Natural
My Precious Child,
Most people look at me funny when I say that I want to have a natural birth. As in...? *cue look of terror* Yes. As in... no epidural. No pitocin to induce. Just you and me and an all-natural birth process. You will be delivered by a midwife instead of an OB-GYN, a decision that has provoked a lot of "What the heck is a midwife?" conversations. Long story short, a midwife is a medical professional who specializes in delivering babies. Whereas OB-GYNs are highly trained to handle medical emergencies and high risk pregnancies, midwives are just as skilled (or more so) in the delivery of low risk babies like you and proving emotional and physical care to healthy mothers like me. God forbid an emergency occurs, we will be at a big fancy hospital to address any and all concerns. It's a win-win for the both of us!
I have always been what your Nana Gail refers to as a "bohemian." I avoid unnecessary medicine, insisting that my camomile tea can do just as much as Tylenol. I realize that this makes me pretty "granola" in the minds of many but it is my truth and it works for me. I was already leaning strongly towards natural birth when your daddy and I watched an amazing movie called "The Business of Being Born." Though I am not yet comfortable with the idea of a home birth (and may never be) the movie did get me thinking about how scared and powerless women have become in their own ability to give birth - something we have been doing since the beginning of time.
My mom, your Nana Gail, gave birth to both Auntie Paige (8 lbs. 2 ounces) and me (10 lbs. 2 ounces) without a single drop of medicine in under 4 hours each time. She doesn't wear those deliveries on her sleeve as some sort of ultra-feminist badge of honor - though I swear she should... holy moly. Instead, she insists that this is nothing new. She is not some sort of superhuman freak who feels no pain. As she told me, "Women have been delivering babies naturally for thousands of years. Don't think you can't do it just because there are other options available."
I want to be able to stick to my birth plan. I want to truly be in my body and be present for every bit of pain and agony and eventual ecstasy that I will feel when I first hold you. I want to put my trust in God and in the incredible abilities I have been given. Each woman's journey into motherhood is amazing and admirable. Induction or not, epidural or not, c-section or not, natural birth or not - every mother deserves to be applauded and respected for what she was able to do. And I want to be proud of myself for sticking to what my heart desires. I want to be there. Completely. Unaltered. Present. That is my choice. And though there are still some anxieties and nerves about the uncertainty of it all, the end result will be unlike anything I have ever experienced.... you. And that right there is what settles my nerves. I can't wait to go on this journey together, baby girl.
Love Always and Forever,
Mom
Most people look at me funny when I say that I want to have a natural birth. As in...? *cue look of terror* Yes. As in... no epidural. No pitocin to induce. Just you and me and an all-natural birth process. You will be delivered by a midwife instead of an OB-GYN, a decision that has provoked a lot of "What the heck is a midwife?" conversations. Long story short, a midwife is a medical professional who specializes in delivering babies. Whereas OB-GYNs are highly trained to handle medical emergencies and high risk pregnancies, midwives are just as skilled (or more so) in the delivery of low risk babies like you and proving emotional and physical care to healthy mothers like me. God forbid an emergency occurs, we will be at a big fancy hospital to address any and all concerns. It's a win-win for the both of us!
I have always been what your Nana Gail refers to as a "bohemian." I avoid unnecessary medicine, insisting that my camomile tea can do just as much as Tylenol. I realize that this makes me pretty "granola" in the minds of many but it is my truth and it works for me. I was already leaning strongly towards natural birth when your daddy and I watched an amazing movie called "The Business of Being Born." Though I am not yet comfortable with the idea of a home birth (and may never be) the movie did get me thinking about how scared and powerless women have become in their own ability to give birth - something we have been doing since the beginning of time.
My mom, your Nana Gail, gave birth to both Auntie Paige (8 lbs. 2 ounces) and me (10 lbs. 2 ounces) without a single drop of medicine in under 4 hours each time. She doesn't wear those deliveries on her sleeve as some sort of ultra-feminist badge of honor - though I swear she should... holy moly. Instead, she insists that this is nothing new. She is not some sort of superhuman freak who feels no pain. As she told me, "Women have been delivering babies naturally for thousands of years. Don't think you can't do it just because there are other options available."
I want to be able to stick to my birth plan. I want to truly be in my body and be present for every bit of pain and agony and eventual ecstasy that I will feel when I first hold you. I want to put my trust in God and in the incredible abilities I have been given. Each woman's journey into motherhood is amazing and admirable. Induction or not, epidural or not, c-section or not, natural birth or not - every mother deserves to be applauded and respected for what she was able to do. And I want to be proud of myself for sticking to what my heart desires. I want to be there. Completely. Unaltered. Present. That is my choice. And though there are still some anxieties and nerves about the uncertainty of it all, the end result will be unlike anything I have ever experienced.... you. And that right there is what settles my nerves. I can't wait to go on this journey together, baby girl.
Love Always and Forever,
Mom
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