Today I plan on being short and sweet. Not only because what I have to say is brief but also because I have to be home to get dinner on for my children :)
When someone tells me it does not matter whether people give birth without intervention or not...what matters is a healthy baby, I respond, "Would you say the same thing to the mountain climber? It doesn't matter whether you flew a helicopter to the top or spent 8 long hours on the ascent. It's all the same because you got to the summit anyway." The key difference being, the mountain climber has most likely trained for this by conditioning her body and getting herself psyched up for the main event. The mountain climber was prepared and hoped to push herself to her physical limit. The mountain climber set out to achieve a personal goal. No one in their right mind would argue that their achievement didn't matter or mattered less just because someone else chose to ride in a helicopter.
I wish we would stop comparing. To the mountain climber, I say, "Go for it! Believe in yourself and your body and come out stronger and more self-assured." To the helicopter rider, I say, "Enjoy the magnificent views and celebrate your chance to participate in this life-altering experience."
Each one of us has to make our own decisions about birthing just as we do about parenting, educating, nutrition, etc... It would be stupid to de-value or undervalue a choice that means more discipline and hard work just as it would be stupid to judge or condemn a choice to feel less pain.
When the going gets tough, in birth, and in life, we have the option typically to choose to push through or to choose another direction. There are times when pushing through grants the deeper rewards. There are times when pushing through starts to look more like pig-headedness and results in more frustration and emotional upset.
Life is not black and white. Making the right choice tends to look drastically different depending on personality, temperament, situation, and surroundings. It would be a lovely thing indeed, to allow the right choice to differ person to person.
There are a few absolutes in this life, a few black and white this is right, this is wrong scenarios. Birth is not one of them, in my opinion. Do not undervalue a woman's decision to labor without medication. Do not denigrate a woman's decision to alleviate her pain in childbirth. It seems simple, right. Why do people get so snippy about this??
Ultimately, when the going gets tough what we all need is help and support and the freedom to do what we need to do. Rather than snipe at each other we should rally and offer the support needed without judging and with open hearts and minds.
Thanks for letting me get up on my soapbox for a minute :)
Now on to more practical problems...what to make for dinner?!
