Natural Birth...Natural Pregnancy.

I've grown up hearing the birth and postpartum stories of my mother, her mother and more recently, my sister. Natural birth is highly revered among my family and I've always dreamed of having a natural birth with my own children someday. Of course, birth is unpredictable and cannot be planned rigidly, but having a goal is a positive thing and to that end I've purchased many books and DVDs and will start prenatal yoga in week 16.

So far, my favorite pregnancy book is The Official Lamaze Guide. Lamaze isn't just about breathing techniques anymore, it's about gaining confidence and learning to trust your body throughout pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. 

image from lamaze.org

As I read more and more of the book, I've come to understand how important it is to gain confidence throughout pregnancy and how much the approach and schedule of prenatal care can affect that. To be honest, after our "end of first trimester scan" I was so relieved I felt a major letdown of stress I had been shouldering. It was a shock to my system and I and came down with a nasty stomach virus a few days later. The period leading up to "the scan" wasn't any better. I didn't sleep a wink the night before because I was so afraid. I had no idea what I would do if the doctor were to tell me the baby showed signs of Down syndrome, or that there were a limb missing or a heart problem, or no heartbeat at all! I was terrified.

Initially, I was euphoric with relief following the scan. Then I started dreading the next check, or as it seemed to me, hunt for problems. Worrying that much made the pregnancy less enjoyable. I felt I should restrain my joy and happiness in case something went wrong. I didn't even feel like posting on this blog anymore. There's something not right about that.

Looking through (and translating) the rest of my doctor's prenatal control schedule, I realized there are many, many more ultrasounds scheduled, a vaginal exam in week 27 and a cervical ultrasound to assess risk for early delivery around the same time. For someone as young as I am and in excellent health, it seems absolutely unnecessary to do all that. As much as I enjoyed seeing the baby on the ultrasounds, it is a fact that the safety of ultrasounds hasn't been proven conclusively. And unless there is a serious medical indication, I can't see any reason to go prodding around inside a pregnant woman. That seems like asking for infection or early labor, not preventing it. 

When I changed doctors recently, I did so for a number of reasons. One reason was time. To get to the old doctor's office was 45 minutes each way on the train and tram. Now it's just a ten minute walk. But the main reason I switched doctors was because I wanted a natural birth. Now I am starting to think that the best way to have a natural birth is to have a natural pregnancy. I don't feel confident or in control when everything is external and reliant on some technology or test. Having such a medically managed pregnancy doesn't help me trust my body; it makes me feel my body needs help from technology. 

This week dad-to-be and I are visiting a midwife a friend recommended. It turns out that we can have the midwife and the doctor and at our appointment, the midwife will explain how we divide the check-ups between the two. I'm looking forward to learning more about this. I want to keep my doctor and deliver at Klinik Im Park so I can enjoy the five-star hotel treatment during the stay after the birth. Klinik Im Park is also less then 1 kilometer away from dad-to-be's workplace, so it really is ideal. I just need to find a way to make the process of pregnancy reflect my birth plan. The truth is that I do trust my body. I can feel the pregnancy progressing naturally and with ease. I can tell that the baby is so happy in there and that there is nothing wrong or to worry about. I feel good and unless there is some medical indication or I don't feel good, I don't see any reason to monitor beyond blood pressure, urine and listening to the baby's heartbeat. 

So, at my next appointment I'm going to tell the doctor I want a natural pregnancy and I'm going to explain why. I hope she will like that idea.