Tuesday, December 7, 2010

birthing plan...in progress...

With all of these baby thoughts and next semester starting my maternity/child portion of nursing school I am reminded about this baby movie- The Business of Being Born- I saw a few years back with Matt. I just watched it again...and it is truly great! It's a documentary on the industry of child births...and how giving birth doesn't need to be treated like an emergency. Most of the time pregnancies can progress naturally, without intervention, and on your own biological time schedule. And with a walk away message that if you want to have a natural childbirth, have it at home with a midwife!
When I was in college for the first go-around, I received my degree in child development. I remember taking a specific course on pregnancy/child birth/infancy. This course talked about all of the incredible benefits to having natural childbirth and how it benefited not only your baby in numerous ways but it fostered this unbelievable bond between mother and baby. I need to research more about this to refresh my memory, but it stuck with me that this is the way I want to go- given the option. So I am all for the natural child birth. I also thought I would definitely want to have an at-home, water-birth for my baby. What a peaceful way to bring a child into this world right?!

Leo Hart from The Panic Room Videos on Vimeo....a perfect example of a truly beautiful, mind-blowing at-home birth...
 
Well after much time in hospitals working, seeing how quickly normal-healthy situations can get scary fast, and actually now being in the position to have a child...instead of a wide-eyed-optimistic 22 year old... I want a hospital birth. No water. No mess in my house. No stress. If I were at home I would be so stressed out in my mind that something would go wrong, it would absolutely kill any enjoyment of having an at home birth for me. Not to mention the dogs roaming around... yuk. Being naked in a tub?! Not for me. No thanks. It just makes me smile that I had such strong ideas for what I wanted back then... and how easily they all changed, which I am sure they will yet again. But seeing this movie gives me power that I can have the birth I want, granted the spud is healthy, and I want to make sure I choose the right doctor now that will listen.

My birthing plan [in progress]
-stay at home with contractions until they progress in intensity
-ipod music... this is something that I NEED. This calms me.
-natural childbirth
-no epidural
-no c-section
-no induction
-deliver at the hospital I work at
-calm voices. I do not want people yelling at me to push. I don't think adults should yell, it agrivates me. I will understand biologically what is going on in my body, I understand hospitals, the vitals, monitoring, pain, interventions... I am comfortable with it. But I need soft, confident, peaceful voices. I love the traumas we get where we all all organized, peaceful, work as a team, and use quiet calming voices. I need that.
-matt by my side, only. Nurses, doctors, residents, student nurses...whatever, thats all great. But I'd like family to come into town a few days after giving birth, this is something I feel rotten about wanting. But I think I want some time to adjust to being a mom, matt being a dad, and our new family. Then have the rush of family/friends excitement. Being that our families are from different states I think this might be doable.

...trailer for Business of Being Born, FYI- you can watch the actual movie instantly on netflix...