I then asked if they had any wheelchairs to wheel me out on after giving birth. Now it was Rosa's turn to look at me strangely as she told me I had to walk out.
Having second thoughts
I don't know. I'll be honest, at that point I was starting to think that I was getting into something that was over my head. I mean, come on, women usually stay 3 days after giving birth vaginally, 5 days if it's a C-section. And even then they're wheeled out.
Finding out about options
I started doing more research and eventually took a birthing class with Karen. I found out that not only was it possible, but it was something that most women around the world do. Think of women in the past, who were attended by women and who thought of birth as a natural process, not a huge medical procedure. (I do recognise the fact that not all babies can be born without any medical intervention, however, I think that the medicine profession has taken over the birthing process far too much) Think of the women in the Far East who leave the rice paddies, squat, birth their baby, and walk back to the paddies with their baby on their boobs. Or women who birth in the middle of a birthing pool in their living room surrounded by their whole families. They can do it, so why can't we?
Contrast that with what many women face as a reality of being strapped to the bed, not able to move, hooked up to a number of drips and drugs, being shouted at to push while the machines beep in the background, the doctor barely looking at you as he cuts the cord and leaves. It's all so impersonal, so cold. It's not the intimate, spiritual, and emotion journey that it should be.
My daughter's birth
I found a great doula, Casey, who helped me every step of the way. Stacy also attended my birth since she was shadowing Casey at the time. Although I didn't get the exact birth I wanted due to things beyond my control (my water broke 3 weeks early due to emotional shock), I was able to avoid most interventions and did walk out of the clinic a little less than 8 hours later.
I can't describe the high I felt. It was amazing. Even though I had been in labor for about 53 hours and spent the later 18 hooked up to pitocin I felt wonderful. I'd never felt so alive and full of energy. Not only did I walk out unassisted, but I was pretty much painfree other than the tugging I felt from the stitches. I wanted to walk out holding my daughter, but Rosa wouldn't let me. Still being able to walk out instead of being wheeled to the car was an incredible feeling.
The problem we have to deal with
Unfortunately we have Hollywood and the media to thank for our distorted views on birth that is so ingrained on us after years and years of watching tv. The number 1 surgery performed in the US is a C-section. Approximately 1 out of 3 babies in the USA (and Korea) are delivered via C-section. This number far greater than the WHO recommended rate of 10%-15%. which is about the same as the C-section rate in Korea. Sadly, many of these C-sections are unnecessary. One way to avoid C-sections is to stop unnecessary interventions.
More Resources for C-sections
- C-Sections: An Easy Way Out
- C-Section: How to Avoid, Prepare for, and Recover From Your Cesarean
- C-Section Rate Stable for Third Year, New Report Shows
- C-Section Rates Vary Across US Hospitals
- The Essential C-Section Guide
- Why the National US C-Section Rate is So High
There are a number of things you can do to get the birth you want. It's your birth, you should be able to choose what you want to do. Walking out shortly after giving birth is totally a possibility.
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Tender Embrace Birthing offers childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care classes and support.
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