Ok, I've never posted before and I have to be quick right now because there is a baby scuttling around, threatening to destroy the place, so I may not be as eloquent as I would like! With that caveat :)
I felt I had to write because I've read your journal for a while and I think you do an AMAZING job as a mum and a friend and wife, and you know, research is all well and good... but it all comes down to the real world and we don't live in bubbles in a lab, and birth isn't always perfect. I love the idea of an unmedicated and low intervention birth, but sometimes it's not possible, and I don't feel as if we should be demonising women who don't get to have that. And aside from aiming for a beautiful, drug free, stressless environment when we birth, coming up with all this stuff about first hour of birth/ mother-baby connection - yes, those things are important, but there are SO many other things which are equally if not more important and you are doing them all :)
I just feel that it's not that useful for people to get up somewhere and quote these stats unless they're going to also suggest ways to help babies and parents to get around the issues which may arise from a traumatic birth and/or subsequent hospital stay. Otherwise it just promotes fear and guilt. Who is she - or anyone else - to say what things affect us other than our births?
I know you know this stuff, but thought it might help to hear it from someone else too :)
Yes, that was me, being brief ;) Love your blog, btw
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Date: 2009-08-11 04:04 am (UTC)I felt I had to write because I've read your journal for a while and I think you do an AMAZING job as a mum and a friend and wife, and you know, research is all well and good... but it all comes down to the real world and we don't live in bubbles in a lab, and birth isn't always perfect. I love the idea of an unmedicated and low intervention birth, but sometimes it's not possible, and I don't feel as if we should be demonising women who don't get to have that. And aside from aiming for a beautiful, drug free, stressless environment when we birth, coming up with all this stuff about first hour of birth/ mother-baby connection - yes, those things are important, but there are SO many other things which are equally if not more important and you are doing them all :)
I just feel that it's not that useful for people to get up somewhere and quote these stats unless they're going to also suggest ways to help babies and parents to get around the issues which may arise from a traumatic birth and/or subsequent hospital stay. Otherwise it just promotes fear and guilt. Who is she - or anyone else - to say what things affect us other than our births?
I know you know this stuff, but thought it might help to hear it from someone else too :)
Yes, that was me, being brief ;) Love your blog, btw