Birth Story - At Last!

mrsquetee09 · September 2010

Here's the preface; the rest is on my blog:

I never thought much about writing a birth story until I started reading them on other blogs. I've kept a journal since I was 7 and had grown up assuming I'd probably just put all the details of my pregnancy and birth down in my journal, but now that I have a blog I don't mind sharing my story here.

One thing prior to writing my story that I really wanted to include was an accurate depiction of the pain of childbirth. My mother had given me the Lamaze method book from the 70s while I was pregnant which spoke about painless childbirth. I was indeed a bit skeptical and have said it before I was pregnant and now, afterward, I find it true: There is pain and then there is suffering. Yes, childbirth involves pain, but not suffering. I also appreciated the following quote in Ina May's Guide which I kept in mind throughout my experience:

"Believe me: if you are told that some experience is going to hurt, it will hurt. Most pain is in the mind and when a woman absorbs the idea that the act of giving birth is excruciatingly painful - when she gets this information from her mother, her sisters, her married friends, and her physician ? that ...woman has been mentally prepared to feel great agony." ? Stephen King

Finally, in reading my birth story, please keep in mind that besides having a healthy baby as the end result, a vaginal delivery was top priority for me.

jebuell · September 2010

Wow! That is quite the delivery you had. I'm so happy it was able to go the way you wanted it to, though I'm sorry to hear your Mom and sister had to leave THAT DAY! That sucks! But the prayer sounds really beautiful.

I think that quote is somewhat true, though. My Mom told me she had painless deliveries for both my brother and I, just like her Mom had painless deliveries for all five of her kids, and her Mom had painless deliveries for all of hers. Whether or not all of the women in my family truly have painless deliveries, I think someone started this trend of telling the next generation this to put good thoughts in their minds. And as a result no one in my family has ever had to have a c-section. A few have opted for epidurals but more have just gone unmedicated completely. I really think being told time and time again that our deliveries will be painless has helped A LOT!

sillybiochemist · September 2010

Thanks for sharing. Honestly it sounds like your experience with some of the nurses and hospital make me grateful that I'm going to the hospital that I'm going to (based on my brief observation experience a few weeks ago). Sorry to hear about the tear and hope it's healing nicely. They nearly induced me when I was in for observation (the real reason I was there) so I'm glad now that they didn't for multiple reasons, including your story.

I never believed labor was painless just from the idea of how large a baby's head can be and the changes your body has to go through to deliver the baby. But everyone's pain tolerance is different which I'm sure accounts for some of the stories you hear. And honestly as long as you're happy with how your birth went then that's all that really matters.