"Many women have described their experiences of childbirth as being associated with a spiritual uplifting, the power of which they have never previously been aware...To such a woman childbirth is a monument of joy within her memory. She turns to it in thought to seek again an ecstasy which passed too soon."

Grantly Dick-Read

Friday, May 14, 2010

what i wish i would have known

i found out recently that a friend of mine is pregnant with her first child. i am so excited for her! it got me thinking about the things i wish i would have known before i had my first baby...so i thought i'd brainstorm a little list just for fun. this is by no means all inclusive, but it's a start.

1. i wish i would have taken the time or known how valuable it is to select a care provider who honored my feelings about birth. i chose a doctor based on other people's recommendations and unfortunately, that practice was a very typical OB practice who had about 95% of their patients getting epidurals...which was not conducive to my desire to go naturally.

2. i wish i would have known that i had choices. any of the routine tests, etc...i had a choice. i blindly "obeyed" and did exactly as my doctor said. that is not necessarily a bad thing, but i just wish i would have been more informed and made decisions based on knowledge rather than just blind faith (i know we need to trust doctors because they do have knowledge and expertise, but i also feel it is very important to be knowledgeable as a patient - you have a right to informed consent).

3. i wish i would have known that i could have made it through labor without an epidural. i wanted to go naturally but i did not have enough confidence in myself to follow through with that desire - hence the title of this blog.

4. i wish i would have known how important it was to practice my breathing techniques!! hehe.

5. i wish i would have known the value of delayed cord clamping.

i could probably think up more "i wishes..." but the important thing is that i took what i wished i would have known/or done the first time around, and i applied those "wishes" as best i could to the second time around. i already have more "wishes" for next time. i think that is the beauty in having children...you really do learn as you go, and hopefully because of your increased knowledge, you make improvements!

what do YOU wish you would have known before giving birth to your first child?

3 comments:

  1. oh wow.... what i wish i would have known.... there are a lot of things i would do over.
    1. i would have spend more time finding a better doctor. the one i had was a nice person but she did not know how to deal with my situation.

    2. i wish i would have known the risks from an induction, and i would not have done it.

    3. i wish i would have researched more and learned more about my body and childbirth. i really just went in blind and did not try to learn things for myself.

    i have changed so much in the past year.... i feel like i have learned more about myself and the kind of person i want to be and the kind of mother i want to be. i can not go back but i can do things differently now with when i get pregnant again.

    You are really an inspiration. thanks for being you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. I wish I'd known that my questions didn't have to be answered in a rush, that I could find a doctor with more willingness to share his thought process. I get SO much more information with my current doctor.

    2. That I can smuggle in and eat certain foods in the hospital. I will not just eat ice chips again.

    3. How long I could go without an epidural - I lasted more than 2/3 of my labor without it and I'm very proud of that fact.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm really happy to be readin your blog! I can't wait to read more! So much info you have for me and going through pregnancy and very close to birth...this is wonderful!! Thanks for sharing!

    Also, I'm not very educated on the values of delayed cord clamping! Do you mind to fill me in more and give me some advice?! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete