Here she is...Laura B.
First of all I would like to thank my good friend Laura for asking me to share on her blog! My name is Laura B and I am a mommy of two children. My son C is going to turn 4 in July and my daughter A will also be turning 2 that month. It’s amazing that I have been a mama for almost 4 years now! It’s even more amazing to look back and see how I’ve changed from the mommy I thought I might be, to who I really have become. I had C vaginally after being induced with pitocin because of high blood pressure. I started induction at 9 am and gave birth to him at 12:56 the next day. It was long and hard labor, so I ended up with an epidural. I at least got some relief to be able to push him out, because since they broke my water so soon at 2 cm, he was in the birth canal crooked. I pushed for an hour and a half, and they had to use forceps and a 4th degree episiotomy. He finally made his way out after the last contraction the Dr let me have before doing a csection. He came out with a mark right beside his left eye where the forcep narrowly missed his eyeball. I also tore to my anus. He had come out with no crying, and the nurse had to pump air into his tiny lungs. It was the most traumatic thing I have ever gone through. Nothing, not even time will erase the memories of his birth. It’s funny I read once where it stated that mother’s do forget the pain of childbirth easier than they will forget how they were treated at their birth. I completely agree with that. I felt as if I’d be pushed into this induction. Doctor knows best I had always felt, and he said we should do an induction. Well 2 days later I was induced after the NST where my BP was higher than he’d have liked. When they wanted to break my water and I asked for a second to think about it, they acted as if I was an inconvenience and said well was I going to be induced or did I want to go home. How I wish I’d have bolted for that door! I had no idea this was all optional! But instead I did as they suggested. In hind sight I feel like most all of those decisions led me to the traumatic birth I got.
After conceiving our second child, I was a different mama. One who had triumphed and nursed her son to 15 months after a rocky start. I’d had to use a nipple shield because of poor latch. I never stopped when the road got tough and the pay off was unbelievable. I decided to cloth diaper my son at 9 months after learning all the information on disposables, and realizing I could save my family money by doing cloth as well. I was a mama who had found the love of wearing her baby close to her heart in a carrier. I had most of all gained confidence as a woman. When I went to see my OB I had a talk with him about how disappointed I was at my first birth and that things had to be different this time. He actually apologized to me. He is a wonderful doctor, but like most these days is worried about lawsuits and at times forgets what birth really is, I believe. Birth is what we as women are created to do. It’s natural. It’s not something that needs so many interventions. Are those interventions there when we REALLY need them a good thing, ABSOLUTELY! But too often as in my case they can also lead to more problems! Did you know that inductions give you a higher risk for needing a csection. The more you add in medical intervention the more the “natural” gets stripped away. I wanted nothing more than a natural, normal birth with my second. And that is just what I got!
I went into labor 2 days before my due date. I had no pain medication, and labored completely on my own. From the first contractions to pushing her out it was 12 hours total. Pushed for maybe 3 contractions to get her out, it went so fast! Tiny little cut that needed 3 stitches. Was it painful, yes! Intense, absolutely! Though more than anything it was beautiful, spiritual, empowering and healing for me! There is nothing in this world that can compare to it. Your body doing exactly what it is meant to do. Now I am not saying that every woman should do things the way I did. Or that at times interventions aren’t needed. But if a woman truly desires to have a natural birth, she should be given the opportunity to have one. She should be able to make informed decisions and not ever feel like she doesn’t have a say in what is going on. It is her body and her baby. We should all find a doctor who does that, who informs us and lets us know that we are top priority and not just a chart. The more woman share their births and their true feelings about them, the more we can heal from them and change how things happen. I hope that reading my story you are inspired to have confidence in your birth and know that you can be in control of something that at times can feel so out of control!
~I hope that you have enjoyed this week's Monday Mommy! If you have questions for Laura B. or any comments, please leave them below! Remember, Monday Mommy is an outlet for Mamas to speak freely about their experience as a mama. Questions and comments are encouraged, but please do not post negative comments as they will be deleted immediately.~
No comments:
Post a Comment