how we roll

I am open minded about a lot of things. I like to do my research, and look at several options, but once I decide... I decide. Because of this, I am finding myself more and more on the homeopathic side of life. You know, drugs versus herbal remedies, unnecessary surgery versus just taking care of yourself, cortisone shots versus massage techniques.

 doctors versus midwives ...(yup, I said it).

...especially when it comes to the birth of this baby. (To each her own, right? I am passionate about this topic, and for OUR FAMILY I know what we are aiming to do. Everyone has their own opinions.) Why in the world would I put myself (or my husband, and my baby) through a traumatic experience when it isn't medically necessary? I trust the way God made my body for this beautiful process. And it honestly freaks me out knowing that 150 years ago when DOCTORS STARTED handling birth - for the first time, ever - they needed something else to do and intervened when it wasn't necessary. Then, by 1900, physicians were attending about 1/2 of the nation's births, including nearly all births to middle and upper class women. Midwives took care of the women who could not afford a doctor (which they were then mocked for). That just seems so weird to me knowing that midwifery had always been viewed as a highly respectable profession, even warranting the highest priority on boats to the colonies! I don't trust that system. Please watch The Business of Being Born (on Netflix) if you haven't seen it already. SO much information.

We have selected an amazing Certified Nurse Midwife, Sherry Oldfield, to coach us and take care of us through this process. She is handling all of my checkups and prenatal care, and will catch our sweet child when he/she arrives in May. She is educated (at an insane level... the information she knows seems to be limitless), experienced, and most importantly more in tune with ME than any social status or "norm". The hospital norm is actually really really stupid. It doesn't make ANY sense to me anatomically (drugs, timing, labor inducing, fetal distress that THEY cause, c-sections that THEY often cause, what you are allowed to do in labor, birthing position...etc). 

God willing, I will HypnoBirth in a birthing tub. In our home. With dim lighting, quiet music, no screaming or hollering, and just peaceful joy. Ahhh, yes.

On a side note, I heard my baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday. I'll post a video of this soon.

It was absolutely amazing.