Did/do you read birth stories?

[Arwyn]

I'm normally all about the birth stories, and I'm eagerly reading "Adventures in Natural Childbirth", but I find I'm glossing over or entirely skipping people's birth stories in here, and I'm trying to figure out why. Is it a protection mechanism - the closer I get to my own birth, the less I want to focus on others'? Is it because I don't want to take the time (I read the book when I'm on the toilet or otherwise have a short period of time free )? Am I just that much of a writing snob and only want to read well-edited stories? : (I am a snob, it's sad - my favorite Christmas gift this year was Eats, Shoots & Leaves, all about the proper use of punctuation. It's a little difficult for me to see past the style and get to the substance of a lot of stuff online.)

So if you were a birth story fanatic before pregnancy, did that change as you got close to birthing? Did you want to read more, less? If you weren't one of us birth-obsessed crazies, how did/do you feel about birth stories, especially as you approach(ed) your own labor? Do you think your reading/not reading/what you read affected how your birth went, or was itself a reflection of your intuitions about that labor?

[pookel]

I like to read midwife/doctor-written birth stories, but not personal birth stories. I think it's just because people's personal stories tend to involve so much personal, non-birth related detail, and it's frankly a little boring for me.

I read about them less since I had my C-section, but still find the whole process interesting. I've never been present at a vaginal birth - not unless you count the one where I was the baby.

[BelgianSheepDog]

I got really annoyed with a lot of birth stories the closer I got to my due date. All these people in the frickin Ina May books who are all, "well I was 46 weeks pregnant so I wasn't moving as much as before. I was down to taking 6 12-mile hikes everyday, grinding my own flour, spinning my own yarn, and founding my own religious sect. But Ina May reminded me I needed to stay active to get the baby out, so I took a little outing to K2 and that got some light rushes going!"

And I'm like, waking up all the way and grunting to roll over in bed. I could have killed.

And then the baby just slides out with a big fat orgasm too, inevitably.

[pookel]

Originally Posted by BelgianSheepDog

I got really annoyed with a lot of birth stories the closer I got to my due date. All these people in the frickin Ina May books who are all, "well I was 46 weeks pregnant so I wasn't moving as much as before. I was down to taking 6 12-mile hikes everyday, grinding my own flour, spinning my own yarn, and founding my own religious sect. But Ina May reminded me I needed to stay active to get the baby out, so I took a little outing to K2 and that got some light rushes going!"

Have you read "Baby Catcher"? She has more of the funny mishap-type stories.

I also like the dramatic medical stories, like one that I think was from "Baby Catcher," where the woman had a hospital transfer for an emergency c/s. It was something really urgent, like the baby's heart had stopped, and the mother got to the hospital, lay down and said, "My name is XXXX, my birthdate is XXX, my blood type is O positive, I don't need anesthesia, just CUT ME."

I guess that falls into the "superhuman mom" category too, but it was still pretty cool to read. And IIRC, they did take a couple minutes for anesthesia, and the baby ended up OK.

[Turkish Kate]

Total birth junkie here, even when not pregnant, but 100 X worse when I am. I've read every birth story book I could find, but I don't read a lot of the stories on here for the same reason--poor grammar, punctuation, etc. I want to correct them in red pen and send them back. I'm a Grammer Nazi Birth Junkie!:

[clavicula]

love to read them, love to comment on them! since i had a hosp birth (toxemia), i am just dreaming about a homebirth/waterbirth/UC!

[MacKinnon]

I love them, read them and then share them with my DH. I think he is very tired of hearing me say, "I just read a birth story and she..." I have not been as fanatical this time as I was with DD's birth though. With DD I swear that is all I did, read birth stories, in the week or two before birth!

[lotusdebi]

I've taken a break from reading birth stories until after my baby's born. It is a protective mechanism for me. I need to work through my own fears and concerns right now - I don't need to add to those by reading about things that went wonky at other births.

[amitymama]

I didn't read any and wish I had, it would've made me realize that I could've done it without drugs (I had a painkiller). But I did stop reading my pregnancy and birth books a couple weeks beforehand because I was tired of obsessing over it. I just wanted to rest and concentrate on what MY birth experience was going to be, not everyone else's.

[Patchfire]

I argue with birth stories. Also birth videos. Like "They shouldn't have done that! That was totally unnecessary and interventive!" - that kind of thing. Before I had ds, I had no interest in reading any birth stories, pretty much, for about two or three months before I was due. I've already decided that when I get pg again, I'm going to look through the books I have and the bookmarks, make a list of ones I might would read late in the game (i.e. ones I won't argue with! ), and avoid the rest.

[Romana]

I am personally a huge birth addict and I read pretty much every birth story I can get my hands on. I do, however, skim if I get "bored" with details. I liked Adventures in Natural Childbirth - I think mostly because it was one of the few with a section on UC. I was considering a UC at the time and it was eye-opening to read those stories in a book I could buy at Borders.

I didn't get less interested in reading birth stories as my due date approached, but it was my first. I wouldn't be surprised if the second time around, I'm more focused on my own experience and tuning inward as I get closer to the due date. I could see myself seeking out positive stories recommended by others just for cheerleading purposes, but that's about it.

Just a guess, though, as it's all hypothetical for now!

Julia
dd 10 mos

[~Heyokha~]

Originally Posted by lotusdebi

I've taken a break from reading birth stories until after my baby's born. It is a protective mechanism for me. I need to work through my own fears and concerns right now - I don't need to add to those by reading about things that went wonky at other births.

:

[Full Heart]

As I get closer to birth I read positive birth stories. I read them before I had my first and got a lot of great advice for coping with labor from them.

[EmmaJean]

I don't remember..... but I did stop watching Baby Story or only watched the good ones! I think it's good to take a breather from watching others birth/reading stories, so you can focus on your own, visualize the way you want yours to go, etc. I have movies running through my head constantly, so I really loved how doing hypnobabies helped me focus during my second birth and not let my mind wander to all the hundreds of other births I'd seen and read about. With my first, I wasn't as tuned in.....

[kerikadi]

I do read birth stories but only homebirth - guess I'm a snob in that respect.

Keri

[Funny Face]

Originally Posted by BelgianSheepDog

All these people in the frickin Ina May books who are all, "well I was 46 weeks pregnant so I wasn't moving as much as before. I was down to taking 6 12-mile hikes everyday, grinding my own flour, spinning my own yarn, and founding my own religious sect. But Ina May reminded me I needed to stay active to get the baby out, so I took a little outing to K2 and that got some light rushes going!"

: : :

I have to admit that sometimes I was intimidated by the super healthy conditions the moms were in, so jealous! But I LOVED reading birth stories, the longer the better! I wanted to know most everything that happens in labor and real life experience was the best example for me. The closer I got to delivery the more I read because it would have me so excited and pumped up about giving birth! But then I love to read anything I can ge my hands on...

[cottonwood]

I've read literally hundreds of birth stories. I used to be hungry for them, all kinds, the inspiring ones, the frustrating ones, the boring ones, the happy, the sad. Towards the end of my third pregnancy (my first planned UC) I lost all desire to read birth stories, except for some of the stories in Spiritual Midwifery, which is strange because I really dislike the style of midwifery practiced by Ina May and many of the Farm midwives. But there was something about the altered state of consciousness of the mothers writing those stories that appealed to me. I didn't want anything cerebral. When I was pregnant with my fourth I didn't want to read any birth stories, or anything about birth for that matter, except for a sweet little book by Jean Heglund called The Life Within, which consisted of anthropological trivia and philosophical thoughts she had during one of her pregnancies. I had a very strong desire to focus within, make it all about me.

I haven't had any interest in birth stories since then, unless the mother is someone I'm particularly interested in. Here's what it is: I was reading stories before to help me come to a place of peace and understanding about what Birth is to me. The stories were interesting to me only because they potentially had something to give me. But now that I've got what I was looking for I don't feel the need to be looking for it any longer.

[sapphire_chan]

I've already stopped reading birth stories for pretty much the same reason (er, same as Arwyn I mean although what Fourlittlebird says right above is also resonating).

Also, and I'll admit this was the more important factor, they started all sounding the same to me. As though they were written to a template. But then I'm very sensitive to patterns and repetition.

[PiePie]

Originally Posted by Arwyn

II'm eagerly reading "Adventures in Natural Childbirth"

I loved that book! It was such fun!

[mykidsmom776]

I was never all that interested before in birth stories. But now, as I'm about 13.5 weeks into the pregnancy of my fifth child, and first homebirth, I'm devouring hb and UC stories. (I'm leaning towards UC if I can't find a midwife that will stay out of the way). I even read the sad ones right now -- and oddly they don't scare me away from my choice.

I read them here and other places, but I do like the first person view from the birthing mother. I know how a baby is born, I've done it four times (albeit in a hospital), so the medical stuff isn't as interesting to me. But I appreciate hearing the thoughts of the woman as she's in labor. Sometimes it's humorous, sometimes it's incredibly spiritual, sometimes it's overwhelming sad, and sometimes it just is. I find an incredible amount of comfort that woman of all beliefs, personalities, etc. are able to find something important about their homebirths (assisted or unassisted) and it gives me more confidence in my decision.

I don't know how many more stories I'll read, however. I usually read a ton of information on a subject over a short amount of time until I stop feeling like I'm finding anything new, then I completely drop it. LOL

I do appreciate the women who have shared their stories here as they have been very inspirational.