If you've been on the bump for awhile...

Manderlin923

Do you feel that med-free birth is becoming more common? I do but I have no clue if this is just my perception or not. When I was pg with DS I felt like there was barely any other ladies on the tri boards who were interested in it. Heck, we didn't even have this board then!

Now when I lurk on the tri boards I find so many women who say they want to or are commited to going med-free. I just think it's really interesting.

I also feel that more and more women (regardless of their birth preferences) are becoming informed about everything. Sure, there's still plenty of misinformation (on both sides- let's not turn this into a "natural birth is informed birth" debate ) but I honestly think more women are educated themselves (sometimes having to fight their own doctors) about things and then making the choices that are right for them and their baby- be that epi, c-section, vbac, med-free, etc. And I personally think that is GREAT.

What do you think? Have you noticed this on the bump, at least?

madhatter2003

absolutely. Back when I was pg with DD it was so different than now. That was when it was only BOTB on the Nest though.  The bump came along about halfway through if I remember correctly, then I came back and there were all these 'tri' boards and 'age' boards, etc.

I love the supportive sub-boards. I'm totally a lurker here since I'm not even pg and only had an 'accidental' natural birth since my epi up and failed but I love that people are talking about things so much more than the first time around.

Corbin30

I don't know about on the Bump (I am pretty new here), but I think in general, yeah, more women are learning more and taking more control. I am a doula, and I know that word of mouth has really spread our profession a lot. People hear from a friend who had a good experience with a doula, and they look into doing the same thing. Or, they had a "bad" experience with baby #1 so they come to us for help with #2.

Also, as much as I hate to admit that some good has come out of reality TV, the baby shows have really opened people up to the possiblities. They see women having drug free births, or water births, or having a doula, or using a midwife rather than a doctor, and they start to see these things as viable options for them. As these ideas spread even more (word of mouth again) more and more people are looking into them.

I think it's pretty awesome!

CheriCO

I'm not really sure.  In my birth month and tri boards it seems like the majority of women are all for the epi.  I don't think those boards existed back when I was pg with DS so I can't compare.  My local board has a lot of NB mommies and I have other non-nest local friends who have delivered med-free, so for me, it seems it could just be a location thing.  Before this pg, the national boards I frequented were this one and EFF...not really a non-biased group. 

I do really hope that as more women deliver med-free and can talk about how it was not some horrible experience, even more couples will at least consider med-free birth.

SavageCarmina

I've definitely noticed an increase in education and awareness in the ladies in the Bump.  It's really great! And definitely refreshing. It's good to see women educating themselves about their own bodies and making informed decisions (meds, no meds, etc.).

Sadly, I only know of one person IRL who has gone with med-free birth (3 times).  Everyone else I know, and hear stories about, are all sheep that do whatever their doctor tells them to do without educating themselves.  People that I've talked to (friends, family) and said I'm doing med free always give me the "just you wait" and "you'll be begging for an epi".  And forget about when I mention "non-traditional" pushing positions!!! I've been told that "only people in 3rd world countries squat to birth children".    I guess my area (NY/NJ) hasn't really caught up to the natural birth "trend". At least not the people I know. heh

Manderlin923

SavageCarmina:

I've definitely noticed an increase in education and awareness in the ladies in the Bump.  It's really great! And definitely refreshing. It's good to see women educating themselves about their own bodies and making informed decisions (meds, no meds, etc.).

Sadly, I only know of one person IRL who has gone with med-free birth (3 times).  Everyone else I know, and hear stories about, are all sheep that do whatever their doctor tells them to do without educating themselves.  People that I've talked to (friends, family) and said I'm doing med free always give me the "just you wait" and "you'll be begging for an epi".  And forget about when I mention "non-traditional" pushing positions!!! I've been told that "only people in 3rd world countries squat to birth children".    I guess my area (NY/NJ) hasn't really caught up to the natural birth "trend". At least not the people I know. heh

I didn't know anyone who went med-free until I took my natural birth class. It really helped me to feel confident because I knew at least 6 other women that did it! But in my circle of friends who are mommies I am the odd one out (and not just birth related lol)

 

 

circa1978

I don't know about what it was like before, but I will say that if it weren't for the Bump, I wouldn't have had as much, I don't know, conviction, I guess, that I could go epi-free. Reading everyone's birth stories, and knowing all the real women who did it, helped me, even though I don't know anyone in real life who hasn't opted for the epidural or gotten a c-section. I actually thought of a few of the birth stories I had read here during my own labor, and drew from that when it was hard. 

As far as it being more mainstream, I think the Business of Being Born and books like Pushed have had a lot to do with women saying - hold on, wait a second, about interventions. I don't know that I necessarily would have wanted to go med-free for the "natural" nature of it at first, if I didn't know just how rapidly things spiral with interventions. (The Bump's birth stories, I think, are often further proof of that, so it works in the other direction, as well, in terms of education.)

Now that I know what my body and my baby can do, I understand why they call it natural childbirth - you walk away knowing that yes, our bodies are built for this and it's a normal, non-medical thing - but there is no way I really would have had that sink in before my birth, so the Bump really helped.  

AutumnBride929

I couldn't really say but I don't lurk on the tri boards or my month board.  I'm definitely glad this board was created since the birth of my first though!

iris427

No, I don't think so.  I think on the main boards (tri and month boards) there's the same amount of people interested in natural birth that there were my first time around.  Having the NB board on here makes it seem like people are more interested because now we can gather everyone and all their posts in one place.  Just like the addition of the VBAC board has made it seem like suddenly there's all these people having VBAC.  In reality, that's not the case, but the VBAC board has made it easier to find the other bumpies who are interested in that topic.

And on a national level, the c/s rate continues to rise, inductions appear to be rising, VBAC rates are bleak and continue to drop.  So while perhaps more people are talking about natural birth and changing the birth culture of the US, more women are giving birth by cesarean than ever before.  Obviously the c/s stat isn't the whole picture, but I think it's indicative of how much birth is being ever more medicalized and managed with interventions.

Out of hospital births and midwife-attended births have risen in recent years, which is promising, but they remain a small percentage of US births.  

tchubirubi

I don't really know yet, but I hope things are changing. Thank god for the internet!

I mean, women don't have to choose natural birth, but I'd like for them to choose something. And for that choice to be an educated one. But mostly there is somehow an understanding that there's nothing for us to know - you should just leave it to your doctor, he'll know what's best.

I was discussing this the other day in a natural birth support group I've been going to - whether there was deliberate misinformation from the doctors or an excessive passiveness from the women. I think there's a bit of both, but, really, we are educated not to seek information on the subject. In our cultures, we learn that childbirth is a medical procedure so we treat it as such. Not many of us are lucky enough to stumble upon a reason to actually research the subject - elaborating a birth plan, a friend who says something etc.

One can only hope those numbers will grow in time!

All the best!

Manderlin923

iris427:

No, I don't think so.  I think on the main boards (tri and month boards) there's the same amount of people interested in natural birth that there were my first time around.  Having the NB board on here makes it seem like people are more interested because now we can gather everyone and all their posts in one place.  Just like the addition of the VBAC board has made it seem like suddenly there's all these people having VBAC.  In reality, that's not the case, but the VBAC board has made it easier to find the other bumpies who are interested in that topic.

And on a national level, the c/s rate continues to rise, inductions appear to be rising, VBAC rates are bleak and continue to drop.  So while perhaps more people are talking about natural birth and changing the birth culture of the US, more women are giving birth by cesarean than ever before.  Obviously the c/s stat isn't the whole picture, but I think it's indicative of how much birth is being ever more medicalized and managed with interventions.

Out of hospital births and midwife-attended births have risen in recent years, which is promising, but they remain a small percentage of US births.  

Do you think the c/s rate will continue to rise? Or do you think at some point it will actually go down to what the ACOG recommends? I know you're going for a VBAC and I have no experience with a c/s it is just something I'm curious about so I'd love to hear your perspective. Also I wonder if VBACs will become more common with the looser standards set by ACOG (right??)

(Incidentally, the c/s rate at my hosptial is 26%- I don't know if I should be thrilled that it is low compared to the national average or turned off its so much higher than recommended)

pinksweetpea2

Trying for a med free birth has always been popular on these boards, but it seemed that a majority of the women I came a across were more of the "want a natural birth, but I am going to wait and see what happens when I actually go into labor because you can't really plan anything" camp.  Nothing like this board where everyone spends a lot of time discussing options, debating topic, and really preparing for the challenges surrounding natural birth. 

I know that homebirthers were pretty non-exsistant when I was pregnant with Lily.  There was one other woman- mrsfrenchy- who was planning (and has since had another daughter at home) a homebirth when I was on the third trimester board, but that was the only other person that I knew of...there might have been more, but they were not frequent posters.  

I know that most folks on the bump thought I was a wackadoodle the first time around.  I was pretty outspoken and, unlike here, the opinions I had were not well received.  LOL  I actually GBCB those last few weeks of my pregnancy because the bump was stressing me out way too much (thus the reason my name is pinksweetpea2).  

I wish this board had been around then and I look forward to posting here more when I am pregnant with #2. 

 

iris427

Manderlin923:

iris427:

No, I don't think so.  I think on the main boards (tri and month boards) there's the same amount of people interested in natural birth that there were my first time around.  Having the NB board on here makes it seem like people are more interested because now we can gather everyone and all their posts in one place.  Just like the addition of the VBAC board has made it seem like suddenly there's all these people having VBAC.  In reality, that's not the case, but the VBAC board has made it easier to find the other bumpies who are interested in that topic.

And on a national level, the c/s rate continues to rise, inductions appear to be rising, VBAC rates are bleak and continue to drop.  So while perhaps more people are talking about natural birth and changing the birth culture of the US, more women are giving birth by cesarean than ever before.  Obviously the c/s stat isn't the whole picture, but I think it's indicative of how much birth is being ever more medicalized and managed with interventions.

Out of hospital births and midwife-attended births have risen in recent years, which is promising, but they remain a small percentage of US births.  

Do you think the c/s rate will continue to rise? Or do you think at some point it will actually go down to what the ACOG recommends? I know you're going for a VBAC and I have no experience with a c/s it is just something I'm curious about so I'd love to hear your perspective. Also I wonder if VBACs will become more common with the looser standards set by ACOG (right??)

(Incidentally, the c/s rate at my hosptial is 26%- I don't know if I should be thrilled that it is low compared to the national average or turned off its so much higher than recommended)

I do think the c/s rate in the US will continue to rise for a while, unfortunately.  

I'm not sure about VBAC rates changing with the new ACOG standards.  I think ACOG standards get followed when it's convenient.  There are a lot of ACOG guidelines that get ignored--but as soon as they came out limiting access to VBAC, everyone jumped on the repeat c/s bandwagon.  Our health care system is really screwed up and IMO there's way too much legal and economic incentive for interventive care (across the board, not just in obstetrics).  We need sweeping changes to the whole system and I don't see that happening anytime soon at all.

I do think that women and birth activists can make a difference though.  Hospitals have come a long way since they strapped women down, drugged them with twilight anesthesia, made the dads wait outside, took the babies away and told women not to breastfeed.  And I think that's due in a large part to women demanding change.  

ncbelle

I don't know that I've noticed a shift - maybe it's talked about more which is great.  I am always surprised by the poll results when people ask on the tri boards how many people are planning for no epi - I think the high number of "no epi" responses is due in part to self selection on who's answering the poll but also because there a lot of "wait and see" sort of people who are counting themselves as "planning epi free". 

I've also noticed now that my "month" board is delivering/due...there's way more talk about induction than I ever remember before - some days it feels like every other post!

I do think it's great that this board exists to further the dialogue around birth choices though.  The more education about birth and birth options women have (regardless of their final decision), the better!

wifeofadam

Yes!  And I can see that HB is becoming much more common too.  I think documentaries like TBOBB have been a big part of this shift.

AutumnBride929

ncbelle:

 

I've also noticed now that my "month" board is delivering/due...there's way more talk about induction than I ever remember before - some days it feels like every other post!

 

Yeah, I must not feel the "natural vibe" expansion if I felt the need to abandon my month board in first tri just so I could avoid seeing such posts in abundance, haha.  Same goes for the tri boards... I've pretty much stuck with this one and only this one (pg-related boards-wise) through most of my pregnancy.

mesr

when i was on the bump with my first pregnancy, i felt like there were a lot of negative feelings/skepticism toward those of us who were hoping for med-free births.  this time around, i haven't encountered this sort of feedback.  at that time, there were also very few of us (one other woman that i recall due the same time as me) who were planning homebirths and many bumpies questioned whether we were putting our children at risk.  now, homebirth seems more mainstream, and other bumpies are more accepting of it. 

as for women educating themselves, i was feeling like my month board was doing pretty good on this front until there was a recent poll.  one of the questions was about the vit k shot, and many of the posters hadn't even heard of the shot.

kesrya

This sounds great if it were to happen, but I certainly haven't noticed it on the bump. I don't know what you consider "been here a long time" but I've been reading and posting since becoming pregnant last May 2010.  Especially the last few months of my pregnancy, I felt increasingly isolated visiting the 3rd tri board or my birth month board, as it really felt to me like that 95% of the women were having births I couldn't relate to or desire in the least - and it seemed they weren't really choosing them but rather simply being told by their doctors that "this is how its going to be" and they were accepting it.  Now, I went to 43 weeks before going into labor spontaneously, and I had an unmedicated homebirth - which are two widely unpopular decisions in the mainstream pregnant world - but it just didn't appear to me that more of the women around here were choosing even moderately natural births like unmedicated hospital births.

I agree with you that it is great, and I sincerely hope more women educate themselves.  I got a ton of information from the bump and learned things that i never even would have thought to consider or ask about from being here - so I hope that more women experience this from this community.

wifeandmama

No.  It's always been popular around here.  We had a Natural Birth check-in on BOTB 4-5 years ago and there was ALWAYS tons of natural birth talk when I was pregnant with my first.

jsanfordfamily

I wouldn't say that I have been on the bump a long time but I have definitely been on birth boards for a while now as my oldest is almost 5. Already 5 years ago I was wanting to have a natural birth (the Dr. Sears Birth Book was like my Bible then). Wouldn't ya know it I had to have a c/s at 34 weeks with him. With my 2nd I had a VBAC (and this time the business of being born was my go to resource) and although I didn't have an epi I did ask for it but was so close anyways. I did receive some fentonoyl (like a cousin to Demerol) because my contractions were one on top of the other and my body had to relax.

In regards to everything with babies and pregnancy parenting etc. there is a major pendulum and I think right now we are seeing that pendulum switch to another side. I think that more women are making more informed choices regarding their births and that is important. I don't think that anyone who has medication or intervention is any less. I also look at all the different definitions of natural birth, medication to me does not negate a natural birth, then there is assisted birth etc, etc. I find there is often so much negativity both ways, epi users get flack just as natural birthers do.

I think right now because of the great advances of the internet women all over the world are more able to reach out and share their views and opinions with others. As the popularity of the site grows so do the opinions on the boards. Like you I think that it is great that women are educating themselves on all things. I personally like too seeing the differing statistics between the US and Canada. I just recently found out that my province as the 2nd lowest c/s rate and one of the lowest epi rates in Canada. I really do feel for those of you who really have to push against your doctors for the right treatment for you. I was actually suprised that my doctor wanted nothing to do with giving me a 2nd c/s and was VBAC all the way. The attitudes here in Canada are shifting more towards mother and baby care (or maybe we aren't even out of the backwoods enough yet to even have hit the epi trend, lol). 

 

This time around will be a play it by ear kind of game. My 2nd was a very hard 4 hr labour and although it was quick I would much rather it last longer with a better build up not, wham.  For me a l&d without meds is ideal, but I know my own limits and if they get tested, well, that is a bridge to cross when I get there.

mantle

without a doubt!