Less is more...as always
I went to bed at 10pm on Wednesday night, but was awoken at 11:30 by my friend saying "Time to go...the contractions aren't stopping!"
We had been waiting for week or two for my friend to start labor with her fourth child.
I was thrilled when she told me she wanted me and two of my other good friend with her for this, the birth of her last baby. I have an inability to perceive how people feel about me, and this made me feel awesome.
My poor friend was overdue and tired, and so news of labor was such a relief!
The next few hours of watching her ride in and out of contractions was amazing. The was her second home birth- I cant believe I've had all my kids in a hospital after seeing how beautiful and calm it could be at home.
She labored quietly in her bathtub and then on her bed. The lights were low, tea was steeping, the dogs barked here and there out in the woods. No beeping, no phones ringing, no machines.
Simple.
No blood pressure cuff squeezing every few minutes, no one obsessively eyeing the heart rate, no IV's- just life, as God intended. I was dumbfounded by the beauty of it all.
The baby was healthy and beautiful, needing nothing more than her mama.
I don't mean to get into the whole politics of medical birth and all, but I couldn't help but draw parallels to simple living.
We are so hooked up to the machines and monitors of this society. Media sustains us to the point where we barely exist without it. We want every accessory for every item possible. We substitute the artificial for the real constantly - sunless tans, treadmills, air conditioning, baby bottles. None of these things are bad by themselves- just part of the larger picture of where humankind is going.
I will treasure my memory of this birth and remember through my choices and mind set that what we really need is what we already have.
Posts
5 comments:
That is a beuatiful thought and experience to go through with your friend! And I feel a similar lack of self-confidence with my friendships. I find that ties into my own confidence issues in other parts of my life, too.
What an insightful parallel you draw between simple living and birth. I just had my second daughter, and had to fight the hospital tooth and nail to do it my way (no drugs, checkout after 24 hours, etc.). In some cases they won; their procedures are ingrained into the system so deeply it's shocking to see someone want to do it differently (just as someone who voluntarily doesn't have a cell phone is an anomoly).
Carolyn, I LOVE this post! You articulate our reliance on machines so beautifully. You are such a good writer! I know what you mean about doubting yourself in the eyes of others... But I know that with me the solution is to embrace and accept myself first, and then let go of my need for a certain kind of reaction from my friends. Thank you for reminding me that what I really need is what I already have.
thank you for posting this. I have my babes at home with JUST my husband....the first was born VERY traumatically in the hospital, the second here at home and so will all future children.
I read the birth story of an online friend whose pregnancy andbirth was really a self fullfilling prophesy. she ended up getting cut open. I am saddened by that tremendously. I am glad to hear that your friend trusted her body and her baby and her birth.
You should direct her to this site: www.trustbirth.com
it is associated with AAMI-same founder, but is an amazing movement that I am so proud to be a part of....
did she have a midwife at all ro did she go about it unassisted?
-can't log into blogger, grrr,
Tasha-Rose
Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to have our future children at home.
Post a Comment