So I have been finding myself feeling like I am not reallly getting what I need here at mothering.com in regard to pregnancy/birth support, and before you take that the wrong way, cause I *love* this place and refer all the mamas and clients I know here, let me explain.
I have one daughter born at 44 weeks after I was risked out of homebirth by the mw (thankyou!) for postdates. I ended up with surgery. So technically, I am VBAC and while I have some issues surrounding that, I have also healed very thoroughly both physically and emotionally, and feel like I am not carrying much bagagge to work through. In addition, all I did for three years after the surgery was learn about birth, read studies, listen to women, and such. I was subbed to ICAN which was a literal lifesaver for me, until it became time to move on at that point in my life. When I first was a mom and came here to Mothering, this place was exactly what I needed, and it felt like home among so many like-minded moms.
However, now I am wading through all these posts in various sections and I find myself too angry to respond at times (usually angry at the state of birth and the way women have bowed to the birth machine, and the way they have decided to think their bodies are broken). I see women having multiple tests routinely, getting routine D&C's, wondering how to induce, planning to show up at a no-VBAC hospital and try to buck the system during the most sacred moment of their lives, women saying they have no choices since their insurance will only cover xyz, women posting about why their bodies aren't dilating at 36 weeks, etc. Now I am not saying that this is the majority of the people, but it is enough that I feel it is taking my focus away from what I want. There would have been a time when I would have done work here by responding to those posts with accurate information, support and advocacy. Heck, I am a CBE and doula, ran an ICAN group even. But right now, during this pregnancy, I cannot stand to do the advocacy. I just want to tell it like it is, which usually sounds angry, short on patience and not very PC. So I don't respond. Plus I don't need to be doing advocacy, I need to be gestating and surrounding myself with strong, like-minded people who can support eachother along the way.
What I need is a online group of women who, while we may have slightly differing approaches to life and Spirit, are fairly consistent in their philosophy with birth.
So I am wondering where I can get that? Any suggestions? One of the UC groups? maybe HBAC? I was curious if I should resub to ICAN, but it is such a high volume list and quite frankly there is soooo much there that I get angry about too. It is like I feel I need a little club- how elitest am I? But if I was committed to non-religious unschooling, I would be choosey what community of homeschoolers I subbed to for support and ideas, right? Isn't this the same thing?
The other option is maybe just reading in this forum and no others in pregnancy/birth? I do have questions/need guidance at times, so it is important to me to find a good group.
I am grateful for this place... I just am not finding that I totally jibe with it right now overall.