May the force be with you: My birth plan

I am not a hero for wanting this. I am also not a hippy for hoping this. I am just a woman who has been blessed with the ability to make choices for myself, and that is to be labouring at home and in water. I’ve heard mouthfuls from people in my life at this point of being 20 weeks pregnant. Having worked as a Nurse in both Labour and Delivery as well as the Neonatal ICU, I know what a hospital birth is like and now I have made the choice to be at home. Why? Because I can and that’s what I want. Need I explain myself more?

I am not an anti-vaxxer, anti-medication, or whatever else you want to call it.

Instead, I believe in myself and my body to do the normal physiological process that all women have endured and are biologically designed to perform. Throughout the process of preparing my body to have this birth both prior to conception when I had to wean off my anti-psychotic medications, and also during this process of carrying my baby in pregnancy, I have learned that my mind and body are stronger than I anticipated it to ever be, and that is a beautiful and magical thing I want to celebrate!

Having cared for so many labouring women and new mothers in my life, I always knew I did not want to be in the same environment they were in, which was in a hospital.

I just never knew why that was, except that obstetricians are medically trained professionals to provide a medical birth that is conducive to so many women who have complications in birth (and I have seen a lot of different complications!) I am so lucky to have a normal healthy pregnancy so far that I feel so inclined to honour this. However, I have always practiced nursing others’ medically and holistically, so why should I ever compromise this type of care for myself? Being under the care of a midwife was always something I knew that was the right choice for me.

I cannot emphasize enough how much “choice” for women is something so powerful and empowering.

Home birth? Sure.

Birthing centre? Why not.

Hospital birth. If that’s your level of comfort, then of course!

At the end of the day, a woman’s experience of birthing and raising a child is magnificent (which doesn’t even do it justice!) and has always been fascinating to me. Why else would I want a career of delivering babies, being around babies, and helping new mothers learn all sorts of things in such a precious and sacred part of their life? Again, and again, and again, it all comes down to CHOICE. Some women never choose this path of birthing and raising children and that decision is for them, and only them, to make.

I just hope that everyone in my life who matters can learn to respect my choices, and maybe learn a few new things about the physiological process of delivering a baby naturally.

xoxo,

Joanne