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...!

