41 weeks, 6 days and Strong!
Its been a rough ride along the the road of Pregnancy the last few weeks. As we move into our 10th month, and are nearing our 42nd week of pregnancy, a lot of pressure has been placed on us by doctors and other medical staff to induce labor.
From the start of our pregnancy journey I had planned on pursuing a natural birth. I read book after book, watched a million natural birthing videos on you tube and have conversed with many people on both sides of the fence in regards to interventions and the complications that arise.
To me birthing in a hospital seems like a vicious downward spiral starting with the manual breaking of the bag of waters, from there it goes to the use of pitocin, from there to strong unbearable contractions, the need for an epidural, the drop if the baby's heart rate and then finally uh oh mom needs a c-section! Whew I'm exhausted already!
I think that it's time women stand up for their right to birth the way they want to birth! Naturally! Our bodies have been giving birth for thousands of years without pitocin, without epidurals, without interventions! Some women give birth in the red dirt of Africa for heavens sake. If they can have healthy births and dirt stained newborns why can we have no time limits and happy, natural births at home or in a hospital without pressure and without fear?
Did you know that America has one of the highest infant death rates in the world due to medical interventions? Now that's SCARY!
Along my educational travels I've come across many a website about natural birth and so I wanted to share some of the resources I've been using along the way:
1. spinningbabies.com - positioning and birthing exercises to help start and move along labor. Oh and Belly Mapping...fun!
2. gentlebirth.org - great resourse for pregnancy and natural birth questions
3. Barefoot Mamma's Network - Inland Empire - Lara Carlos (my Doula) runs this network and reaches out to many women in the Inland Empire and beyond - to promote and provide proper natural birth education and empowerment to women. Plus her husband does amazing acupuncture (what a plus!)
4. Induction and Fertility Massage - Los Angeles, CA - Rosa Rosales is a wonderfully educated individual who gives the most amazing induction massage! She currently works out of her home in Duarte, CA but is in the process of opening up her first Massage studio! Congrats Rosa!
5. What is a Doula? Dona International - good resource for Doula questions
My only request to you pregnant women out there: when you make your next birthing decision, please take a moment to really think about what is best for you and your baby. You are strong, you are built to birth and you can be empowered!
