About Me
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
I am evil, can't help it.
I'm also a lightly haughty and self-righteous. In case you were taking my inventory.
I know FIVE pregnant women. Some well, some not so well. I have a bet (with myself of course) to see which ones will have an epidural and which will not.
THREE will have an epidural. TWO WILL not.
I apologize in advance to anyone reading this who had an epidural. Labour sucks. It's hard and it's painful and it hurts a helluva lot. People seem to be split into two camps.
A) it hurts and I don't have to put up with it
B) it hurts and I'm going to do it anyway
I'm in the B camp. For me, there was something completey empowering and fulfilling knowing that those Three Freaking Days were the HARDEST moments I had ever lived through. Technically the last 12 hours were the worst, but the two and a half days leading up were no picnic.
But I am a red head, stubborn and, at times, angry. And this birth was not going to get the best of me. I was not going to wimp out, I was not going to give in, I was not going to take the easy road.
Because if I could do it then it would be my talisman. It would mean that I could be a mother. That I could do anything if I put my mind to it.
But that's just what it meant to me... since I've had my son almost five years ago, I have become a volunteer birth companion as well as taken my childbirth educator's course (which I'm re-certifying for this year). And I know that every labour is different and every woman handles her pain differently. I want to find out why there is this segment of women that believe they can do it... and then take the epidural at the first opportunity. I want to know why. I want to know what they weren't prepared for, what surprised them, what made them change their mind... it's a weird little obsession, I know.
I'll let you know if I'm right.... because I'm SO sure you are interested.
I know FIVE pregnant women. Some well, some not so well. I have a bet (with myself of course) to see which ones will have an epidural and which will not.
THREE will have an epidural. TWO WILL not.
I apologize in advance to anyone reading this who had an epidural. Labour sucks. It's hard and it's painful and it hurts a helluva lot. People seem to be split into two camps.
A) it hurts and I don't have to put up with it
B) it hurts and I'm going to do it anyway
I'm in the B camp. For me, there was something completey empowering and fulfilling knowing that those Three Freaking Days were the HARDEST moments I had ever lived through. Technically the last 12 hours were the worst, but the two and a half days leading up were no picnic.
But I am a red head, stubborn and, at times, angry. And this birth was not going to get the best of me. I was not going to wimp out, I was not going to give in, I was not going to take the easy road.
Because if I could do it then it would be my talisman. It would mean that I could be a mother. That I could do anything if I put my mind to it.
But that's just what it meant to me... since I've had my son almost five years ago, I have become a volunteer birth companion as well as taken my childbirth educator's course (which I'm re-certifying for this year). And I know that every labour is different and every woman handles her pain differently. I want to find out why there is this segment of women that believe they can do it... and then take the epidural at the first opportunity. I want to know why. I want to know what they weren't prepared for, what surprised them, what made them change their mind... it's a weird little obsession, I know.
I'll let you know if I'm right.... because I'm SO sure you are interested.
1 Comments:
You've got a great point about drug free birth being a talisman. I think we, as a society, lack enough tangible rites of passage so we loose sight of transitions we may have made. YES, the pain of childbirth was a great step towards accepting motherhood. Chose a drug free birth for both my children so they would be at their best right from the start. Both nursed right away and didn't let go for the next two years of each of their lives. They were bright and alert and a few hours of pain was soooo worth that. On the other hand, it's easy to not be prepared for the pain since we westerners have a pillor a drink or a smoke to take away most any kind of feelings. We just may not be used to that much in your face reality. Or maybe it's just because I'm a red head too.
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