Well, we are entering week 31... which means anywhere between 6 to 10 weeks to go. Tomorrow is our second week in our birthing class, where we learn to be calm and relaxed, for Cara's natural child birth. Our goal is to go through this without any medication, and we (mostly Cara) have been reading up on reasons behind this being the best decision for us. It turns out that 88% of women in the US get an epidural these days. We had no idea the number was so high. But, out of the 7 couples on our birthing class, 5 or 6 of them (including us) are going to try the no-meds route... I dunno, maybe its Ann Arbor? Damn hippies (sarcasm, of course!). In addition, 5/6 of the other couples are having a girl. Even more reason Brian believes that a boy is on the way... we can't make 6/7 girls!
Cara is doing well, and so is Baby G. We went to the appointment where we meet with the nurse, and got some of the logistics taken care of. Cara is getting very tired, and is having trouble sleeping, but is really excited for the arrival of this baby.
3 comments:
OK, so now you've got me curious, you barefoot toothless wild-haired free-lovin' pot-smokin' bra-burnin' frothing-at-the-mouth iconoclast leftist Ann-Arbor hippie radicals you: can 88% of American women and their doctors be wrong? Tell those of us who do not study up on these things why it's better to eschew pain meds for delivery.
(I ask because I THINK I know the answer, 'cause it seems obvious, but I don't REALLY know; if the answer were as obvious as it seems then certainly 88% of new mothers wouldn't still be getting meds.)
check out "Misconceptions" by Naomi Wolf. Cool stuff on the process of American childbirth. Or "The American Way of Birth" by Mitford (?)
Hey sisters,
Katie offers up some really good book suggestions--I've read the Wolf, but not the other. I want to check it out, too!
Joanna, the basic vibe I'm getting is that there's some persuasive (but controversial) evidence out there that the most common birth "interventions"--inducing labor, using drugs to strengthen contractions, epidural anesthesia--might be contributing to our over-25% caesarean section rate.
The idea of an epidural seems logical: "why go through pain when I can avoid it?" I've certainly thought this myself! But, for me, I think I want to try to see what I can do to cope with the pain in the same way that women have been doing it for millenia.
I think we've been taught to fear ALL pain, even pain that has a purpose. Could that also be a reason there's so much obesity in this country? We see discomfort/pain as inherently bad, even the purposeful pain of labor or achy muscles after exercise.
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