Feeling Like a "Natural Woman"

Here we are, 31 weeks into things! Hard to believe there are only 9 weeks left until we meet our baby. I am so thrilled that we're about to become a family, and couldn't be happier to be taking this journey with my fabulous husband.

We're 7 weeks into our Bradley Method classes and have been loving every minute of them. When I first told one of my friends I was expecting, she said, "Wait...let me guess - cloth diapers, homemade baby food and Bradley Method?" She was right on!

One of the things I love about Bradley Method is the empowerment that it gives to the couples. Even though I'm a woman, and obviously was made to make babies, I guess I never had really thought about what my birth experience would be like until I got pregnant. Since then, of course, it has been ALL I can think about.

I didn't really consider the choices that women have for labor. I don't think many women do! One of the saddest things I keep getting from friends who tell me their birth stories is that they still don't realize that they didn't have to have the epidural, which led to the pitocin, which led to the c-section.

Then again, I am the woman who makes her own butter, crafts raviolis from scratch, and sews her own bassinet sheets. I like to break things down and see what it would take for me to do it myself. I don't mind taking the longer route if I know it's going to be more satisfying. I suppose a lot of women would rather just "get the drugs" so that they can have a convenient, pain-free birth (let's talk about this after you have the baby though - is that episiotomy really less painful?).

What do you miss, though, when you take that path? You miss the opportunity to acknowledge yourself as a powerful, competent woman who can accomplish the most amazing task in the world - birthing a child! You miss the chance to share the most ideal, healthiest, and most natural entry into the world with your child. You miss the chance to show your partner what you and your body can do without medical interventions.

I intend to have this baby naturally, with the help of my husband and the preparation we've had. I realize that sometimes medical interventions are necessary, and I don't want to be too preachy before I've actually gone through the process. I will say, however, that I am proud that we have educated ourselves about the choices we have and plan to bring this baby into the world as naturally, healthfully, and peacefully as we possibly can.

And look out world - you've got a future Bradley Instructor on your hands!!