Nothing to prove

komorebi

Really good piece that addresses some of the comments that seem to pop up everytime "natural" childbirth is discussed.
https://evolutionaryparenting.com/something-to-prove/
"Natural birth isn’t about a woman feeling inferior in some way and thus having to prove herself to someone. In fact, the idea is insulting, yet pervasive in our society. Perhaps in every natural birth there is an element of showing the system that it can be safer when natural or that following one’s instincts and body is not inherently dangerous, and this is something worth discussing so women understand their options. I can’t help but feel that this negative attitude towards natural birth stems from a medical system that knows it may have to drastically change if women truly were free to make their own choices in their births and only expect to be supported in those choices. This means there is also nothing “wrong” with not having a natural birth. Each woman needs to make a decision for herself about the type of birth she wants and make sure she is fully informed about what it is she is choosing. Some will choose interventions, some won’t, and when the decisions are made because it is best for that woman, no one has anything to prove."

arwestover3

You are my new best friend. This is exactly what I've been trying to tell people about wanting an unmedicated birth this time. It's not about wanting a medal, for me it's about loving my body and hopefully some mental healing from the inadequacy I felt after "failure to progress" and a C section with my first.

komorebi

It really spoke to me too. I hope you can achieve your goals or at least be at peace and feel like the outcome was for the best. A few of my good friends have had vbacs in the past few years and none of them regretted it.

I've had friends tell me I'm lucky to have such easy births or brave and i don't think either of those things are true. I worked hard to shape my outcomes and none of it was easy. And I'm not brave because fear of several things outweighed my concerns about labor pain. And i chose the less scary option for me.

DeeGreer

@komorebi I feel the same way. Labor pain, though I've never experienced it, is a hell of a lot less scary than a giant needle being inserted between my vertebrae or pitocin that causes such strong contractions the baby gets limited blood flow and oxygen. Not to mention potential nerve damage. And any time someone asks and I tell them I'm planning to do it unmedicated, I always get looked at like I have 6 eyes. I've never been very into medical interventions and find most ailments are cured just as quickly if not faster, naturally. I get sometimes things happen...my mom had a cesarean with me, but I don't think I'd be disappointed if I couldn't do it naturally. Ultimately the goal is to have a healthy baby. But I'll be spending the majority of my early labor at home until it gets unbearable. I don't want doctors forcing me to do anything I'm not okay with.