Disclaimer: I do consider myself “crunchier”than the norm. I farm, can, dehydrate, make my own soap & skincare, make my own deoderant & shampoo. We raise & butcher our own turkey for Thanksgiving. I support the green movement and really dislike plastic. I own a hybrid vehicle. This is my opinion based on my experiences.
Background: At one time I was a heavy believer in modern medicine and pharmaceuticals…then an avalanche of incidents happened beginning with the my stint in pharmaceutical research and my grandfather’s fight with cancer. Shortly after watching these horrors was the birth of my first son. This was a disaster of epic proportions caused by the negligence of the hospital staff, including the anesthesiologist and nurses that almost killed me and endangered my son. The birth caused a cascade of feeding problems and unnecessary hospital stays. I rode the spiral to post-partum depression. When I went back to vet medicine, I watched holistic remedies, like honey wraps, help heal wounds and acupuncture / Chinese Medicine heal animals. I went back to research for a short period of time and was absolutely disgusted at what I saw. My health was affected at this time and popping pills did not help at all; antibiotics made me worse. Chinese medicine and acupuncture healed me. To this day massage and chiropractic care manage my back pain. Regular medication, especially antibiotics, now make me very ill. Regardless of arguments I have read, I have seen the effects of vaccines and how they have caused autism in a friend’s child. I take everything a doctor tells me with a grain of salt because of my history. I have caught them in lies. I contracted MRSA from the hospital when my son was born and lived with occasional outbreaks for years…the only thing that removed it from my system was holistic medicine.
Birth Plan: After all that, the easiest decision for me to make was to hire a midwife for this birth. In fact I have a whole birth team. A doula, 2 midwives and their apprentice, and my husband. Everyone has asked “Who is your ob?” and people are pretty cool when I say I have a midwife. But when they ask “What hospital are you birthing at?” nothing throws them for a loop like saying “I’m having a home birth!” People think I’m crazy and that’s OK. They haven’t lived through the things I have. If there is an emergency, we are not too far from the hospital. I feel good about my team. I feel good that I will have the ability to labor how I want (no nurses threatening to remove the hinges from the bathroom door!). I also feel good that if things don’t go to plan its OK. I am going to try my best.
I highly recommend “The Business of Being Born” documentary and anything written by Ina May Gaskin, if you are even remotely curious about your choices surrounding labor and delivery. I didn’t know 9 years ago that I had ANY choices and I wish I had.
So, yeah my plan is an unmedicated birth at home with my midwives, possibly in a birth tub, in this old house that has seen many births before. I will be surrounded by light and love and I am so excited!!
PS…any comments posted that are degrading or unsupportive will be removed. 🙂
