Thoughts On Pregnancy: Literature, Documentaries & Childbirth

One of the first things I did when I found out I was pregnant was start reading books about it. If this is supposed to be such a big life and body changing experience, I didn't want to run into too many surprises along the way.

I started with What to Expect When You're Expecting and I had mixed feelings. I didn't hate it but I definitely felt like it was WAY conservative and cautious. It was suddenly so obvious to me why there were always at least a dozen copies available at DI. Apart from the monthly progress chapters which are an okay reference there is a "best-odds" diet that strongly suggests no refined sugar and that husbands should help their pregnant wives not eat treats and to have a firm hand. Yeah right!

Next I read The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy which I thought was hilarious and while the section on maternity fashion is a little (okay a lot) outdated, I enjoyed the brutal and sarcastic hilarity of pregnancy advice from a girlfriend. The sections on labor and delivery were also really helpful and the list of things to bring to the hospital.

My doctor gave me You & Your Pregnancy which just had generic information. I also picked up and browsed through numerous other books from the library but nothing really stood out to me as really valuable knowledge beyond commonsense. I did like the babycenter pregnancy guide and read it whenever Steve and I were in Borders.

I wanted more. To be precise, I wanted more about childbirth. So far pregnancy has been a breeze and while I've had questions, I've just taken them to my doctor who tends to be a lot less conservative and cautious then the average pregnancy book. I guess something to remember is to take all advice on pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and parenting with a grain of salt. Things the books told me to do, like not sleep on your back, my doctor gave me better and more comfortable alternatives stressing the need for me to just listen to what my body was telling me.

So inspired by this post by my friend Miriam I decided to really research childbirth and my options. I am a big believer in education equals empowerment. So I checked out a lot of books on childbirth, medicated and natural. And to say the least, my eyes were opened. I tried to read lots of books from both sides of the story because its pretty easy to be swayed by writer's with an agenda and you-first time pregnant and vulnerable-having no experience except what you've seen in the movies and heard about from friends.

The two books I really liked were:
Easy Labor: every woman's guide to choosing less pain and more joy during childbirth, a pro-medicated book with lots of great info on the options available and the side effects and typical interventions necessary. This was really great especially since there are a lot of medications available that most women don't even think about or know about it (and I speak for myself here)
Easing Labor Pain: the complete guide to a more comfortable and rewarding birth, a pro-natural book. I almost didn't read this one but I am SO glad that I did. Not only does it provide lots of medication free ways for dealing with pain but it makes you feel like you can do a natural birth and survive. And even if you plan on getting an epidural something could happen that could delay or prevent it from happening (like your anesthesiologist getting in a car accident) and you could be left in pain with no means of coping for hours.

I also watched the Business of Being Born, a documentary produced by Ricki Lake. It is incredibly pro-natural but still very interesting especially if you have questions about midwives. Also caution: there are lots of naked pregnant women and crotch shots and some profanity.
And if you're interested in seeing the various types of labor in video format-because you weren't scarred enough from the Miracle of Life in high school health class-babycenter.com has lots of options that are quick and dirty, 2-3 minutes clips.

The more I read, the more I felt empowered by the new knowledge that I was gaining. I went into this whole situation (pregnancy) thinking/knowing that I would be demanding an epidural as soon as labor started. It has been my childbirth dream since middle school. Give me the drugs. I mean I'm the kind of girl who senses a headache coming on and rushes for the ibuprofen. We buy it in bulk from costco. But now, I am not so sure. I love the idea of being able to work with my body to make this miracle happen. I also like the thought of having little or no unnecessary interventions. Granted you have to be flexible and roll with the punches but on something this important, I don't feel comfortable just sitting back and letting decisions be made for me.

In conclusion, because this has become a veritable essay, I have found that education really is empowering. And now that I have all this new knowledge and insight, I feel like I have the tools and the dreaded responsibility to make a thoughtful and informed decision about what will be best for me and my baby and not what has solely been best for others.