Turns out I was born into the wrong family to even consider home birth.
Not only does my dad have some fairly strong opinions about the matter, so does my uncle (also a medical doctor). If my grandfather were alive (the doctor patriarch of the bunch), I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to express his thoughts against home birth as well (especially since he saw firsthand the dangers of home delivery during his many days and nights of attending births). I haven't heard the opinions of my medical cousins, but I'm sure they've got them.
So--yeah--what was I thinking??? :)
I think my first mistake was bringing this up in such a public forum. And undeniably my second mistake was forgetting that my Aunt Elaine reads this blog! :) (Actually, Aunt Elaine, I'm thrilled and honored that you take the time to read this...so thank you!!! And oh, by the way, go ahead and tell Uncle Rufus he doesn't have to worry about any more hair-brained home birth schemes coming from this direction...at least for now!) My third mistake was bringing it up so early. The next time I'll wait until the last minute and drop the birth plan bomb on my family when it's too late to stop me! ;)
Seriously, I appreciate so much the love and concern that my family (and others, too) have for me; it really means the world to me.
Tomorrow I'll be calling the OB-GYN office in town to see if I can get an appointment with one of the midwives there; and if all goes well and my positive interactions with the employees there continue, I'll pursue the conventional route.
In any case, in an email to me today, my dear friend Carolyn Fields admitted that I have more of a pioneer spirit than her (as if that's possible!) so I don't have to worry yet about losing my designation as a pioneer woman. :)
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You can incorporate a lot of what you wish to have as your birth experience (the "pioneer woman way") while still being in the hospital. It's just a little harder, and you have to have your support systems in place and be creative.
You can labor a lot at home and not go in until things are well underway.
You can have a doula or another female (Jeff, too, but there's nothing like another woman supporting BOTH of you)to encourage, speak up for you, manage the "distractions".
Again...I'll be happy to share things that I've learned along my journey (birthing 7 the "pioneer" way in a variety of environments), namely, that no 2 births were a bit alike, but I survived them all.
Hugs!
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