You know whats funny?

[AJandElijahsmommy]

well its sad really. Women have been giving birth unassisted since the beginning of time. yet now because society has driven fear into the masses it is such a rare and outrageous thing. people are just dumbfounded when i tell them i had a uc. they can't wrap thier heads around it. yet if i told someone who lived a couple hundred years ago that i had a hospital birth they would question why. Birth is normal. Not a sickness. I don't go to the doctor when I get my period why would i go when i'm having a baby. now don't get me wrong if there are health issues involved we need to be careful but otherwise birth is a natural normal event that doesn't need much assistance. (maybe just someone to bring you a glass of water afterward and clean up the mess!)

[basje]

Agreed

I am very open about my UC in parenting groups and it's so interesting to hear people's reactions. So many ask "Why?" and I give what I call the poop analogy. People poop. We don't need a doctor. If sometime goes wrong, like we don't poop for a long time, or it's painful, or we have worms we go to the doctor. Pooping's normal. Just like birth. And if we have a problem the we go to the doctor. Otherwise it's overkill and just looking for problems.

Lot's of people ask, "What kind of people UC?" my only contact to UCer's is her on this board, and I tell them, although not many people choose to UC, that it's a huge range of women. And I like that I get to hold community with women who I don't have a lot in common with otherwise. I'm a lesbian feminist, I choose o UC because I believe it's the most feminist birth process out of the options. I know many women on this board are Conservative Christan's, and I like that I get to hold community with them through UCing. I like that there are such a range way's that we all have chosen to get here. And I am so appreciative to the community we've built here.

I also say, "I don't think having a UC is for everyone. I think the more options women have though the better. Birth is personal, while my worst nightmare is a C-section, for many women their worst nightmare is to have a UC, I think both can be empowering as long as women have the opportunity and information to make the choice.

I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on this?

[mntnmom]

I'm not personally a UC mama, but I do find the whole thing highly ironic. When we were planning our first homebirth my FIL was very worried. But he, and all his healthy younger siblings were born at home, and his mom lived to a perfectly normal age.
There are plenty of stories of tribes and cultures around the world were it is normal for a pregnant woman to wander off by herself, and come back with a baby. In most cultures she has "only" a trusted older woman or two with her. Yet, most westerners are boggled by a birth that doesn't involve a couple Phd's a handfull of nurses and several perfect strangers and their associated gadgets. But *we're* the strange ones?

[zoebird]

i love that idea of being able to "hold community" with diverse people by having a single point of commonality. that's really cool.

[boheime]

I found out, after the birth of our second child (second UC), that my grandmother's grandmother had ALL of her 12 children via UC. It's amazing how much has changed in such a short time. My grandmother had 2 of her 3 children at home. Her grandmother had all of her kids UC. I briefly wrote about it for Women's History Month.

[cathicog]

In light of having had a hospital birth, a hb w/midwives and a UC, ITA with teh pp that having information and options, real options is your best friend. Studying obstetric history is interesting- hospital birth as we associate it didn't exist until about 1910. Nearly everyone had their babies at home. It was the advent of teaching hospitals in the late 1800's and early 1900s that the docs pushed the midwives out of maternity care, with marketing campaigns about midwives being "ignorant and dirty"...Docs and new residents needed guinea pigs to learn on, so they encouraged women to birth in the hospital. Many moms were immigrants from other countries who were used to midwives, but the pressure was put on to outlaw the midwives and "come to the safe, sterile hospital"...Statistics for midwifery care are superior across teh board...and in Europe, the midwife is still(fortunately) a professional in her own right. In Westernizing medical care, I hope that doesn't get lost...we need to teach as many women/families that will listen that a hospital birth (unless ABSOLUTELY necessary) isn't necessarily a safe birth...

[seattlemamma]

All my family think I am crazy, that UC is dangerous, and "Why would I ever put my baby at risk like that?" I throw the same thing back at them and ask them if the their Dr. every gave them the con's to pitocin, epidurals, the list goes on. Half my friends have had babies born "dead" and then resuscitated or have been whisked away to the NICU...then they proceed to tell me about all the interventions that where performed...Thanks, but no thanks.

[sattygirl99]

The only reason I'm not UCing is because I've had 2 previous c-sections (one an almost VBAC turned CBAC at the last min by my MW and OB on call in the hospital).

We talked about it though... DH was very open to the idea of not having a MW. Finances got in the way and we didn't think we could afford a MW at all so we talked about our doula and just him and I.

I get the 'OMG, a HOMEBIRTH? You're going to DIE if you do that!'... and I'm having a MW attended birth (2 MW's actually)...

I agree it's so sad that now doctors and hospitals have become the norm. I always say, I'm not sick, I'm pregnant, why do I need a DOCTOR? Just like, I'm pregnant, not handicapped and am perfectly capable of walking from the back of the parking lot... In fact, it's good for me to do!

[belchers1]

Originally Posted by AJandElijahsmommy

...birth is a natural normal event that doesn't need much assistance. (maybe just someone to bring you a glass of water afterward and clean up the mess!)

Can I throw in a sandwich with that glass of water?

[jessica_anne010]

basje - I LOVE the poop analogy!! ROFL And to add to the diversity of the group, we are a very Pagan family. :-) I, too, love that we can come here and not worry about our differences and just talk about UC stuff.

The majority of my family doesn't know that we are planning a UC. I haven't told most of them simply because I don't spend that much time with them to begin with. I haven't told my dad because I don't want him to worry unnecessarily, but I have told his sister and she's all for it. She knows there are dangers, but she knows that I've researched them and educated myself.

My mom practically suggested it to me before I got to tell her what we were planning. that was quite a switch from last time when she was a little freaked that I wanted to VBAC in a birth center with a hb midwife. She's learned so much since then and luckily has some HB/UCing families in her church. lol

The teenager in me (I'm nearly 40 and she just won't go AWAY! lol) can't wait until after I have the baby so I can go to a family gathering that don't know and tell them all for the shock value of it. They are all so medically minded that it makes me ill sometimes.

I've had the range of birth experiences including 2 c-sections. So, I'm very much looking forward to this one. :-)

[shishkeberry]

Originally Posted by jessica_anne010

The teenager in me (I'm nearly 40 and she just won't go AWAY! lol) can't wait until after I have the baby so I can go to a family gathering that don't know and tell them all for the shock value of it.

Me too! Tee hee!