So first of all, I am going to comment on the number of people who read and leave comments on my blog that are in long distance relationships. I feel like it's an incredibly high percentage for such a strange sort of relationship.
Maybe it's just because I speak on it a lot of and it then makes those of you reading who are in them want to speak up... because I know a lot more people read this than comment.
I am so intrigued by this that I would like to put together a little collection of stories, if any of you are interested. Maybe for a blog post I write later this week, in 2 or 3 days or so... I would like to compile short blurbs of how you met if you are in a LDR. It might help shed light on how it happens for those who don't understand how it's possible. If you wanna leave a little paragraph in the comments explaining how you met your far-away significant other, that would be lovely and then I will share it in my blog soon.
Okay. Yesterday enough people expressed an interest in what I have to say on babies and birth and hospitals, that I am going to write about that now.
This is knowledge I have been taking in over the last few weeks and I don't have exact figures or numbers, but I can give you general ideas of things so you at least know the issue.
In America, 99% (ish) of births take place in a hospital. We see it on TV, in movies; the women being zoomed around a perfect white establishments and the doctor saying "it's time" and her screaming and pushing while lying on her back and the whole thing is a pretty terrifying experience.
This isn't how birth needs to be. In fact, it shouldn't be.
In other countries, that rate of hospital birth isn't so high.
It's more common in other countries actually to have a midwife rather than a doctor.
I know that sounds crazy, "I want a trained doctor delivering my baby!" but let's break this down. A Doctor is trained in surgery. A midwife is trained in CHILDBIRTH. To say you would prefer a doctor is like buying your ipod from Walmart instead of the Mac store. The ipod is cheaper at Walmart, yes, but do they have everyone's best interests at heart?
When it comes right down to it, it's ALL about money.
In a hospital, when a doctor says "It's time. This baby needs to come out," they're not telling a mother that her baby is ready to be born. They're telling her that she has occupied bed space long enough, that they'd like to get more patients in and out, that his shift ends in an hour and he'd like to get home for dinner... you think I'm kidding but I'm not.
The greatest part of childbirth is that moment when the baby has been born and before they take it to clean it up or cut the cord or anything, they just thrust the baby into the mother's arms and they get to be together for that first moment, knowing they just completed the miracle of birth together and will love each other their whole lives... mothers experience a rush of hormones called oxytocin that is stronger than any orgasm they will ever have right here, when this happens. Mother/baby bonding begins here, right at this moment.
When you give birth in hospitals, Cesarean Sections are so common that 1 in 3 women will get them. When you have a Cesarean, this bonding moment is stolen from you. It's true that every once in awhile there will be a complication with a baby where a Cesarean is needed, but that is very uncommon. The fact that C-Section rates are so high in America is because we're leaving the act of childbirth to DOCTORS, and Doctors are trained in SURGERY. A quick 10 minute surgery is way easier, more time effective, and what the Doctor is much more trained in. Also, with a Cesarean, the mother can't go back and sue Doctors for the child's health complications the way they can with a natural birth. Doctors will suggest a Cesarean at the drop of the hat, as a preventative method in a long labor when there might not be anything wrong with the baby at all. They'll pull the "it's best for your baby" card, knowing mothers are in a state of mind where they'll do ANYTHING that's best for their baby at that point.
You may think you're skipping the pains of childbirth by having a Cesarean, which is true, but you're forgetting it's MAJOR abdominal surgery. Then after your child is born, when you need to feed it and rock it and learn to care for it, you're stuck in bed with scars and horrible recovery pain, whereas natural birth allows you to bounce back much more quickly.
Also, the fact that hospitals have you lie on your back to give birth - this is one of THE stupidest traditions, as it is a terribly awkward position for the Mother to be in. Her pelvis is literally smaller in this position, making it more difficult for the baby to get out. It makes much more sense for the Mother to be standing or squatting, but THAT in turn makes it awkward for the Doctor to crouch under to catch the baby.
So the lying-on-back method is what's convenient for the DOCTOR, not the MOTHER.
People look down their nose at midwives because it sounds old fashioned, like something we've progressed beyond, but imagine being able to give birth in your own home where you're at ease and welcome and around people who you're comfortable with and support you. If that's too weird (which it can be for some people, I get that), imagine going to a birth center, where they have big tubs for water birth or at least for managing your contractions by sitting in a hot tub of sorts, or with people who don't care how long your labor time is... they want your baby to come when it's ready, not when the big football game is about to start.
It's terrible that women aren't more in control of their own births. They do have OPTIONS, plenty of them, but the American media makes hospital birth seem like the only way to go. For instance, I'll admit the blame does not lie entirely with doctors obviously. A huge problem is that celebrities are making Cesareans trendy, by being able to schedule their surgery and get it over with in one short trip, and this is WRONG. It's not how birth is supposed to be. You don't schedule your birth between your nail appointment and your bikini waxing. How messed up does that sound?
Hospitals and Cesareans and fancy surgery methods are great for emergencies, and it's wonderful that the technology is there if we need it when things go wrong, but we've been giving birth a LOT longer than that stuff has been around. Nature will make birth happen on its own, most of the time. We don't need to intervene with surgery 1 out of every 3 times just because we can.
So there you go. Why hospitals aren't necessarily the right or only option.
I only wish more people knew this.
Today's Word: Extach
1. A mustache that no longer exists;
2. A detachable mustache;
3. A mustache on the face of an ex. -euphonious
Days until Alex is here: 6
Doctor Who: Season 3, Episode 3
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