Birthing Philosophy

Below is outlined the basic outlines of our birthing philosophy:

We believe in Dr. Grantly Dick-Read’s philosophy of fearless childbirth. We believe that fear causes additional pain from the constricting of blood vessels through the fearful “fight or flight” syndrome of the Central Nervous System and that with a thorough knowledge of events and apt preparation, a woman does not need to fear childbirth and delivery.

We believe in Dr. Robert Bradley’s philosophy of husband-coached childbirth. We believe the best person to coach and deliver our child is the one who has been with me throughout the duration of my pregnancy and has taught me true relaxation through constant devotion, love and attention.

We believe in Dr. Thomas Verny’s philosophy of pre-natal psychology. We believe our child can hear, learn, remember and respond to my emotions, my actions and my words as well as those who surround me and my interactions with them.

We believe in Dr. Frederick Leboyer’s philosophy of a “birth without violence”. We believe children should be born in an environment that is similar to the one in which they have been residing for their gestational growth: quiet, dimly lit, warm, wet, inviting and full of joy and hope.

We believe in true natural pregnancy and natural childbirth is the best healthful choice for our child. On the surface, we believe that involves: no medications during pregnancy (even antacids), non-intrusive doctor visits, and a non-medicated, non-induced, no-AROM, non-surgical vaginal delivery without intervention.

We believe in the wrongful translation of the King James’ Bible and all subsequent versions that translate Genesis 3:16 as a “Curse on Eve” as pointed out by Supernatural Childbirth, Christ-Centered Childbirth, Lord of the Birth, Dr. Sear’s Pregnancy Book, Dr. Sear’s Birth Book, Hypnobirthing, and Husband-Coached Childbirth, among others. We believe the Bible’s correct translation labels Eve’s childbirth as requiring labor and hard work, but that it is not in sorrow and not in pain.

We believe that Jesus took ALL our infirmities to the cross, and any possible “curse” that could have been placed on Eve was taken on Christ’s shoulders when he was crucified and that we now live lives that are able to be without pain and fear.

We believe that ultrasounds are not aptly tested and have probability of being harmful to a growing fetus.

We believe that cutting of the umbilical cord should not be done until the cord has atrophied and all fluids have been exchanged between child and placenta.

We believe contractions prior to labor are healthy and are a positive sign that the muscles are learning how to properly function when it is time to deliver the baby.

We believe that the woman “delivers” the baby and the husband or caregiver’s role is to “receive” the baby.

We believe food consumption during labor is healthy and recommended as it is a physical activity that requires energy to be sustained.

We believe in "kangaroo-care" and immediate skin-to-skin contact from mother to baby after the baby is first born as the best way to warm, connect and soothe the baby.

We believe in immediate breast-feeding after birth of the baby to initiate uterine contractions to expel the placenta naturally.

We believe in non-interrupted bonding immediately post-partum. We believe the baby should not leave the arms of his parent for the several hours following birth and should not leave the room of the parents' presence for the first several days in order to maximize bonding and encourage parental identity with the child.

We believe home birth is the safest, healthiest environment for the birth of our first child.

and finally:

We believe that pregnancy is a healthy reproduction of life and that is a natural, normal experience and that it should not be treated as a disease, handicap or that somehow our bodies are not able to function perfectly as our Creator designed them to. We believe God designed the womb intentionally and with great purpose and the womb's function is fulfilled through childbirth.

Crossing the Line

A line was crossed last night.

And again this morning. But not again.

I have been enjoying my pregnancy in silence. Opinions and research I would have longed to have shared have not been expressed for a few simple reasons: I did not want to offend, nor hurt anyone with a traumatic, difficult or otherwise negative birthing experience. And I want to begin this post and subsequent posts with this statement to those individuals:

I am sorry. I am sorry that you had to endure hardship; that perhaps your birthing experience was perhaps not as you planned or dreamed it to be. I am sorry that you had to sacrifice of yourself by raw, pained and emotions plagued by fear and physical scarring for such a situation. I am sorry that perhaps the experience you endured was so distressing that you have now vowed that “one is enough” and you no longer wish to ever be pregnant again. I am sorry that you may have received information or had decisions made from your doctor, attending nurse or other caregiver that instead of benefiting you and your forthcoming child, benefited their own pockets, their insurance policy or the overhead of the hospital. I am deeply sorry if the experience you have lived through caused you to be separated from your child, your spouse, your family and thus diminished bonding moments that will never be achieved again. I am even more increasingly sorrowful for those whose experience was so poor and ended as such that they lost their child. My heart mourns on this side of eternity with you.

For anyone who has asked, I have been free with my intentions in pregnancy, labor and birth. I have not posted them online however, as I have become increasingly aware that my blogging of “random musings into cyberspace” have readers. These readers are my friends, their coworkers and people who perhaps aimlessly find me through a Google search. With a personal history of being less than tactful and acting less out of grace and compassion than is more than duly necessary at times, I have erred on the side of caution and remained silent. However, for the first time in my pregnancy (all 31 weeks of it), a line was crossed that I had not even approached yet:

I felt fear.

This afternoon as I sit here and write this, I am angry. I should never have let the lies that led me to that fear enter my mind. Joshua and I have been adamant from the moment we began discussing children to keep a “fear-less” perspective. So I want to detail out my birthing philosophy. I want to post it on the internet and I want to act in faith, a faith that believes that “perfect love casts out fear” (I John 4:18, NAS) and that fear was not given us by God, but instead a spirit of “power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7, KJV).

Today ends the silence.

Today begins the research, the opinions and the conclusions that I have drawn and have been desperately wanting to share: with my friends considering children, my friends who are pregnant who are considering natural childbirth and those who have been looking for another option... I want to offer that point of view. I thought that I was supposed to wait until I experienced it, so that in some way, my opinions would be more validated, but I am realizing I need to verbalize these things to help me make my own birthing experience positive. My birthing "worldview" is not for everyone and I recommend taking it with a grain of salt. The decisions I have made and the conclusions my husband and I have drawn for this pregnancy (and hopefully subsequent ones) are the result of study, research and much interaction with the local natural birthing community and their respected resources. I did not come to these decisions lightly, nor should I expect you to. Please come and go as you please on my blog... and realize that most of what I will write in the days preceding the birth of our first child is reaffirmation of that which I will need to assist me during this process.

A New Season

In six days, spring equinox arrives.

My house has been spring cleaned: filters changed, vents washed, vacuum cleaner serviced, cupboards emptied and wiped out, linens rotated, winter clothes laundered and put in space bags for storage, jackets dry cleaned, base boards cleaned and curtains removed, laundered and windows washed. We went through the storage shed and donated items we do not use or want, we labeled storage bins and wiped down the vinyl siding on our apartment. We planted fresh flowers, herbs and repotted bulbs for spring. We cleaned out our file cabinets from 2007 and prepared for a "paperless" year of online billing and e-statements. We repainted our second bathroom and made for a fresh approach in this new season of our lives: our little one will soon be here, and though frantic cleaning will no longer ensue, we are still preparing our hearts and our minds for the room that will be made to accommodate this life that will transform us.