I don't think I have to explain too much about how much I prepared and planned for a natural med free birth. Anyone close to me knew how bad I wanted this. I wanted it so bad. My heart was a million percent into this. Every single day of my pregnancy I was trying to learn something new. I did so much research and reading and educated myself totally and completely about natural childbirth. I fell so in love with it and became so passionate about it. I get emotional just thinking about how amazing and powerful it is. I just know how much of an amazing thing it is. And how powerful our bodies are!
It was important to me that Jaxon be born with the least medical intervention possible. That means that I wanted to avoid being induced, having pain killers like an epidural, and the use of forceps, vacuum, episiotomy, etc. To me, birth is a natural process that has happened without all those interventions for a very long time, and while I know sometimes those interventions are necessary for the health and survival of baby and mama, I feel they are overused in our society and can have negative effects.
To help my husband fully understand the natural process of birth and because I thought it would help us connect in a positive way through this journey, I decided to take a course called Birth Boot Camp.
This class was recommended to me by a friend. I started searching and found an instructor (an amazing woman who would end up as a friend) very close to our house who held the classes in her home.
Why would we decide to take a 10 week birthing course? Not because we are crazy, nope. Because I wanted to connect with other women and couples who wanted the same thing out of their birth experience as I did. Unfortunately, many of our ideas about birth come from the media, which rarely presents birth in a positive — even enjoyable — manner. With each passing year, we become more comfortable with a rising cesarean rate. When a couple is trying to avoid interventions, medication, and a cesarean, it is crucial that they know their options and how to help themselves in the throes of labor. Birth Boot Camp gives you those tools and wants you to have fun along the way.
This was just a small portion of the educating that I did during these 10 months. I read countless websites and seriously watched every single natural birth video you could find on YouTube for inspiration. I don't find birthing videos gross, I find them beautiful and so empowering.
I was apart of a forum of amazing women who were also pregnant and due in March 2014 on The Bump.
I read Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth.
I watched The Business of Being Born and More Business of Being Born. I HIGHLY recommend.
I added a lot of great Facebook pages like Birth Without Fear which I highly recommend, Mama Birth, Belly Belly. I really recommend all of those. They have so much information.
I talked with my midwives and asked questions and also hired a wonderful Doula to be there for me during my labor. Hiring a Doula was the smartest and best decision I could have ever made. I seriously don't know how I would have done even half of my labor without her.
I cant name all of the websites and articles and stories I read to prepare myself and educate myself or we would be here all night. I did everything I was supposed to do as a responsible pregnant women. I just wanted what was best for me and my baby.
My experience with an OB
I started going to an OB when I found out I was pregnant. I wasn't sure what else to do so I started there. But I knew deep down that I absolutely never wanted to have my baby in a hospital. I didn't trust the 'system', I knew there were too many unnecessary interventions and you loose all of your control over YOUR birth. And while I know that the 'system' is an amazing thing to have when there are emergencies, I felt that everything would be fine in my pregnancy and birth. And I was right. I had a wonderful pregnancy health wise. No complications thank God.
I stopped seeing my OB for my pregnancy at week 13 because I actually made him sit down for the first time out of all my visits to ask him about natural birth in the hospital. I will add, that we saw him a total of three times. Not one single time during those prenatal visits did he ask me how I was doing, or ask if I had any questions, or explain to me anything about what I should be experiencing or expecting early on in pregnancy. It was literally in and out. I was just another patient, just another number.
But I finally stopped him from leaving the room this last time because I had to have some questions answered. I had a very important decision to make.
That whole conversation was a blur because he didn't answer a single one of my questions. He seemed to just go around a solid answer to each one of my questions. I simply just wanted to know how the cascade of interventions worked when a woman wanted to go med free. I didn't want a heplock. I didn't want a single needle near me unless it was completely necessary due to emergency (but that was just one of many requests) But he pretty much said I don't get a choice in much. And that just made up my mind right then and there. This was not the route I wanted to take for my birth. I knew I had to have choices and be able to make them myself. Not be 'allowed' to have the birth I wanted. There should be no question when it comes to how you want to have your baby. Your doctor shouldn't be telling you how you will give birth. We have so many choices taken away or made for us. That is not ok...Birth is not a sickness.. and it doesn't need 'treatment'
Midwife and birth center
This was where my heart was. Midwives truly are amazing people. They give you a choice and they completely and totally believe in you and your body. They treat birth just like it is, normal and natural. Not like a medical condition that needs medicine.
After that last appointment with my OB I talked to my husband and told him that I knew there had to be another way. I started googling midwives and birth centers here and thank God we have one!! I knew this was the direction I was meant to go.
I set up an interview with Ruth Cobb at Special Delivery Birth Center.
During the interview I felt totally comfortable and I was surprised when my husband actually joined in the conversation and asked questions. I could tell he was more comfortable. That was a different feeling then the OBs office.
When we left the meeting with Ruth I knew that was it. I wanted to have my baby in that beautiful birth center with midwives delivering my baby! I was so excited and so relieved to be able to have my baby safely outside of a hospital.
My pregnancy went on normal and me and baby were healthy. No problems. I eventually did have the normal soreness and really bad back pain that made the end of my pregnancy pretty miserable. But I was low risk and normal.
I do want to add.. I know that there are great doctors and OBs out there. This is all just my experience. I know that OBs are great for some women and its great we have them for women who are high risk. But even if you are high risk and have to see an OB you should DO YOUR RESEARCH. You owe it to yourself and your baby to know your options. There is so much information out there that you have no idea about unless you take the time to do the research and figure it out yourself.
Vernix
Magic Hour
Water Birth
Doula
Midwife
Eye Ointment
Epidural
Pitocin
Colostrum
Cloth Diapering
Newborn Stomach Size
Placenta Encapsulation
Delayed Cord Clamping
Coconut Oil
Lactation Consultant
Skin to Skin Contact
VBAC
Empowered Birthing
Hypnobabies
Babywearing
Intermittent Fetal Monitoring
Laboring Positions
Episiotomy
Vaccinations/Delayed Vax
Sitz Bath/Herbal Bath after deliver
One thing I know that doctors do way too often is say you need to be induced because your baby is 'too big'. Then you end up delivering a 6lb baby. I've seen that happen WAY too often. Even if their guess is correct and baby is 8 or 9 pounds, that is completely safe and normal for a baby. A 10lb baby can be delivered vaginally with no unnecessary interventions. That poor baby should have stayed where he was and be left alone to finish developing. I could go on and on about the shady things doctors do, more so because your birth is an inconvenience to them and they need to be home in time for dinner.
Click here to read some OB LIES
To be continued... Next is the start of my birth story
*These are all my opinions. But some damn good common sense. And A LOT of facts because of research on my part. Believe what you want and think what you want, but I am right. Duh*
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