Excerpts from "The Christian Childbirth Handbook"

I'm so excited! UPS just dropped off the first of two books I ordered from Amazon last week. I'm glad that Cade is napping (and Gavin and Alayna are at school right now) which gives me the perfect chance to thumb through this book. My first impressions are "This book is amazing!" I've already fallen in love with "Christ Centered Childbirth" by Kelly Townsend and I've been really excited to dig into this one as well. What I really respect about it is that really follows an "everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial" format which (of course) is very biblical. I'm hoping to use both books (Christ Centered Childbirth and Christian Childbirth Handbook) in my future doula ministry. What will be a challenge for me is to support and advocate for women during pregnancy without "coloring" them with my own personal beliefs about natural childbirth. Here's some excerpts to demonstrate what I mean:

Though the Bible gives us standards and principles, there is very little in the way of 'Thou Shalt Not' when it comes to giving birth. It is probably no surprise to you that families can read the same Bible and believe they are called to different actions. Listed here are some of the most common debates in Christian childbirth with the Biblical reasoning given from each side....Be willing to explore both sides of each issue, searching the Bible for clear understanding. When you are done, God may have given you a new outlook on a topic you thought you understood, or he may have strengthened your faith in things you already believed......

Is Childbirth Supposed to be Painful?
Yes: Pain in childbirth is a consequence of the first sin. (Gen. 3:16)
No: I have been redeemed. I am not under the curse and so do not have to suffer the consequences as they pertained to giving birth. (Galationas 3:13)

(More examples given...I just picked one point each for "yes" and "no")

Should a Christian plan to use pain medication?
Yes: My faith and freedom in Christ allows me to use medication in labor. (Romans 14:1-4)
No: I want to use wisdom and discernment to make sure I only resort to medications if they are medically necessary so I do not add risk to the health of my baby or mine. I will not plan to use them because I am afraid. Instead, I'll let God strengthen me. (Galatians 5:13, 2 Tim. 1:7)

And it goes on with headings such as "Stewardship of Good Nutrition", "Spiritually Healthy Pregnancy" and "Making Positive Lifestyle Changes" before it gets into the nitty gritty with the stages of labor, birth planning and dealing with labor challenges.

I am so excited to read this book cover-to-cover....it looks very thorough in the topics it covers and its so refreshing to read it from a Christian worldview.

Gotta Love Video Birth Stories!

All I can say after watching this is WOW!!! If you love reading birth stories, you'll LOVE watching this video of the births of three children, two by cesarean and one by VBA2C!!! Be sure to read the letter that scrolls at the end of the video. I had to pause it a few times (what can I say, I'm a slow reader!) but I thought it was a great ending to a fantastic video.

Cesarean vs. VBAC: A Dramatic Difference from Alexandra Orchard on Vimeo.

Uphill Battle to VBAC

I found an article today from several years ago that got my attention titled Mother Sues Doctor Over Cesarean. It got my attention because I had never heard of anyone successfully winning a case because an unwanted (and unneeded) cesarean was performed. I think the only reason the woman actually won the case was because of the horrible complications that resulted from the surgery. There are a number of things that stuck out to me as incredibly sad about this story. Here's a quote:

She went into labor and again asked to try for a VBAC, however another doctor in the practice performed a cesarean instead.

Its stated so matter-of-fact. She wanted a VBAC, but a doctor performed a cesarean. But, then I try to put myself there.....what really went down? I imagine a laboring woman pleading for the right and ability to birth normally. She's in labor. Everything seems to be normal. Then "another doctor in the practice performed a cesarean". It never says "they convince her to have a cesarean." No where in the article does it suggest they had any sort of consent from her. Did they drug her, knock her out and extract her baby? I cannot imagine the trauma that would cause and I don't know how any doctor in his/her right mind could think that was ok!

Another thing that saddens me is that this article was written in 2007....not sure when the case actually came about, but probably shortly before the article, I would assume. So, what has happened since then? Absolutely nothing! There are more "VBAC bans" now than ever before. Doctors continually bully women into surgeries they don't want. I believe it is only a matter of time before there are more surgery-related complications and lawsuits to follow. I don't like that. I've never been a fan of lawsuits. "The fear of litigation" is a huge reason given of why VBACs are so rare nowadays. What will it take for doctors to respect women and allow them to fully participate in their care? Am I dreaming to even think its possible?

The Power of Silence

I thought this was a really good article about the Power of Silence when giving birth. I'm not a huge supporter of unassisted birth, but the ideas in the article are right on!

Must-See Video

This is a 17-minute video that (I think) does a fabulous job of explaining our maternal health care crisis and offers suggestions to improve it. A must-see video for anyone who is pregnant, may become pregnant in the future or is simply concerned with the overmedicalization of birth in the United States.

Reducing Infant Mortality from Debby Takikawa on Vimeo.

Taking Herbs to Aid Postpartum Recovery

This is a great article from Midwifery Today about herbs that can help speed recovery during the postpartum period. It specifically talks about taking care of your perineum and I thought it would be great information for someone who wants to avoid pain pills (or take as few as possible)and also to speed recovery from any tears you may have. You can also click over to "Part Two" of the article where it talks about more severe tears. One of the items was "Witch Hazel" which is the one thing I recognized as they do give those witch hazel pads in the hospital and I couldn't have survived without them for the first week or so postpartum.....that and the numbing spray! Maybe soaking in some of those herbs would have sped things up a bit.....if anyone ever trys it, let me know how it works!

Canada Gets It ~ America, its time WE got it, too!

A facebook friend of mine posted this article about the troubling rise in C-sections the other day and I wanted to share it here because it is quite a rarity to see such accurate information in the mainstream media. Of course I talk a lot about avoiding c-sections and sometimes I think I am misunderstood as some sort of "hater of women with c-sections" which is absolutely funny to me since I *am* a woman who has had a c-section. (See my c-section story here.) And my c-section WAS completely necessary....I am completely grateful for the procedure that quite possibly saved my son's life! However, it was through my fight to VBAC that I realized the ridiculousness of the things they do to a woman in labor that many, many times results in a c-section....things that could have easily been avoided.

Another thing I learned through my dealings with OBs (either myself or my friends experiences) is that most OBs view a cesarean as "just another way to be born" so sometimes I wonder if they don't really think all that badly of doing so many interventions because, well, if we need to we can just do a c-section. In fact, since my first child was born by c-section, I used to have similar attitudes. I had no idea why some women got so excited about birth. "Just a means to an end," I'd say, "as long as the baby is healthy" which *of course* we all want our babies to be healthy, but if I can have a healthy baby and be a whole mama who is going to physically recover faster, be more-quickly bonded to my baby and have an experience that brings me closer to God, my husband AND our baby, then that's what I want! I don't think that makes me selfish.....or maybe it does, but I don't think its a bad thing.

Well, that rant kind of came out of nowhere! Thanks for letting me go off a bit and I really do hope you enjoy the article!