my husband thinks i am funny cause i literally am crazy right now with the
influx of baby/birth info at our house… so many baby books!
i will sit and read and read and eventually stop only to babble off some soap box something that i have been reading to which he usually does a great job at feigning interest…
{i guess he often is, when i bring up the studies, risks,
and the price differences of some of these things…}
the books i finished today were these:
both are baby books i will lend out forever, i can already tell..
heck- these would make priceless gifts.
thank you a million times to the fellow blogger that referred me to
ina may’s guide to childbirth.
as far as “what you need to know before you labor and deliver”
this has been the most empowering, comforting, reassuring book i could have read.
if you would have asked me a year ago,
i would have told you i was terrified of the whole process:
afraid of the pain, of complications, of delivery…
and that was when i would never have dreamed of going au natural.
{i also realized that most of the “stories” i heard were from women that were induced, or had the aid of various techno-birthing stimulants or tools… none had really had the natural experience, and therefore couldn’t accurately vouch for a positive experience}
turns out, birth isn’t a disease, and only 10% of women that deliver, actually need some form of aid in birth, unfortunately, that isn’t the case. too many women are just letting doctors make decisions because, “they know best…”
turns out, it is very expensive to have all the extra interventions too
{IV= $150, epidural= $800-$1500…etc…}
turns out, birth can be incredibly satisfying and empowering…
i am a firm believer in the god-given power to birth
and have full confidence now in what my body can do.
the more i read, the more i am convinced that childbirth and motherhood is one of the greatest mysteries and blessings God gives to women.
now that i have 12 weeks to go i say,
“bring it on!”
as i have been reading baby books about birth and delivery,
i have picked up a handful of gems on what to do after…
namely, babywise, which has helped me feel confident about babies and sleep.
sure, i think there are a lot of factors that play into how early a baby will sleep through the night, but i am a firm believer in the studies circulating babywisers… another book that i will keep as a manual up until i am sure i will purchase the toddler version…
let the great experiment begin!
I miss you, and I haven't even seen you since like, junior high or something. I am so excited for your birth! I'm totally on the same wavelength as far as the power our bodies have to do what needs doing. I give you total kudos for choosing to go with a midwife instead of a doctor. I had a doctor, and she ended up being out of town when I went into labor, so I got the "on call"
P.S. I also recommend looking into vaccinations. Most hospitals give the Hepatitis B shot right when baby is born, unless you tell them not to. This is a great book for it "What your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations". There are a lot that I feel are completely unnecessary, and others I'd like to get, but at times other than the ones they say to, etc. I only
Look at you, gettin' all the info and figuring out exactly what you want!! I'm proud of ya, girl! You will ROCK!
I had recommended Ina May's book on your other blog. My husband and I just began attending our hospital's childbirth classes. The teacher was a nurse for years and seems to encourage going natural. HOWEVER, since she also must address the women in the class that are planning on epidurals (the majority), there is a lot of talk about that and all the fear and anxiety everyone seems to
Babywise literally SAVED me! I'm so glad you read it and liked it! I was just emailing a friend about it the other day. <br><br>And Bennett was born au natural. The recovery was so much better than with Thacks and the epidural! Going sans epidural is really not so bad, so more power to you! (P.S. Have you heard of the Bradley Method?)
I enjoy reading your blog and saw this as a suggested reading to one of your recent post, I don't know why. But I was in the park the other day and someone recommended this and I am glad to see that you loved it so much. I need to order it now! I really want to do this next child natural, but am going to have to do a lot of reading since I live in the middle of no where that has any kind