Induction... to Motherhood?

Read all of my Spearmint Baby posts here.

Before my last doctor's appointment, I talked to my aunt who lives in Arizona about where I would be giving birth (in a hospital) and why (it is 100% free with my insurance - yes, that's one reason to become a teacher). She shared her daughter in law's birth experiences with me (two natural births in a birthing center with a midwife) and when I told her I had some pretty strong preferences for how I wanted to give birth, she advised me to talk about it with my doctor sooner rather than later.

So what are these preferences? Well, I hesitate to share because I know how passionate people can be about birthing choices and I don't want anybody to think that I'm trying to say that my choices are the best or better than anyone else's. I've come to conclusions based on things I've read and people I've talked to and I think these preferences are best for me. Not best for everyone, just for me. So please be gentle in the comments, ok?

Photograph by Emily Weaver Brown Photography

If I had a bunch of extra  money and didn't have amazing healthcare benefits, my ideal birth would be at home with a midwife. I would go through as much preparation as possible to avoid interventions and after the baby was born, I would eat birthday cake and drink champagne in my own bed with my husband and our new addition. I do know all the risks involved with home births, but I believe the benefits outweigh the risks, for me.

Since our funds are limited and a hospital birth wouldn't cost us a dime, no matter what interventions were necessary (no extra for a c-section), a home birth that could cost over $2,000 if my insurance decided not to cover it was out of the question. Instead, I'll give birth in a hospital which makes me a little sad, but makes my husband and our families much more comfortable.

Knowing that interventions are more readily available in a hospital, I'm realizing that it is going to be much more difficult to avoid them than if I was at home or in a birth center. The first of these interventions I wanted to discuss with my doctor was induction. I let him know that I'd rather not be induced unless it was medically necessary. I know that when I'm nine months pregnant, I'm going to want that baby out. I'm going to be uncomfortable and anxious to meet the little one, but, if I can, I'd like to go into labor on my own without pitocin.

Photograph by Shot in Vancouver

My doctor's first answer was that I'm the boss and ultimately I would make the decision, which was a decent answer. Then, he asked why I felt that way and when I expressed my concerns about the counteractivity of pitocin and an epidural (which I would undoubtedly have due to the intense contractions that pitocin creates) and how it can often lead to a c-section (something I'd really like to avoid), he told me that the whole process was an art and seemed to allude that he had mastered this art. While I trust that he's a very competent OB, I know that he can't guarantee that an induction won't lead to a c-section - to be fair, there's no guarantee that a natural labor won't lead to a c-section, either, but I feel that inductions increase the chances.

I also told my doctor that I anticipated being late with this pregnancy because my mom was two weeks late with both me and my brother. Then he got into size and I started getting nervous. See, doctors can supposedly tell how big the baby is going to be from ultra sounds and fundal measurements late in pregnancy. However, I've known several women who were induced because their doctors thought their babies were too big and they ended up having small to average sized babies. Well, I was 9 pounds 12 ounces when I was born. Yep, I was the biggest baby in the hospital and when my family would look for me in the nursery window, I was easy to find because I was so much bigger than all the other babies. When I told my doctor this, he said I'd probably have a 10 pound baby. While I don't doubt that my genes will play a part in the size of our baby, I am a little concerned with how he jumped to that conclusion so quickly. Isn't that a bit presumptuous? Since my husband's family has small-ish babies, couldn't that even things out for us?

Photograph by T. Lawrence

While this whole conversation has raised a red flag for me, I'm trying not to worry too much about it yet. I plan on taking things one day at a time and if induction comes up, I'll deal with it then. For now, I'm starting prenatal yoga next week and hope to sign up for birthing classes soon. I'm still deciding between The Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing (anyone have experience with either? or something better?), but I do know I want to start early as I tend to have a problem with anxiety and relaxation techniques can only help!

Did you have an idea of your preferences early in pregnancy or did you start thinking about it much later?

Review In Short: The Back-up Plan

Tonight, a few friends and I went to dinner and a movie. I was worried it would be another stupid chick flick and I would have wasted my hard earned dough, but it was actually really quite hilarious!

My favorite character was the boston terrier that walked with the help of a wheelchair. When they talked to him, he cocked his head, just like our puggle, Ruby.

We were all laughing out loud throughout most of the movie. I thought maybe it was just me who thought it was so funny, but my friends really enjoyed it as well. There was just one part that rubbed me the wrong way...

In this scene, the main character, Zoe, is in a single mom's group. One of the members is having a baby and they invite her to attend the home birth. Do you know how I feel about birth? No? Well this scene depicted the home/water birth as some crazy hippie exorcism. In the above photo, you can see that one woman is playing a drum and signing. Zoe got chosen as the "focal point" for the mother and therefore couldn't walk away. The woman birthing was bleating like a goat and yelling at everyone around her. I admit, it was a funny scene, but mostly because it was so ridiculous and unrealistic.

I guess the thing that bothers me the most is that Zoe is dancing and acting totally normal when her water breaks and then she immediately starts having contractions. She is rushed to the hospital where she screams and pushes the baby out while lying on her back surrounded by doctors and monitors. This is considered the "normal" way to give birth. The "sane" way.

I know they are making a movie based on the book The Art of Racing In the Rain, which I wrote about here. In the book, the woman has a very peaceful home birth with two midwives while her husband is away racing cars. I really hope they leave that in the movie and show the world was a real home birth can look and feel like (well not literally, sorry to emotionally scar you).

What movie has surprised you lately?