Yes, I have my babies in a hospital...so what?

Bare with me...I am a mommy and can rant if I want to ;)

Two things I am trying to figure out in regards to our culture....we can't help but follow trends and at the same time we can't help but to buck "the system."

If a celebrity adopts a baby from foreign country so many others follow suit....and these days its "so much better for your body" and "closer to nature" to have your baby at home without drugs and doctors...in a tub with a midwife...doula...and the whole family partaking in the experience. Says who?

Being pregnant with Baby #3 I have heard many sides to birth and many peoples opinions(that sometimes should be kept to themselves) Natural labor, inductions, epidurals, VBACS, c-sections, what have you....everyone has a different story and therefore they have an a opinion. People (strangers) dish out opinions and judgement faster than I can change a diaper (which after two babies and much practice...is pretty fast!) It's crazy how random people will ask you questions about your upcoming birth plans and give you advice based on their past experiences in the grocery store. It's almost as bad as random people asking to touch your tummy (because it's just so sweet...ew?!)

I love having babies (the delivery and few days afterwards) much more than the actual pregnancy itself! Which to some people is weird, I KNOW! I love every minute you wait in anticipation of the arrival of this precious being God created and you get the privilege to parent him/her for the rest of your life! But guess what?...I like having my babies and my experience in the hospital. I look forward to those two days in the hospital recovering with just me, my husband and our new baby.

Both of our babies have been induced a week earlier than the expected due date, due to size. My husband was 10lbs 12 oz and both my babies were projected to be about the same. I was miserable in the last month of both pregnancies and was more than happy to be induced. And due to my low pain threshold, I always knew I wanted an epidural.

I won't go into my birth experiences, because I feel like they are personal stories and if you want to hear mine we can talk about it over a good cup of coffee or thru email. I know not everyone feels the same way about the birthing process (good or bad experience) and doesn't necessarily want a play by play, unlike yours truly. To me....I could sit and watch/listen to birthing stories all day...laugh and cry and then watch/listen all over again. Something about being a mom and loving babies, I guess!?

But I think that there is this new stigma around babies born in hospitals. I just watched this documentary called "The Business of Being Born" (haven't finished it yet) and it makes you feel like a sissy or unknowledgable (word? computer says its not) if you have your baby in this way. Mommies, like me, are made out to seem without any understanding of what "real labor" is supposed to be like, or that we are just doing things based on comfort and convenience. My right as a woman to ask questions and seek truth has been taken away from me by the medical industry and I should take it back!....but what if I have asked questions and come out on the same side I started on? using a OBGYN, with an epidural, in a hospital?

I guess I just don't see it necessary to talk bad about either side. Mommyhood comes with a guilty button built in....chalk it up to hormones, what have you....Do I use the right baby products? Did I put them in the right school? Did I spend enough time with them? Stay home or work? Did I discipline the wrong way? Is it my fault he eats dirt? Rookie or not, mom's don't need to feel any more pressure from one side or the other on how to birth YOUR baby.

Whether you schedule a c-section or go 2 weeks past your due date to deliver your baby in a bath tub.....it should be up to you AND YOUR HUSBAND (don't leave him clueless:) to make an educated decision. It's just one of the many decisions you will make as a parent. Start now with what YOU KNOW and not what someone else is proclaiming "best" If you don't know much, ask around and read up.....but in the end make a decision based on your personal conviction.

Same goes with breastfeeding....if it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world. I have two of the healthiest babies who have been on powdered formula from 6-8 weeks old. Believe me...I CRIED and hurt because I felt like an unfit mother who wasn't going to bond with her baby. Don't do this to yourself. I promise your baby will still know you are his mommy and love you just the same.

.....Maybe I will have this next baby without pain meds. (eh, maybe not) but I could if I wanted to and you shouldn't make me feel any less of a mommy because of it

.....Maybe this one will latch-on and breastfeed successfully....but if not we will still live happily ever after!

(Sidenote: I absolutely love my OBGYN, he's a high-risk doctor, single doctor practice, completely trustworthy and won't do a c-section unless absolutely necessary....he completely looks out for me and my babies 100%.-Just a vote of confidence for those of you who use doctors! I would consider a midwife but love him too much to change things. Why should I if they are things have been successful and I feel good about it?)