Labor...preperation
Wednesday, June 8
Well, as I said in an earlier post, I am re-reading Ina May Gaskin's book about childbirth. It has been so good for me to remember what capabilities my body has and share in the birth stories of so many women who have gone before me. I am one of those women with a positive, natural birth experience...but honestly you forget so much. I am thankful in some ways you do forget, but it is easy for the fear to come back.
Just because I have done it once doesn't mean I am nonchalant about this birth. It was work, mental and physical, and I spent the months before dealing with the fears and uncertainty. I am finding it is the same, just to a lesser degree this time. Is it just me, but do all pregnant women have more fear than other women? Maybe it is just the inevitability of birth and raising a new child that brings the fear to the surface -- can't really avoid it like you can with other fears.
So, I have started a list of verses to remember speaking of God's promises. I am reliving what memories I do have of labor to remember how each contraction did have an end and how immediately after the baby was born, the pain ended. (On a semi-side note, I had some serious leg cramps a few nights ago and they were so much worse than labor in a weird way. They were un-ending, I didn't know what would ever stop them, and the pain was intense and not producing anything good. I freaked out. Sander and I talked the next morning that it was amazing I could stay so calm in labor, yet was screaming because of leg cramps. The pain is really and truly different...I have to remember that and relax and let each contraction do its job as fast as it can).
I am also thinking of bringing a copy of this picture to the birth of this baby. It was taken literally a minute or two after Dexter was born. I love it because it shows the joy and lack of pain I had. This is what natural labor produces -- joy, love, and a type of euphoria from the endorphins (I couldn't sleep for days I was so excited and energized by the birth!).
2 comments:
My second one was natural (unexpectedly and unavoidably since it was too fast to have any pain meds) The healing process was much faster (I think primarily by God's great grace, but...) And I felt that euphoria too. It was amazing how much less tired and more alert I was (and with the epidural I wasn't even as knocked out as most people) I think the Scripture memory is a great idea. I just kept praying through the contractions until I could barely even think and went into a semi-comatose state at the end. IT was a unique experience and full of great joy (and as you say, amazing how the pain is forgotten). I admire you for doing it--even after all that, I think I would not choose to do it again, if avoidable...especially if it were not as fast a labor as Elizabeth's (2 hours from start to finish)
I found labor to be much easier the second time around since there was not any unknown surrounding it. Also, it was easier to tune into my body and move through my contractions that time (I actually tried 3 different pushing positions before finding the one that was just right.) Now, with #3 on the way, I have not really prepared much yet besides reading Ina May's book. I am definitely more relaxed about everything this time around. I can't wait to hear about your little one's birth!
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