Thoughts on Birthing...

I thought it might be funny to pretend I had the baby today, and then say April Fool's, but only for a second. Somehow it is a funny idea, but in reality, not too funny. Anyway, I am feeling perfectly normal, good, in fact. Soooo at this point I am just hoping to have the baby by next Sunday, and I am trying to be patient and OK with it if I don't.

To amuse myself and pass the time I have been googling "pain management during labor" and "pain free labor". There was this one website by a homebirth person that had some crazy stories. One section was about women who had completely pain free labors, to the point where they are sleeping and wake up to find a newborn baby under the sheets! I can't believe that is even possible, but it must be, if there is a continuum of labor pain from extreme to mild. But in the rest of the website it seemed like the birth stories from just the regular women seemed to have the general theme that although labor wasn't completely pain free, it was very manageable, and the pushing part easy. So I wondered, if women who choose home births are a certain kind of person with a high pain tolerance, or is it genuinely easier to give birth on your own? I can see how with the pushing the advantage to be in whatever position you find easiest a definite positive, as opposed to being confined to a hospital bed flat on your back. That appeals to me. But I just couldn't do it on my own at home, I like the comfort of the hospital and doctors in case anything happens. I think a birthing center would have been my first choice, except that I like my Ob practice and didn't want to switch to a midwife. Well, it doesn't make a difference now-- unless this baby comes while I am sleeping, she will be born in a hospital. And I must admit, I am SO looking forward to the recovery time afterwards in the hospital. Some people may think this strange, but I love being looked after by all the kind nurses, having my meals brought to me, and spending those first couple of days with just me, the baby and Ed. A kind of peace before going back home, where all the responsibilities of taking care of a house and 2 other children will rush in, even with extra help the first couple of weeks.