As a first timer over here, I am trying to work through what my birth plan will look like and more importantly, how I want to this experience to feel--for both myself and Andrew. It has been very interesting to sit back and listen to others experiences, words of encouragement, and unfortunately words of discouragement.
The most important thing for me is to enter into birth without fear. I realized early on that I had a lot of fear surrounding me when thinking about birth. I believe that women attain this sense of fear mainly through what images we are shown in the media, as well as hearing other birth stories from other women who are filled with fear. I also believe that men, through their misunderstanding of what a woman's body is capable of, have injected their own fears into the medical field and made the birthing process unattractive and misunderstood.
I am not afraid of having to go down the route of an epidural or a c-section if medically necessary, however, I want to enter into this experience without the fear that my body somehow isn't made to do this. Because that is exactly what my body has been made to do. I am no different than a horse, or a cat, or any other animal that can give birth without wildly thrashing around. I don't believe that is how God created a women's body. I actually had a man, when referencing birth, call it it the "curse of eve". You can imagine my disgust. That is another example of how men have shaped an experience that they know very little about.
Through readings and practice, I am watching the fear that I have surrounding birth melt away. I feel empowered by this experience that I am so lucky to go through. I feel a shift in the way my mind is taking this all in---and it feels so good. I understand why women feel the need to make twisted faces or say things like "oh, you tell me how that whole natural birth goes for you", when I talk about my desires. I have probably said the same doubtful things in the past. But we are so very misinformed and misguided about how amazing our bodies are. How can I be 28 years old and just learning this? I will take it on as my duty to teach my daughter about her body and its capabilities in an empowering way.
These are the two books I am currently reading and will be adding to the list. Let me know if you have any suggestions!
2 comments:
Anything by Ina May Gaskin is great. I liked her breastfeeding book too.
Great post, Valerie! I think you are 100% right. Not that I am prego, but even reading about birth makes me scared and tense, because of the pain the body has to go through. It terrifies me. but I also know my body was literally meant to do this. Women, animals, have done this for millions of years. Keep on keeping on! So glad to be able to follow your journey through your blog :)
Post a Comment