Suzy Q Homemaker

It’s Blog Action Day!  The topic this year is climate change.  Here are the Three B’s in my Babies for Climate Change campaign (that I just made up):

BIRTH!

Ok, so it’s not for everyone, but I bet I saved a ton by not going to the hospital for my birth.  No wasted packaging on drugs, no wasted gas driving to the hospital, and we didn’t have to worry about throwing away whatever free crap the hopital would have given us.

BREASTFEEDING!

One of the best things about breastfeeding is that it is free and environmentally friendly.  Think of all the energy put into the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of formula.  Not to mention the energy used to make the bottles, wash the bottles, and eventually throw them away.  Don’t just breastfeed for your baby’s health–breastfeed for the planet!

BUTTS!

Use cloth diapers on your baby’s bottom and you’ll definitely be doing the planet a favor.  I shudder when I imagine all those disposable diapers sitting in landfills, plus all the packaging that goes along with it.  Cloth diapers are cheaper in the long run, and they are easy on the energy cost.  Check out the low-down on cloth vs. disposable at the Real Diaper Association.

Happy Blog Action Day!

My 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!