So, Dakota and I have been fielding lots of questions about the big day coming up. I decided that maybe a little post.... (yes, on my food blog I never update, totally normal) might answer some questions! I always have the best intentions of posting the baby updates and journaling the experiences for people but I really don't ever follow through. My bad. So heres the pre-labor, almost parents, day is approaching soon update. It will prob be the only one you get.... so savor it :)
A typical question we have been getting asked is about how we are choosing to birth this said child, why we hired a doula and what the heck is a doula anyways.
So lets start at the beginning...
A doula is: labor coach: an assistant who provides support for a woman in labor by encouraging her.
So know your thinking its probably a "hip" thing, some kind of "fad" or a rich person thing. Nope. We are none of the above. Doula's can be anyone from your husband, too family members to someone you hire that has more training. It has been a tradition for a long time, we just chose to hire someone with specific training and experience on the type of birth we wanted! We are far, far, far, from rich... but decided this was a priority and saved every extra dollar and penny.... (no seriously, we find our selves adding change to the doula envelope) to pay for our doula. God provided and answered our prayers....we were able to pay cash for the whole thing.
So, we decided against a home birth this child because he was a huge surprise... I just graduated college and have no job, so financial that just was not an option. We are are going to have this child at Via Christi, St. Joe. Unfortunately, St. Teresa just shut down their maternity ward, or we would be going there :/ oh well, not God's plan for us!
As far as our "birth plan"... We have one typed up and ready to hand the wonderful nursing staff when we arrive at the hospital, but I won't go through that with you.... but the whole idea surrounding the birth plan is to be completely natural, no medical interventions unless necessary, have a quiet, uninterrupted labor, quiet atmosphere with only Dakota, our doula and necessary medical staff. That means dim lights, and play list on please....
So, the game plan goes as such.... (in a perfect world, I might add.... we have no idea how it will actually go, but ideally) I will go into labor at home, we will call our doula and she will meet us in our home. We will labor at home as long as possible, try to time the drive to the hospital between active and transitional labor, then birth the child at the hospital. We want to be at the hospital as little as possible. Hopefully, we have a healthy labor with no problems and will be able to stay home as long as possible.... Most first moms labor a LONG freaking time, so I would rather be in the comfort of my own home then some hospital room.... but thats just me.
Now, Im sure many people are rolling their eyes about our "perfect, ideal birth that will probably never happen" and your right. It probably won't, but we have been researching, planing and preparing as best we can to help everything go smoothly. At the end of this day, the Lord will bring this child into the world how ever he wants to and no amount of planing will change that.
So, what about the pain? Pain management and medication? Another typical question we have been getting.
I do believe this birth will be painful, even though I do know people that have had pain free births. If you can get your body to relax enough it is very possible. I just don't think with my first baby I will be able to be that laid back.....
We have different positioning, relaxation techniques, ext.... but at the end of the day I think the bible said that birth will hurt, it was a result of sin.... People have been birthing babies since the beginning of time without all the medical stuff.... the American culture has told us birth is a horrible, painful thing, that is not to be experienced but to be covered up by medical procedures and spinal blocks. I think that birth is something that should/can be experienced and a type of worship by giving your body to the Lord and trusting in the way he created your body. Thats why we are choosing to try and do it this way.
We are not against Dr's, that is why we still have one. They are needed and very necessary. We are just praying for an experience where they aren't! Yet, if we need them, they are there. We are very thankful to live in a country that we have that privilege.
So, that is what we have based our decisions on. There is no right or wrong way to birth a child, and as long as everyone involved is healthy at the end, that is all that matters.
So, thats that. I think I have answered the most common questions about the how and why of what we are doing! We are getting very excited and he will be here any day now!
