It’s what you CAN do.
Posted by: LizzieMy sister said it best in her interview with the Sundance Channel for her green wedding:
“A lot of people like to pick on the little things that you couldn’t do instead of looking at all the things that you could do. Because you can’t do everything; and just because you can’t do everything, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something.”
What I couldn’t do:
Give birth at home. We couldn’t afford to pay out-of-pocket for a doula, midwife, and all the supplies that one needs for a safe homebirth. Had we been able to afford it, I would have been all for it.
What I could do:
Have as intervention-free births as I saw possible. I won’t go into my birth stories, but all my children were born vaginally: one epidural, one Bradley, one induced Bradley.
The homebirth/hospital birth debate is exhausting, to say the least. And I had set out to write this long blog post about it. I’ll keep it simple today, though.
Here’s what any mother could do:
1. Read. Educate yourself before you even decide to get pregnant. Know your rights as a birthing mother and make an informed decision. And I’m not talking about picking up a magazine in the doctor’s office or skimming the google search page after typing in “childbirth.” I mean REALLY READ. Get some books from the library, borrow some from a friend, and check out some websites that aren’t designed to scare women into scheduling their c-sections.
2. Don’t get caught up in statistics. While informative, they are often used as scare tactics and are a poor means of defending any point.
3. Ask questions. Doctors are humans and can sometimes be wrong! If you don’t feel like you understand why they are performing a certain procedure on you, ask. And check out your doctor’s c-section rate. Ask him or her about their stand on performing c-sections.
I want to hear about happy births right now. My mind is racing and I’m grateful for my husband who has to listen to me bitch about stuff I read on the internet!
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Tags: child birth, childbirth, Health, HOME BIRTH, natural childbirth, pregnancy
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Hi Lizzie! Just catching up on your blog…oh gosh your flower garden is gorgeous! Also, I really like this post. I hope to be able to afford to have home births (and a sustainable farm and so on and whatnot!), but I completely agree that educating yourself about something is most important.
Congrats on your safe and healthy births!