In 2007 we were thrilled to be pregnant again. We knew we had our work cut out for us if we wanted a natural, physiological birth. We lived in an area where hospital VBAmC (vaginal birth after multiple cesareans) wasn't "allowed", where independent midwifery was illegal and where assisted home births were illegal. EVERYONE said, "no" including the one underground lay midwife we found in our area. After many battles and arguments, our hospital agreed they couldn't FORCE a cesarean surgery on me and that I could "attempt" a trial of labor if I was determined. But they used fear tactics and were not supportive as we initially hoped they'd be. Out of resources, out of money, out of patience and, quite frankly, feeling out of time, we turned to ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) in the last three months of my pregnancy. I found a sisterhood there with thousands of other women across the country who had stories and journeys similar to mine. We supported one another, shared studies and resources, prayed for one another, mourned our multiple losses and cheered for miraculous successes. These women challenged me daily often answering my questions with more questions. I began seeing through a new set of lenses as I re-discovered my beliefs about birth.
My husband and I read every piece of "birth" material we could get our hands on ranging from scientific studies with hard facts to provider opinions based on personal experiences. We learned about the history of birthing, what twists and turns it had taken since moving from the home to the hospital, and how unnecessary interventions and lack of personalized care have led to a general fear of birth and the need for women to be rescued. We discovered that birth only became an "emergency" in the US over the last 100 years and that routine hospital birthing procedures, as I experienced with my first baby, often directly lead to difficult or even life-threatening events during delivery (hemorrhage, cord prolapse, etc.). We were surprised to discover that, despite all of our flashy technology, our country still ranks next to highest in birthing deaths of all 41 developed countries.
Prior to this journey I was terrified of birthing outside of a hospital--too much could go wrong. But after researching life-threatening things that happen in an UNinterrupted and UNmedicalized birth, our fears of birthing at home began to dissolve. Our prayers were met with an unexplainable peace and others who were storming the gates of Heaven on our behalf confronted us with the same overwhelming peace -- an answer: a gentle "knowing" that God would bring this baby to us in a most unexpected and gratifying way. The more we read, the more confident we were that an emergency in an out-of-hospital birth could either be detected early enough for a hospital transfer or it could be remedied by an attentive caregiver--one who would never expect an electric machine to do their job for them.
In the last three weeks of my pregnancy we turned over every stone we could find in an effort to get a safe and truly natural birth. We finally put out a message through the local radio station that we were looking for a private pilot who could fly us, in labor, to a yet to be decided location. Pilot calls began coming in as we widened our search parameters for a provider to attend our birth. We were finally at complete peace as our journey took us in a direction we never anticipated--a several-hour drive, while in labor, crossing two state lines, in the middle of the night, and during a surprise snowstorm. We discovered the gift of a knowledgeable Certified Nurse Midwife and a birthing space devoid of fear.
And guess what happened... |
