Do you feel like you were FULLY informed when you gave birth? Sadly, a lot of women I talk to have some unresolved feelings or resentments regarding their birth stories. They say “I wish I would have known!” or “I wish I knew that I could say no to that procedure!” But...when did you give up your bodily autonomy?
You didn’t. You were born into it. You were born into a culture of other people telling you what to do with your body. Telling you what they’re going to LET you do with your body.
”Oh you’re 41 weeks? My doctor wouldn’t LET me get that far along”
”Your baby is breech? My OB wouldn’t LET me birth vaginally”
”I’m really wanting to have a VBAC, but they won’t LET me.”
Ladies ladies ladies, this is absolute bullshit. Your body works. Your body was MADE to give birth. You just have to find your way through a political, patriarchal, patronizing system. You just have to find your voice. Do your research, and make your own choices. Your care providers WORK FOR YOU. They do NOT tell you what to do with your own body and your own baby.
In birth, we can’t say ALWAYS and NEVER. There is no certainty in birth, there is a time and a place for medical interventions. But our society has screwed up the birth system SO badly, it makes my heart hurt, it makes me cry, and quite frankly it makes me feel like I’m going to throw up when I think of all the unnecessary harm and trauma that happens in our current birth system.
Please. I am begging you to INFORM YOURSELVES. If you need any help at all with informed choice, please reach out to me and I will get you the information you need to make your own informed choices.
This photo is from an absolutely beautiful home birth in Squamish. She had a doula, support of her partner, and her birth photographer (yours truly!) She was also supported by our absolutely wonderful Roots Community Midwives.
This woman knew exactly what she wanted. But most importantly, she knew what she DIDN’T want.
