Decisions Decisions...
We are currently surrounded by new babies and year old babies and nearly popped, pregnant women and women who are due in the next few months. For me, it has been a great time to become pregnant because of the sheer mass of resources from which to draw information. Our area is pretty well equipped to bring your child into the world however you want to, be it at home, in a birthing center, or in a hospital. Not all of us can have our babies on the highway like Heather, sorry :-).
We have decided to birth in a hospital and were referred to a lovely practice by multiple friends. After talking with friends and family about the many options we have, I am glad to have come to decision that Jerry and I both are comfortable with and to be more educated about the process. I am hoping for as little intervention as possible during the actual birth - I think most people can say that. But knowing your options is a must as with any big life changing event.
Reading about the stages of pregnancy and the stages of birth is about all I am doing right now in my spare time (other than sleeping). I've been exhausting the library's stock of related topics and enjoying every minute. One book I plan to purchase is The Big Book of Birth by Erica Lyon.
She does an excellent job of describing the stages of labor and how to cope whether you are at home or in a hospital. It provides many important questions to ask and gives a no frills look at what to really expect. I want to read it at least one more time closer to the due date. Also on deck is Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent. This book has come highly recommended by several people and I just got the email that it is waiting for me with my name on it at the library! Holly gave me a couple pregnancy stage books which have been great as well: Pregnancy Week by Week and The Pregnancy Countdown. Are you bored yet? I'm not! Add these to the constant internet searching I do every day and you have one saturated reader.
I am loving it though. I am definitely an "ugly truth" kind of person. I don't want to hear it's so worth it!! I want to hear, well first I threw up, then I thought I was going to die. That lasted for about 13 hours and 6 minutes. Then I thought I did die....etc. ...oh and it was all worth it. In the Big Book of Birth, Lyon talks about visualizing why things are happening and hurting while you are in labor. No I don't expect that to take the pain away, but I think it will help with the fear of the unknown aspect. So I read.
6 comments:
early in my pregnancy i had weird dreams about giving birth and started getting super nervous about the process. i went online and watched a handful of birth videos... hospital, home, drugs, no drugs, people who labored at home as long as they could, etc. i really wanted to see what i might be in for to mentally and emotionally prepare myself. i think i cried at just about every video i watched... blessed pregnancy horomones :)
Wow. Wow. WOW your preggers!!! Congrats! I've obviously been away way too long…can't wait to read all about your expereinces!
I highly recommend The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer. She breaks down all the different possible interventions and pro/cons them.
Have you looked at the Sears' books, they have a whole series. I have The Pregnancy Book and The Birth Book.
Jerry needs The Birth Partner too. It's a classic! Mike says it helps him to have "things to do" to help.
I second the nomination for The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer. It's a thorough one. I read a ton of stuff too-- you just can't help it! Glad you're doing well, get some rest!
I watched alot of "Birth Day" on TLC...it was extremely informative and made is seem real somehow..
while reading your post, i kept thinking to recommend, "The Thinking Woman's Guide." I second Amy's entire post. But i would avoid any TV shows depicting birth b/c most of them do not follow a model that is empowering to the woman or safe for the babe.
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