Plastic Box

To clarify, I'm not at ALL faulting moms or trying to say that having a C-section is somehow "less" of a birth experience. My concern is over the incredibly rising C-section rates and the reasons behind them, many of which are brought on by medicines designed to speed up a natural process. It's a vicious cycle and a valid point that was NOT meant to offend anyone's individual experience.

This whole thing gets a C-minus

This summer I have known six women, myself included, who have had babies (or are having very soon) and I am the only one who experienced a  vaginal delivery. Two of the women who have yet to deliver know that they will be having C-sections as well. 

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE??

Why have we, as a medical culture, allowed this crippling fear of being "past a due date" to drive woman after woman into an operating room. Today you have to luck out to be given the privilege of experiencing childbirth, as it appears that one in three babies is now delivered via C-section. Those are crappy odds.

We've all heard "as long as you end up with a healthy baby, who cares how it gets here," but it does matter how babies get here...there has been study after study about the physiological effects of both types of delivery.

I'm not going to write a diatribe on this topic tonight, but as I was counting the new moms I know of Summer 2011, it struck me how insane it was that I'm the only one with a birth story that involves pushing. I wish that they had similar stories to share...ones that don't involve a big blue curtain.

Put down the knife and let women do what our bodies are quite capable of doing ... when they are ready to do it.

Stealing moments

Not that I've been the best blogger this year, but I'm still going to use the excuse that it's harder to sit down and do it now that I have a 5-week-old baby girl.  In fact, she's on my lap right now, luxuriating on the Boppy, waiting for mommy to please entertain her, thankyouverymuch.

She's working so  hard on holding her head up, and is very patient as mommy holds her in one arm and does contract work with the other. We're finding our groove, working and snuggling, taking daily walks with my neighbor Cara and her 8-week-old baby boy, and any time life throws us a curve ball (which has been pretty frequent these past few weeks as some of you know), all I have to do is look down at her big pretty eyes and fat little baby legs and can't help but smile. She's the reason for everything. 

In true form of a blogger who has a baby and can't stop posting pictures of said baby*:

* count your blessings that I haven't figured out how to get photos off my phone yet

Bear with me... I'm quite sure that I'll have other things to talk about soon.