1) c-section or natural?
2) drugs or natural?
To human beings everywhere, I've got to insist we were all born naturally! If you think having drugs makes it unnatural, then so do all your other unnatural resources. Maybe for the true "natural" birth you should go all primitive (as some societies in corners of this world still do...). I've heard of places where a woman will just disappear off into the wilderness and return hours or days later after giving birth by herself into a little hole she dug by a tree. Problem with a birth that "natural," though, is how frequently she has to return with no baby.... (Or doesn't return at all.) I don't recommend it. Not with our great resources available to give your baby a decidedly better chance.
And how is a c-section unnatural? Ha! Last I checked, there's still a real-live person growing in another real-live person. Sounds natural to me. Maybe if they went in with a robot doctor to extract a robot baby.... That might be venturing into unnatural territory.
I propose different questions. C-section or vaginal? Yes, that requires you use the word vaginal. It's very childbirthy, though. Even natural sounding. :)
And as for the drugs question, how about "your pain required drugs, your pain didn't require drugs, or you were clever and used drugs to preempt pain entirely?" News flash, world: childbirth causes all sorts of types and intensities of pain. It's not predictable like stubbing your toe or something. The conversation as to whether everyone should or should not use drugs—or which route allows a more "beautiful" or "natural" experience—is totally irrelevant and off-the-mark. Even ridiculous. I've known people who have had an array of experiences even just on their own—who have had a drug-free labor that was also relatively pain-free and beautiful, another labor that threatened to destroy their soul for pain, another labor that was glorious because an epidural allowed them to enjoy the process and feel connected to their baby, another where pain-relief made them feel less connected—not to mention the differences between people. I can say, just from my one experience, there was nothing beautiful or natural or earthy or lovely about the few hours that labor was ripping my soul apart. (You know when multiple nurses—independent of each other—come in to fix the monitor they think is broken because they've never seen such contractions, and look at each other in disbelief when it isn't broken, and say things to you like "I've never seen contractions like this! You're a contractions machine!" that you're not in a good place.... ;)) Want to know when childbirth felt natural and mother-y and touchy-feely happy? When they were able to reduce my pain to something halfway manageable! I kind of feel like I experienced two kinds of labors in one shot. And, still, I can't say what I'd do next, because I don't know what it will be like. Maybe I'll get lucky and have more "normal" contractions, or even "easy" contractions, and can avoid the whole gross thing in the spine (UGH!! a miracle... but UGH!!). :) One thing I'd love to avoid, but never would allow myself to forego, is being in a hospital tethered to an IV and fetal monitor. No matter how wonderfully comfortable I would be without all that (I hate hospitals and IVs and monitors...), I'm such a huge believer in giving my baby the best chance. I think I'd even have qualms about delivering in a hospital without a NICU.... Here's this baby with no power to take care of itself—totally helpless. It's all up to the parent to give that baby the best chance, even if they have to sacrifice some small comforts. It's comforts . . . versus life. No-brainer for me. So give me that IV (I never realized until Seth came how important it is to have an open line for emergency drugs! I thought the saline thing was totally stupid until I heard Matt explain how critical it is to get that line when you know you can, and then ended up needing emergency pitocin myself to not hemorrhage...), and give me that monitor (which can save a baby's life... like Seth's...), and for the love of God (really...), give me that hospital with trained professionals who can do amazing things like take a baby (Seth) who would have died at home, and resuscitate him to near-perfection in moments (and actual-perfection in days... :)). Birth has always been natural and it still is, however it happens. :) And while there are many things we could do to further improve childbirth medical practices (malpractice reform! Ob/Gyn has an insane lawsuit threat that ties doctors' hands.... Midwives [if they know to use IVs] in a hospital-setting have a valuable place, too), the fact that we're so much better at keeping everyone involved alive now is a miracle we should never take for granted. Or, for heaven's sake, insult with the definition "unnatural."
So, thank you, to all our moms. Who gave birth to us naturally. :)
14 comments:
i love your rants. have you seen this documentary called "the business of being born"? its by ricky lake (credible, i know), and i got sucked into it via recommendation by netflix (well, that and i love me a documentary). anyways- it was really, really interesting. made me think about birthing in a whole new light.
i am scared TO DEATH of a c-section. ive seen them on those really graphic surgeon shows (which i loved to watch) and they just plain scare me. but i guess if it were going to save my baby- who cares. also, the "natural" way scares me, too (but not quite as much). when can we start growing babies outside the womb? (kidding- but what if????).
also, about the drugs. im sorry- but i take drugs for my CRAMPS. labor pain? hello! give it to me quick!!!
i was in the room when one of my friends gave birth. i kept thinking "how have women survived this and continued to propagate the species?". its nearly horrific the desperate pain and literal suffering the women goes through...then its turns beautiful and amazingly magical and otherworldly when a human comes out of a human. i would say the end of the whole ordeal made me still want a child after seeing it firsthand. but those middle parts...i was seriously contemplating adoption.
I disagree. Back when we were living out of caves 50% of infants did not make it to their first birthday which was natures way of controlling population growth. Too bad that health care, immunizations, and improved living conditions won't leave well enough alone. I am incensed that rather than allowing David and I to die naturally in childbirth my MD performed an unnatural C-section that resulted in a healthy mom and baby. It's simply outrageous!
Or maybe I actually feel fortunate we're both alive and healthy. I can understand why some women would want to give birth unmedicated (I did get a KILLER headache from the epidural), but when it's to the point that I was asked if I HAD to get an epidural before my C-section things have gone a little to far. Can you imagine any other type of major surgery where the patient is asked whether the Dr forced them to use anesthetic?
Oh and for people who are really opposed to giving birth in a hospital there IS a safe alternative. There are several birthing centers who cater more to moms and birth plans but that are built right next to a hospital if something goes wrong. They also have trained midwives, nurses, resuscitation equipment, and ambulances standing by just in case.
And as for the whole IV thing, it is easier and quicker if something goes wrong to already have a working line, but in every emergency I've seen we've always gotten a line one way or another. I've even started an IV on a dead heroin junkie which isn't an easy feat, so if you're young and have decent veins the risk is really, really low. Still not as good as no risk, but if that's the only way to keep some women from doing the home birth I'm all for it. Okay I'm stepping off my soap box.
Janelle, yeah, pretty much everything clinical about giving birth scares ME to death, too. Sometimes I can't believe I'd even think about doing it again. Hehe. But going home with your baby...? Ahhhh.... Even with fluids seeping out of you from every orifice, it's the greatest thing ever. :) Anyway, I like how you describe it--thanks for your comment!
Angela, you have GOT to be kidding me. They asked you if you wanted an epidural for a section? NO WAY!! That's hilarious. (And sad. :)) I honestly don't want to believe it! Hehe.
Also, I AM glad there are fairly low-risk alternatives, like Angela mentioned, for women who would otherwise insist on a home-birth. For ME, though, I just can't imagine introducing any perceivable risk just to feel like my chi is more balanced or, more likely, to satisfy my heebie-jeebies. You hear the horror story of the person who is bleeding out with collapsed veins and it's just plain SAD. There's no sense in it--dying for no reason, other than, oh, I just thought I'd feel happier with no IV. And passing risk--however small--on to my baby? No, no way. I'll take highly uncomfortable and lowest risk. That's just me, though!
Not to distract, though, from my *real* rant about calling some births unnatural. :)
Also, Angela, your "incensed" rage made me laugh! Well said. :)
That is funny. It is one of my pet-peeves at work when people say "I want to go natural." Indeed, everyone goes naturally, the correct phrasing is medicated or un-medicated! I hate when people feel their non-epidural deliveries are more special then those that had epidurals or c-sections. They all come out and they all get held and loved! You could never tell a c-section baby, epidural baby, or un-medicated baby walking down the street at age 1, 10 or 15!
I don't even know where to begin with this! I have very strong opinions about child birth. I TOTALLY think that if your perceived level of pain allows you to give birth unmedicaded, awesome! I agree that we need a terminology change, but I don't agree that all births are natural. What is natural about cutting women open to pull out a baby? I'm grateful that it's available to us, but I don't see how that's natural.
I think that we birthing aged women in the US have been trained to fear childbirth and to think that we need Dr's to "deliver" us from it. I was TERRIFIED to have a baby (because I listened to that crap) until I educated myself on the child birth process and prepared myself for labor. After that, my entire outlook changed. Now, I fully support home birth with skilled midwives (who can do IV's and bring drugs in the event they need them) for low risk mothers and I am planning on doing that myself with child #2. There is nothing irresponsible or horrible about doing this. Research has shown that hospital births do not have better outcomes than properly supervised home births.
I think the hospital and OB's serve a wonderful purpose for those that TRULY need them, but I think it's gotten way out of hand. OB's are trained surgeons, and most of them want to DO something rather than let birth take it's course. That's what their trained for, and I think that's why so many problems arise. Once an internention is started, it usually leads to another and another...
Overall, 90 percent of low risk births go JUST FINE. That means 10 percent don't. The odds of you dying in a car crash on your way to work is much higher than 10%, and yet we do it every day, without question, fear and a police escort. Is birth at home a risk I am willing to take? Absolutely! And for the record, I GAVE BIRTH, I wasn't DELIVERED!
PS- The Business of Being Born is incredible! I really liked it and I would recommend it to anyone that is wondering what their options are. That's right, WE HAVE OPTIONS!!!! :)
Kristin,
I love you WAY too much—seriously, like A LOT—to let you continue to subject yourself to a 10% risk of death driving to work every day! Where are you driving, girl? If Utah drivers really ARE that bad (actually, I maybe could believe it... hehe) then you've gotta get yourself out of there for even more reasons than we've already discussed.... Hehe. (I'm gonna snatch you and make you be my neighbor!! :))
Also, I can only speak for myself here (I assume you're responding to others' comments as well...). Childbirth itself has never frightened me—only medical procedures surrounding childbirth (I was seriously more concerned about getting an IV than pushing a baby out :)). Which I guess would make me an excellent candidate for a home birth. I actually used to dream of a spa birth! :) But it's a fact that Seth—who showed no signs ahead of time of being a high-risk delivery—would not have survived childbirth if we had not already been in a hospital. Dead. Seth! Dead! (And I wouldn't have been in good shape either. I suppose I'd probably be alive with no uterus....) Needless to say, I don't dream of that spa birth anymore. And I look back and it's ok that the birth experience wasn't really about me—it was about Seth. Which is why I got pregnant in the first place—for him—so it's all good. Thank God for modern medicine that saved our baby's (and my—though I don't care about that *quite* so much :)) life! We seriously had no idea, even three seconds before he was born, that our lives were on the line.... Thank, thank God.... Truly. I'll never take "low-risk" delivery for granted again.
Auburn,
judging by the skill and prowess of Utah's drivers, I would my chances of dying on the way to work are around 50%! I really need to get out of here - I could be run over any minute!
I totally understand your point of view. I would say most people are on your side of the spectrum. I'm SO glad Seth isn't dead and that you still have your uterus :)That means maybe one day another adorably hilarious child of yours will grace my home when you visit and THAT will be awesome.
I think everything we do has risks - and I think that for me, I view child birth as a natural process that has inherent risks. I'm willing to risk having a home birth because I know that more than likely, things will be great. And I also am NOT willing to risk a hospital birth again because I know that more than likely, things won't be great - by that I mean I may have an unnecessary C section or other interventions that could lead to death or other problems. I don't want a home birth because my chi will be centered (though I guess that's a bonus!) but because I view it as giving my baby the best possible start.
FYI, I didn't have an IV or anything when I was laboring with Evelynne, and after she was born I was bleeding pretty bad - so they started an IV and pumped me full of medication. If I had been at home, the midwife would have done the same thing. I was in good hands either way.
Well, yes, I do still have a uterus at least.... Not that I work very well! Let's hope we DO get another kid, and that they're adorably hilarious like Seth, and that we all get to grace your home again someday!
By the way, I need to get those pictures from you of Seth's excitement in your house! Hehehehe. The world needs to know. :)
[I published this comment already, but I minutely misquoted Matt and had to make a couple changes! Ha ha! That's me.]
Hola Kristin (and world :)). Matt just caught up on my blog and begged me to come back on here and beg, beg, BEG, you to pleeeeease... if you DO do a home birth someday, pleeeeease make sure you have a midwife who is certified in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (I think that's what he called it :)), and also has another set of hands to assist. He's a big fan of the midwives working out of the hospitals he's at, but he's also been personally called to at least a dozen deliveries where the mom is bleeding out, and the midwife, who only has so many hands, can't manage mom AND baby (and so calls the pediatrician), so they're both crashing. If she can't just put the baby on the mom's stomach and go on attending to the mom, the midwives are in over their heads not having competent help! And with Advanced Life Support--he said just a couple breaths from a mask can make the difference between life (totally, completely healthily) and death. Happens all the time. (Whenever Matt's on-call on the delivery floor, there are ALWAYS a few babies born seriously unable to breathe, or not breathing and with meconium threatening to get into their lungs.... He comes home every day totally AMAZED at how easy it is--literally, a few seconds--to save a baby's life. It's pretty awesome.) Anyway, Neonatal Advanced Life Support training! Don't stay home without it. Hehe.
Matt and Auburn, I swear to have a midwife that is trained in Pediatric Advanced Life Support - or at least have someone there who is!! That makes sense, and I'm glad for the advice!
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