there's a lot more! Continue on to "It's Baby Time Part 2 of 3" to read more about our thoughts and research on hospital births.
Love it! <3 I wish birth centers were an option for us :)
ReplyDeleteI am praying you get an awesome intervention-free delivery. That was exactly what I wanted- however, due to previous bladder surguries and a baby with an enormous head we had to have a csection. People looked at me like I was crazy when we said we were going intervention-free, then tried to talk me out of a scheduled csection! :) In the end, I loved EVERY moment of Dane's arrival in this world- even if it wasn't what I had planned- remember that if things should begin to venture off the path you've charted. God is good and his plan is perfect. Can't wait to see pictures of your beautiful girl!
ReplyDeleteCool! I hope it all goes great! Natural childbirth is totally doable and so many women before us have done it!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember if you ever read my birth story or not, but if you're interested: http://likecurtains.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-birth-story.html. S was born at home, we are planning this for our next one as well :)
Hope you are feeling good! I read a great book called Baby Catcher before birth, it is full of different natural birthing stories, told by a midwife. It really shows the vast array of experiences that can be had.