Thursday, May 03, 2007

Why I Even Bother...

...going to bed at this point is beyond me. In fact, it's pretty moot. I don't sleep, I'm up all night either A) too uncomfortable to sleep or B) going to the bathroom every half hour or C) stressing over stupid stuff, etc.
Last night was typical. Thing One has a field trip to some natural caves today, and she needed to be dropped off at school at 7:45, in order to make the bus. Well, I thought about it all night long--would I wake up in time? I had to make sure that I left at 7:35 to get there, and what would I do with the boys? (Since they can't be dropped off until 8am, etc. etc.)

Couldn't turn my brain off, over something pretty trivial.

And now my feet are swollen. I am officially OVER being pregnant. I have a Dr. appt at 10:30 this morning, and I wonder what she'll do when I get on my knees and BEG her to induce me ASAP? Will she be embarrassed? I certainly won't. I am READY.

There is a hot debate going on in a writing forum I lurk in, on using pain medication during childbirth vs no meds/natural birth.

There are some women who truly believe that having a baby naturally (sans any painkillers) is the only way to really "experience" the birth, and bring mother and baby closer together. My hat is off to those courageous souls.

My thoughts? Sure. I'd really like to look at the baby and say "I just went through twelve hours of complete and utter hell for you--woo hoo!" No thank you. Granted, I would have a really GREAT guilt tool later on in life, because I could remind said child (whenever they're acting up)that I labored for twelve hours with them in a state of pain that can only be rivaled by experts at 18th-century Torture, but hey, who wants to do that?

I'm all for pleasant experiences, folks. I'm all for feeling a few cramps and getting The Needle and then feeling blissfully nothing, until the baby is out. Granted, I got a taste of the "Real Deal" when, with Thing Two, the Dr. told me to go as long as I could before I got the epidural, and when I finally started crying for it, the Anesthesiologist took their SWEET time getting to me, at which point I was NOT HAPPY. (Hubby told me I was cursing like a sailor but I don't remember). ME? Curse like a Sailor??? *wink*

ANYWAY, I say, why make it a horrible experience when you can make it great? Why be delirious and nauseous with pain when you can chat and laugh and then...be done? Hmmm, not a difficult choice for me.

I also believe pain threshold has a lot to do with it. There are some women who can go through the pains, with little discomfort.
Then there are women like me, who SOB over paper cuts.
I am an unabashed wuss, when it comes to those things. So, bring on the drugs, the big heavy mallet, whatever. I don't want to feel a thing.

Wish me luck today!

2 comments:

Michelle Miles said...

You know I had my son at home with no drugs. And it wasn't because I wanted to have the "experience" it was because (a) I hate hospitals and (b) there are places that needles and knives DO NOT need to go. You know? I decided from the moment I was pregnant that's what I was going to do. No doctors. Just a midwife. And that's what I did.

I remember laying there and thinking "this isn't so bad and it's got to get worse, right?" and it never did. I was in labor for 10 hours. By the time it was time to push, the strangest thing happened. It didn't really hurt anymore. It was just push and wait. And VOILA the baby was born.

I would do it again in a heartbeat. However, I'm not as young as I was then and I'm not sure I could handle it. HAHA I cry over a paper cut too. But labor... that was a piece of cake. :)

Anonymous said...

Take the drugs. You'll go through enough pain when the kid's a teenager. Mak ethe birth as easy as possible.