Archive for My Birth Position

Come ON Dora!

{ February 21, 2012 @ 2:54 pm } · { My Birth Position, The Purpose }
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Yesterday, I sat down and watched an episode of “Dora the Explorer” with my daughter in which Dora was going to become “a big sister!”  (No significance for my own personal life right now, just happened to be the next episode in the netflix queue.)

Anyways, the story starts out by Dora’s papa rushing to tell Dora to “come home right away, because Mama is going to have the baby.”  Home?  Come ON Dora, home?  How come Dora isn’t going to visit Mama at the hospital?  How come Mama has to have a homebirth?

Dora, of course, needs to follow her map to find her home.  She needs to go through the Spooky forest and the Nut farm.  (At least spooky and nutty somewhat describe my views of this episode)

When Dora arrives home, she finds ALL of her extended family there.  She then goes into her parents bedroom to find her perfectly poised mother sitting up in bed.  Come ON Dora, perfectly poised?  How come Mama doesn’t look like she has just gone through the wringer?

When Dora looks at the bassinet, she finds, not one baby, but twins!  Come ON Dora, twins?  A homebirth AND a perfectly poised mother seconds after a twin birth?

Come ON Dora.  Let’s get real here.  In no way am I saying that I want a children’s show to be graphically displaying the perils of childbirth, however, it would be nice if this show could somewhat emulate what becoming a big sister will be like for my daughter.  (when the time comes)

Thanks for reading,

Lauren

“Even More Amazing”

{ February 1, 2012 @ 2:29 pm } · { My Birth Position, The Purpose }
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Becoming passionate about something allows one’s focus to be all-encompassing.  As I was looking at my yahoo page this morning, a story about a “14 pound baby born” scrolled across my news feed.  My first thought was, “ouch.”  My second thought was “the only reason this is news is if this baby was born vaginally.”  So, I decided to watch the video segment promoting the headline “14 pound baby born”

This segment was part of Good Morning America’s morning show and had the male reporter all excited about the “turkey” sized child that had been birthed “naturally.”  Watching the video, one can only cringe at the reporter’s claim of “even more amazingly, Kendall (the mother) did it all naturally, no c-section, no epidural.”  This statement, by the reporter, allows for the thought that a 14 pound baby birthed by c-section or with the help of pain medication would be anything less than amazing.  To me, that’s just not right.  A 14 pound baby in its own right is amazingly big, enough said, no matter how he makes his entrance. 

The saving grace of this video segment is actually the mother.  She talks about women being able to research the way they want to give birth, and she DOES NOT dispel the notion that c-section is right for some.  She believes that all should have the choice.  Go MOM!

So, Kudos to Kendall for pushing out that beautiful baby boy, however, kudos to all mothers who are educated about their choices for childbirth and pre and post natal care!

To see the video segment in its entirety, view here : http://gma.yahoo.com/video/parenting-26594265/woman-delivers-nearly-14-pound-baby-28105614.html

Thanks for Reading,

Lauren

The Business of Being Born

{ January 30, 2012 @ 10:51 pm } · { My Birth Position, The PTSD, The Purpose, The Trauma(s) }
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So, for a long while, people have been urging me to, and asking me if, I have watched the movie “The Business of Being Born.”  You know, the one with Ricki Lake, where she goes on her crusade for a “natural” birth.  Truth be told, this movie has been sitting in my Netflix queue for a LONG time.  I think I have always wanted to see it, however, the triggers that it may have held prevented me from pressing play, until now.

Last night, I watched it.  It was terrifyingly one-sided.  Much as I expected it to be.

As an aside, it is important to note, that my personal crusade is not for c-sections, it’s not for non-instrumental birth, it IS for women’s choice, consent, education, and the ability to have all options recognized and respected in the birth realm. 

“The Business of Being Born” paints a picture of women who choose the route of c-sections as being weak.  At one point a statistic was recited about c-sections in new york and the woman interviewed’s response summarily said, “that’s so high, I thought New York women were stronger than that.”  Ahem, stronger than what?  Making an educated decision for yourself IS strong.  Deciding what you want to do with your body IS strong.  This IS feminism people, women’s choice!  I am not degrading or demoralizing natural birth.  Because that is YOUR choice.  Get it, it’s choice that should be the issue.

Another huge scare tactic they put in the movie is the fact that women will not be able to achieve the natural oxytocin high that comes with pushing a baby out of your vagina without drugs.  This in turn will cause the ability to bond with the child to be difficult if not, non-existent. (Their words, not mine.)

Well, I have to tell you.  Had I given birth to my baby without drugs or intervention in an effort to achieve this natural high they are raving about, I would most likely be dead.  And, probably the baby too.  How natural is that?

We need to stop being so one-sided on issues giving women the choice.  I wish this movie presented the facts about natural birth and the natural act of cesarean birth in a more positive choice promoting manner.  Throughout the movie, the producers are touting the fear based agenda that the medical community and the community of women buy into about not wanting a natural birth.  However, this movie could serve to instill a fear base in viewers regarding cesarean section.  Is that any better?  Creating a flip-side fear community?  I would love to see a movie that presents all aspects of birth impartially, because there are many women who need to know the facts, not just someone’s agenda. 

Thanks for Reading,

Lauren

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