Giving Birth

With the anticipation of giving birth again so close to fruition, I am left with the thoughts of why I chose to give birth naturally. The births of my children have been as different as they are. I started out with my first child's birth as many women do. The doctor scheduled a induction with pitocin. I was still positive I wanted no pain medication as I usually respond poorly to it but I was a week over due and very uncomfortable. (Duh, show me a pregnant woman who is comfortable at 9 months in June) It took 11 hours just to get me to 4 centimeters from the 2 I was at when I arrived that day. I finally caved and had an epidural. Slept for an hour then woke up and pushed for 20 mins and then pop he was out. Yes the ultimate goal of giving birth was realised. However, experience has taught me that letting nature do its thing makes for a much easier and quicker delivery. Baby number two was another induction however before the epidural had time to work she was crowning. By the time #3 was ready I was determined to avoid the pitocin and epidural at all cost. (#2 epidural was incredibly painful) The doctor however had other plans. I won't go into the horrible details but I was bullied into another induction. I however would not take the drugs. Nobody was gonna poke me again. 12 hours of intensely painful labor (the pitocin increases the strength of the contractions but does not help with the effectiveness of them) and a boy was born. #4 came with a new doctor and a promise I would never have to see the old one again. He (the baby) arrived in his own time . I had an appointment that day so the pains I was having seemed like something I would just as the doctor about. Well I drove myself there and found out I was already at 7 cm. He was born about 45 min. later. That delivery was ideal.
When we found out about #5 I discovered a local midwife. No more OB's for me. Baby #5 had what I call the perfect delivery. I woke up in the morning about 6 am the contractions were 7 min apart. My husband drove me to the hospital at a leisurely 100 mph. He was hoping a cop would stop us and give us an escort. We got the hospital were the midwife was waiting and we began with the rhythm of delivery. I had found in my past labors that water is an oasis to be taken advantage of. Hot showers and baths literally wash away the pain of contractions. I had showers and a bath, used a rocking chair, walked the halls and finally hung on to my husband for support and dear life. The baby all but came out on her own. I only pushed for a second. Yes, I screamed and moaned and took lots of deep breaths. There were even a few moments when I almost let the pain lead me into a panic. But, I have found that control and focus are key to getting through this marathon. Her labor lasted about 5 hours almost 6.
The differences between my childrens births for me is drastic. The lessons I have learned from them however I consider profound. Women are powerful beings. We can withstand so much that our counterparts cannot. Please do not mistake me. I do not belive this makes woman better than man. On the contrary, we each have roles to fill that make us unique. For woman the greatest of these is the ability to bring life into this world. Our bodies were designed for it. Whether you belive in God or not you can not deny this. Take the time my dear women to discover how your bodies work. Look past the establishment and what it wants you to deny your body with pills and medications that make you not feel your strength and ignore your natural femine abilities. Embrace being a woman and all that it entails. Love that God made you strong. Strong of heart, mind, and body. Empower yourselves not with denying what you are and trying to become something else but by recognizing what a beautiful gift you are to mankind. God makes no mistakes girls. We are the way we are on purpose.