Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Birth:

The Surprising History of How We Are Born
by Tina Cassidy



This book has pretty much everything I ever wanted to know about giving birth, and a lot of things I didn't. Wow. It made me want to go up to every woman that I know and ask, "So...You've had a baby, right? How did that go for you? What did you do with the placenta?"

Cassidy covered a lot of territory--the rise of the obstetrician, the fall of the midwife, the invention of forceps, what kind of drugs have been used to combat pain, even hypnobirth. Ofttimes the history of childbirth was a sad one, with high mortality rates and ill-educated doctors who treated women as chattel. It is great to live during a time where I have options and recognized rights, not to mention a high likelihood of survival.

I now have a fairly good idea about what I want my experience to be like (when I get around to having it). I do not want to give birth in a hospital or via cesarean. I do not want drugs. I would like my husband to be there, as well as a female family member/friend and a midwife. I would like to keep my baby with me, and stay no longer than a day or two. Will I get what I want? That depends on where I am when I go into labor, I suppose, and what resources are in my area. We shall see.

5 comments:

jill said...

Are you thinking about a birthing center? I agree with staying away from hospitals...I really want to have my next baby at home. Hospitals are so stressful.

imemary said...

A birthing center would be nice. I think there's one in Orem.

Sahara said...

Wow...I am totally impressed. Yay for being educated and making your own decisions! :)

Holly @ Domestic Dork said...

There is one in Orem. We were thinking about going there until we moved.

Another book along these lines is "Pushed." You might also enjoy "Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth." That one is great!

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/ is a good community

And I'm gonna stop before I flood you with anymore info. I get a little carried away when it comes to topics like this. :)

imemary said...

Yeah, I discovered the center in Orem via google. I love the internet.