Never Say to a Pregnant Woman...

One thing I've been super surprised about is the push-back I've gotten about attempting an unmedicated birth.  I never imagined that people would try to talk me out of doing something that is perfectly natural.

"Why would you go through pain if you don't have to?"  -my doctor

Seriously?  If I don't want to go through pain, I probably never should have gotten pregnant in the first place.

If I were on the fence about it, that would be one thing, but once someone has made a decision regarding their child's birth, then unless it's truly harmful, let them be.

The blurb below really sums it up well:  "Questioning her decision to do something you didn't gives her zero credit for making an educated decision."

Part of it is being nearly 38 weeks pregnant (therefore everything annoys me), and part of it is just wanting to be respected as a human being.  But seriously, I'm tired of hearing how wonderful the epidural was.  I'm not saying I won't get it... I'm just saying I have other plans & methods in place so that hopefully I'll be able to work through the pain without it.  Everyone is different.

And I promise to do the same for others.  My sister, for example, is due in April & plans on getting and epidural.  And my sister-in-law?  Due in March & will probably have to get a c-section (her first was a c-section).  I would never dream of trying to convince my sister-in-law to get a VBAC... or convincing my sister to not get an epidural.  It's their bodies & I'm pretty certain they are both capable of making the best decision for their bodies on their own.

So yes, I plan to have an unmedicated birth.  Can things go awry?  Of course, but I've gone to classes, researched, planned ahead, and even hired a doula to help me reach my goal.

2 Cor. 12:9 - “My grace is enough; it is all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become!” (NLT)