Educating Our Parents

[SmittyJ]

Hi There!

I'm brandy new to Mothering.com and hoping that someone can help me. I will be honest up front and admit that I'm not having a homebirth, but this looked like the best thread to post my question to!

I am about 16 weeks pregnant (my first pregnancy) and have decided to use a CNM at a local hospital. This particular OBGYN group is known for promoting and supporting natural birth, actively trying to reduce un-necessary cesarians, and supporting a mother's general well being. We (my husband and I) are VERY excited to have found such a supportive group of doctors and midwives that work together for mine and my baby's total wellbeing. We are also hiring a doula to support us at the hospital.

All that being said, my mother is expressing continuous doubts about our decision to use a practice that supports midwives. About 20+ years ago, a cousin of hers used a midwife that "didn't call in a doctor's help when she should have" (I put this in quotes as my mother was not there and can't know the full details of the labor and delivery) and, unfortunately, the child suffered permanent brain injury. So, her one encounter with a midwife was negative.

Now that I've made my decision for my birth, she is continuously voicing her concerns over my choice and questioning my research. She has (fortunately) agreed to read/watch anything I can recommend to her on current, safe birth practices. What would all of you recommend as great reading or other resources for a concerned grandparent-to-be? The books I'm reading are very long and detailed and I'm not sure they'd keep her interest long enough.

I really appreciate your help!

Thanks!

[Voondrop]

Welcome! I'm pretty new myself. I've had it both ways, birth at home & hospital w/ midwives, they were both good births. Would she watch The Business of Being Born? I know it's not a book but a movie night is fun, especially if you've not seen it yourself. It's on Netflix & focuses more on the midwives at homebirths so should really ease her mind on your being at a hospital.

The only book I've ever read w/ my first 3 babies was "What to Expect When You're Expecting"- Meh. And Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. The latter one made me a difficult hospital patient & the birth wasn't the best (strapped to the bed the whole time; not literally, just w/ the monitoring belt. Getting out of the bed was a no-no there.) but it did enable me to go intervention free. My last hospital birth was the difference between night & day, it's amazing the difference being able to move around makes.

I've just ordered Raihma Baldwin's book & am waiting for it in the mail. Congratulations on your baby! I'm 16 weeks too.

[nilatti]

Henci Goer's The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth has lots of science and studies. I highly recommend it.

[SmittyJ]

Thanks so much to both of you.

Recommending The Business of Being Born is a GREAT idea. I have seen it myself and find it to be very accessible in terms of content. I liked all the different perspectives it supported. Voondrop - huge congratulations on your pregnancy!

One of the challenges I'm coming across with books specifically is that so many of them were published 10+ years ago - I realize this doesn't make them any less correct (women have been giving birth for thousands of years - our basic needs haven't changed much). However, my mom is BIG on the latest and greatest technology so the more recent the statistics, the more likely she is to consider the source to be credible.

[nilatti]

Ina May's newest book, Birth Matters, is quite good and came out fairly recently.

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I'm moving this to the general pregnancy forum for more suggestions.