Reply to Med-free labor trend

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't really get why there is so many women these days 'excited' labor without epidurals. I understand a first time Mom not really knowing how much pain for how long that labor involves, but more and more 2+ Mom friends are telling me how excited they are to try without an epidural.

Personally, I had an epidural and it gave me some relief, but not all that much relief toward the end and my birth turned out as great as it could be. Given that, I would never want to labor med free - it was absolute torture at the end. A woman down the hall going med free was screaming at the top of her lungs for hours on end.

I almost feel like [b]this trend makes many women feel like they are failures[/b] if 1) they 'give in' to an epidural or 2) labor ends in c-section for various reasons. Modern medicine is a blessing for many reasons, it strange to feel like people are pushing back against pain relief that wasn't available to women not too long ago.[/quote]

I am the mom looking forward to her eighth natural birth, third homebirth.  Every mother-to-be on DCUM should thank God she lives in a time and place where women have access to medical technology that can protect and save her life and the life of her child, or give her comfort and respite from labor, and I think we all do.  In addition to the technology, every laboring mother deserves respectful support from everyone around her as she brings a new baby into the world.

But there is no need to feel that making an informed choice to use or decline various interventions is a "victory" or a "defeat," a "success" or a "failure."  When I share how much I love giving birth, how those moments are the best moments of my life, I am NOT saying "I won, you lost!"  I can't imagine how that is the message received.  Birth is sacred, whether at home in bed or strapped to a surgical table.  The mother should be revered for her part in giving her body over to her baby so her baby can have life.

It has never crossed my mind, not once, that I was a hero or a martyr or deserving of a medal.  The honor was all mine, that I was healthy enough and supported enough that I was able to experience birth as intensely pleasurable, sensual, and beautiful--more than once!  The birth experiences and the memories are their own reward.  And not every birth was blissful--there was one very traumatic experience, not because of the birth, but because of the hospital staff.  But I embrace that experience, too, because without it, I never would have stayed home and known the joy and peace of giving birth in my room.  I love and cherish all of my births, from my long and naive first one to my sexy and glorious most recent one.  Every woman should cherish every minute of each birth they are privileged to have, because they are all moments when we touch eternity.

This paradigm proposed by the OP--unmedicated success versus medicated defeat--simply does not exist.  What every woman should strive towards is a very thorough self-education in every aspect of healthy pregnancy and birth, so she is prepared to make informed choices every step of the way.  Knowledge is power, and the more women empower themselves, the more joyful birth can be, whatever path it takes.

I'm hoping for another serene, gentle birth in my room this time, but if circumstances require interventions I have not yet needed, I will STILL love every second, because it is my baby's story, our story, and every unique word is priceless.[/quote]

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