there's just something that has been bugging me lately, since i gave birth to Zac 10 days ago... Just wondering if anyone else has felt the same, or maybe i'm being over-sensitive and hormonal!!??

I've had 2 beautiful births. Evan was born after a 7 hour, 23 minutes pushing with no interventions or drugs, other than stitches. Zac was born after a 3 hour labour, 7 minutes pushing again with no interventions or drugs. What is bugging me is the reaction from people that declare how luck i am that it was so "easy", and how if childbirth was that "easy" for them they'd have lots of children etc etc.

That annoys me because I spent months preparing for both of those birth experiences. I didn't sit on the couch for 9 months eating junk. I read lots and lots of articles and books on birth and pregnancy and decided how i wanted it to be for us, and was proactive in making that happen. I ate well, and did low impact excersise (mainly walking), especially in the weeks leading up to the birth. I also had acupuncture, and spent lots of time listening to relaxation music and bonding with my baby in the womb. During labour i made sure i was active and walking around and doing what i felt i needed to do. With Zac i had written a birth preferences document that was quite detailed and specific, and made sure my midwife and Ob respected it all (and asked for their input and experiences etc). I birthed Zac on my knees, i allowed him to push through at his own pace (thus not requiring stitches). And what's more is that the three hours of labour with Zac was SO FAR from easy it is a joke to consider it easy!!!!! It was very intense pain, but i didn't ask for drugs because i knew that wasn't what i wanted for my child birthing experience. There definately came a time i was screaming out saying "i can't do it anymore!", but I did do it. And it was the most empowering experience of my life, mainly because i felt so proud that i had done it the way i wanted to do it, as a result of 9 months of hard work and reading etc. To tell me i had it "easy" feels like taking that sense of achievement away.... anyone understand what i mean?? I would love for someone to say "well done!" instead of "oh you are so lucky to have it so easy!".

OK that's my little vent over with...!