A Baby Story

Usually I watch the news in the morning. Plus, I usually leave the house at either 8 or 9 a.m., depending on whether I have Strollerfit. But today, I had to leave the house later, because I have work stuff that will make me miss Strollerfit on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. So I stayed home this morning. In an odd turn of events, Ander slept in a little (until 7 a.m.) and went back to sleep at 8 a.m. (making me sure that he is getting sick, despite no other symptoms), and the news was crap, so I watched A Baby Story. I hadn't really watched it since I was pregnant.

It made me angry.

There was a woman who wanted a drug-free VBAC (vaginal birth after a prior c-section). No, that's not the part that made me angry. :) I don't understand (and will never really understand, despite many of my friends efforts to explain) why a person would not get an epidural in most cases (yum, epi...), but I really think that they are entitled to try for a drug-free birth, if that is what they want.

But I really felt like this lady was prepared to endanger her baby, and I find that unacceptable. She was 42 1/2 weeks pregnant, and her midwife was worried. There were no signs of labor, and the midwife went through all the statistics regarding fetal problems that happen after 42 weeks. Basically, the placenta generally starts to stop working after that time. It might not, of course, but the problem is that once it does, it can harm or kill the baby, and you might not know it's not working until it's too late. The lady clearly knew this; she was a doula. Still, she resisted an induction.

It really shocked me how much it made me angry. But it struck me the same way it strikes me when a mom leaves her toddler all alone in the play area in mall. It's irresponsible parenting.

Except that everyone would say the mom in the mall was irresponsible, but few would dare question the mom who chooses her birth plan, even if she takes it to the point that it is irresponsible. Thank God her midwife was strong, and articulate, and frankly, did not take no for an answer. Basically, to avoid induction, this woman would have had to gone against medical advice. Everyone wanted the perfect birth for this woman, but as a mom of a preemie, let me tell you that sometimes the perfect birth is just impossible.

Etcetera.