I do hope everyone is having a fantastic week. I figured I would do a post on why I'm choosing to have a home birth just in case there are any woman out there who are wanting to get feedback about this.
To clarify, the reason I say I'm sorta having a home birth is because it won't be at my actual home. Thanks to the strict laws of Florida and neighboring Alabama, I will be traveling to Mississippi to give birth at a little cottage there. Yep....2 1/2 hour drive - oh boy lol
I've had mixed responses from people about having a home birth in the first place, but when I state that I'm driving to Mississippi I REALLY get some looks. So...here are my reasons on why this is so important to me to drive 2 1/2 hours away!
*Note - when I use the phrase "natural birth" I am meaning not only non-medicated, but no IVs, no inducing, no c-sections, no fetal monitoring, nothing.
1) The majority of pregnancies are perfectly normal and are fine with having truly natural births. When giving birth in the hospital, from the moment you step in to the ward they are prepping you for surgery. Hence the IV, why you can't eat anything (can't have a full stomach for surgery), the epidural, all the monitoring so you can't move around, etc. The hospitals due A LOT of unnecessary medical intervention which, a lot of times, result in something going wrong and needing medical intervention like a c-section. For example, women who are induced are at a huge increased risk for a c-section because you're forcing the baby to come, against nature. Don't get me wrong, this sometimes works just fine, but the majority of the time I see that it results in a c-section. I have several friends where this has happened.
2) I HATE hospitals. I do not trust the medical establishment when it comes to dealing with pregnant women. Don't get me wrong, they certainly have their place, but when it comes to labor I find more ignorance in doctors than midwives. Doctors are taught to see pregnancy as a medical issue, not a natural process. Doctors are SURGEONS, and most of them have never seen a true, natural birth (yeah think about that). Pregnancy to them is just something they need to cure women of hence why they don't know how to handle bigger babies, what to do when babies are late, when they're breached, delivering twins, etc.
3) I want complete control of my birth experience. I want to be able to walk around, eat when I'm hungry, and let God be my physician - not humans.
4) I choose a midwife because she sees pregnancy as a beautiful and natural element of life. She also knows how to handle breached babies, large babies, etc without just resorting to cutting me open. My midwife has delivered many breach babies with no complications and even has delivered twins naturally.
5) My midwife is with me the whole way during labor (except when I'm driving, of course). It's crazy to me how people spend all this money on doctors or even the nurse midwives with OBGYNs, but when you're in labor it's the nurses that you've never seen before in your life that tend to you and your doctor is just there to check on you every now and then and catch the baby. I like to have a relationship with my midwife and not be reduced to a 15 minute appointment. I have the ability to email her and even text her when I have a question.
6) When a woman gives birth, her body immediately releases a huge amount of oxytocin (sp??) This is also known as the "love hormone" that both her and her baby feels. This helps with bonding. When ANY kind of medical intervention is used, whether it's pitocin, c-section, etc this disrupts the release of this hormone which cause issues with mother/baby bonding.
Now...please do not get me wrong. I am VERY grateful for hospitals and the technology because it can save lives. There are women who, I know, need to be in hospitals due to being a high risk pregnancy and for their health and/or their babies they needs those doctors and that is a good thing! I will be giving birth only 6 miles away from a hospital so, if something does go wrong, I can immediately be transferred.
I also know that not every woman is comfortable with a home birth. Ultimately you need to give birth where you feel the most comfortable - HOWEVER, I highly encourage all women to do their research about labor/delivery. One place to start is watching the documentary The Business of Being Born *note this does have nudity because it shows women in labor, so I wouldn't watch it with children and just decide for yourself if you're comfortable with your husband watching it.* This is a WONDERFUL documentary that is a great starter!!!
Again, to clarify I am not judging ANY woman for choosing a hospital birth. It is YOUR decision, and not mine. I'm not saying it's a sin to give birth in a hospital or anything like that. All that I encourage you is to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Do not take your doctor's word as absolute truth. They are human, and they can make mistakes. Ask questions....understand what you're doing and then stand by your decision.
Hope this might help some ladies out there, or at the very least, you know where I stand!! Have a wonderful day!
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