Only 50 days to go!

Wow, the countdown is really on.  I can't believe there are only 50 days to go until my due date!

We had a meeting with a doula this morning.  You are probably wondering why is she meeting with a doula at almost 33 weeks?  Well, a few different things have happened recently that have made me question my previous birth plan, which was to not have a plan and basically try to avoid thinking about the labor and delivery experience.

1. My family was talking about birth (because my aunt is also pregnant right now) and one my aunts said she did it naturally.  This is the aunt who is very wonderful and artistic but not a huge athlete or anything.  So when she said that, I started thinking, if she can do it naturally why can't I?

2. Art took a Daddy Boot Camp class where they talked to the guys about avoiding pitocin, how helpful doulas are, etc.  Art came home and told me all this and I asked if he thought we should get a doula and he said yes!  I was very surprised.

3. We watched The Business of Being Born.  I learned more about the potential negative effects of some of the medical interventions and thought more about how this natural thing might not be so bad.  Why try to avoid or numb yourself to something that is a natural part of life? 

Now, I'm not saying that I am 100% sure I won't have an epidural or any pain medicine...I am keeping my options open.  I am going into it with a very open mind but I just decided that I should educate myself more and try to see what my body is capable of on it's own without automatically jumping to the epidural.  After all, I am educating myself on pregnancy, baby care, breastfeeding, why am I being so purposefully ignorant about the birth experience?

For me, having a doula will be very helpful in helping my confidence and empowering me to get through the experience, especially since this is my first time.  I'm actually getting excited for the birth instead of being afraid of the pain.  I am hopeful that it can be a great experience and a personal accomplishment that I can always look back on with pride.  I'm sure that no matter what, it will be the best day of my life.  I just want to be able to remember every moment and hopefully not be drugged up.  Plus, I want the best thing for my baby and I agree with the women who wonder why we can't have anything stronger than Tylenol all throughout pregnancy but then at labor and delivery we are offered so many strong drugs. 

Hopefully this post didn't come across as judgmental or rude.  I don't want to sound like I have all the answers or that one way is the best way.  I'm just finding out that what I thought was the best way for me is changing and it's a very eye opening experience that I wanted to share.  I definitely respect the fact that everyone has different feelings and situations and that there isn't one "right" or "wrong" way to do this.