First of all, I'm going to apologize that this post is up a day late. After work yesterday, Keegan and I went out to dinner with some of my co-workers for a co-workers birthday. We didn't get home til about 10 and I was exhausted, so I didn't have a chance to write.
Anyhoo, today's blog challenge prompt is your preference of a medicated vs. natural child birth.
I'm going to up front say that these are my opinions, and I'm not looking down on anyone who chooses to have a different labor than what I hope to have. I mean, you're pushing a child out of your ho-ha for god's sake, do it whatever way is necessary to keep you and the baby safe.
In a perfect world, I'd love to have a water birth at home. I feel like I'd be the most comfortable and relaxed at home, and I wouldn't have to stress about making sure I packed everything in my hospital bag because I'd have everything at my finger tips. I would love to have a midwife and a doula there, as well as my husband. Very private, personal and I think, beautiful.
However, at least for my first birth, I have no idea what is going to happen during labor, so I'd like the peace of mind of a delivering in a birthing center or hospital just in case something goes wrong. If I give birth where we're currently living, it'll probably be a hospital because I'm 99% sure there isn't a birthing center within a two hour drive of our house.
That being said, I'm going to fight for as much as a natural birth as I can in a hospital. I know that many hospitals like women hooked up to monitors for most of their labor, but I will probably ask to be loosely monitored. I know that some women have made agreements with their doctors to be hooked up for 10 minutes, and then taken off the machines for 50. That way, I can move around, be in the water, walk, whatever I need to do to labor. I know that when I have horrible period cramps, laying down is one of the last things I want to do, so I'm going to assume that labor will be similar.
I would love to have a medication free childbirth, but I'm realistic and realize that I don't know what the pain will be like, so if I get halfway through and need pain medications, I won't regret it. I'm all for doing whatever needs to be done to ensure that both baby and momma are safe and healthy. I plan on taking childbirth classes and perhaps looking into hypno-birthing or other relaxation techniques when I do get pregnant. I would also love to have a doula to help both Keegan and I though the process, but like the birthing center, I'm not sure if we'll have a whole lot of choices in that area.
I think that I'm drawn to the idea of a natural childbirth because honestly, I'm not a huge fan of medication, (funny since I'm going through infertility treatments.) Before trying to conceive, I didn't take many medications. I suffered with horrible headaches for 2+ years for reasons unknown, and I would only take a pain reliever if I wasn't able to get out of bed. I also seem to have a high tolerance for mediations, so it would take 2000 mg or more to get any relief. I figured that I was doing more damage to my liver than the relief was worth, so many times I just suffered through.
I'm also extremely nervous about getting an epidural. To try and diagnose the unexplained headaches, I had to get a lumbar puncture. Well, I actually had to get 3, plus a blood patch. It's a long story, and one I'll explain if people are interested, but the LP experience was absolutely horrible. I still have pain in that area to this day, 3-4 years after the procedure. I'm so nervous about irritating that area again that I'm scared to get an epidural.
The last reason I'm interested in medication free labor is the whole, "I am woman, hear me roar," idea. I love the idea of seeing what my body can do. How strong it is, and how it knows what to do to get my baby out safely. I think that if I'm able to do a medication free labor, it might give me some more trust in my body, that my body is actually able to do something right for once. I think that as a whole, women are strong creatures and being able to push out a baby is a magical process that only we are able to experience. It's something I'd like to experience as naturally as possible, just to see how far I can go.
So what about you? I'd love to hear other women's take on this. If you could picture your dream labor, what would it be like?
I have been thru labor three times. Pitocin for all three, and two epidurals and one natural--I planned to do epidurals for all three, but there was no time for it with the last one. Looking back, my recovery time went the best with natural childbirth. I felt AMAZING after my daughter's birth. However, I was in labor only for about 5 hours. My first labor was 30 hours, and second was about 15. I was so stinking tired that I think I needed the drugs to be able to push. :)
ReplyDeleteAs far as relaxation techniques and birthing classes, my sister used the Bradley method and loved it.
You and I think a lot alike when it comes to this stuff. Here's my waterbirth story if you're interested.
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Thank you so much for sharing that story with me! I love love love the quote, "...I knew that I was leaving my infertility in that tub. I was leaving my heartache in that tub. I was leaving death and defeat and stolen dreams in that tub. In that moment, I was reconciled with my body." That is what I'm hoping to do if I ever have the chance to give birth. Give my body one more chance to show me what it's got. I know it's strong, but in the area of baby making, it's weak.
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