Skip to main content

Anything Else We Can't Talk About?

Politics. Got it. Religion. Okay. People are funny to me sometimes the way we get so worked up about particular subjects, as I'm about to do. You are forewarned.

During a rather banal conversation, I threw in that I want to have a home birth. (When I am finally pregnant.) I should have just said, "Do you know how BIG your BUTT looks?" or made a few "momma" jokes. That would have been more acceptable.

I just love when someone feels the need to lecture me about a decision. I'm all for input. In fact, I like hearing what others have to say before making my decision. That's the reason I RESEARCHED HOMEBIRTHS before I decided that it's what I would prefer if my pregnancy was normal and a hospital was near enough in the event of an emergency.

Like I said, people are funny sometimes. I've heard enough child birth horror stories that are supposed to convince me that I must be in a hospital to give birth. Now I have another to add to the collection. Each one ends the same. "I could have died if the almighty doctor had not been there to save me."

Sorry for the sarcasm. You really don't deserve it. I just wish I could have a conversation for a change where no one is trying to convert me to their side. Don't get me wrong, I love debates. What I don't love is an unspoken agenda to prove I'm wrong. Or the assumption that I don't realize women and babies can DIE in childbirth.

I get it. Despite occasional appearances, I'm really not a total IDIOT.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Christy said…
I have heard both sides as well. I know someone who almost lost their baby in a home birth. I know someone else who had beautiful home deliveries and would never do it any other way. What is important is to research and make a decision that's best for you and your baby. The truth is, whichever way they come into the world, the birth process is the easy part of having kids :) There's so much more important stuff to get up in arms about!
5:49 PM
Mary said…
I had home birth for all three of my boys and I know exactly what you mean regarding opinions and the looks you get when people find out you did such a horrible thing. It's still considered pretty wacky. I've found that the same is true for home schooling, spanking, adoption, the number of kids you have and the kind of church you go to. People are tender and need to be handled carefully. I'm realizing that with each opinion I develop, someone else with a differing opinion will take offense because if I'm right...they must be wrong right? I don't know why we can't assume that God leads us each in different ways and what is right for me may be completely wrong for you...but it doesn't make you wrong.
6:20 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflections on 2006

At some point near the end of December, I chronicle some of the major events of the passing year. I've been doing this since I was 13, and although it still seems a little hokey to me, I'll do this again for 2006. I started 2006 as a completely different person than the one sitting before my computer now typing these random thoughts. I speak my mind more (although still not enough). I've stood up for myself by saying no to people I love and refusing to eat potato chips just because they were "there". I actually purchased...and wore...and took a picture in a sleeveless shirt. I saw both the emergency room and Cancun during the middle of the night (and they both make fascinating stories). I started a whole new year of teaching and finally realized that it's not my calling. I learned that people are human just like me, and that it's okay to open up to them. In that vein, I've cultivated some amazing friendships with some truly wonderful women. I've se...
1 comment
Read more

Running

Sunday night, after the sun set, I found myself in my front yard with Winnipeg. Something snapped under my feet, and I started running as fast as I could...wearing flip flops. And it felt so good to feel my legs push my body forward as my feet touched and lifted off the ground. My lungs filled with air. Good air that they have been craving. I felt like I was flying. Dogs are the perfect companion for such random moments, and she jumped right into the game. She's a faster runner than I am, and she can be a bit frightening to watch barreling forward because you think she won't stop. But she usually does. I'm still smiling at the thought of me and my dog running like maniacs in the front yard. As fast as we could. And laughing loudly. And not caring who might have seen it. Feet touch ground. Lift off. Pushes me forward. Flying. Lungs fill with air. Exhale. Pushes me forward. Satiated. Legs jump in the night. Dodges. Pushes me forward. Delight. Here there is no finish line. We ...
1 comment
Read more

On Muchness

A dear friend confessed to me last night that he had lost his muchness and found it again. I confessed the same and even admitted the ridiculous series of events that recently sapped my own muchness. That little confession seemed to do wonders. It's so easy to fall out of step with myself. In fact, I do it quite naturally. Growing up in a Christian home, I took to heart the instructions to love my neighbor more than I love myself. Oh, wait! I just checked the scripture. "Love your neighbor as yourself." I may have been doing this the wrong way. I ended 2010 with the resolution that I would no longer make decisions out of fear. I am starting 2011 with the resolution to make decisions based on what I want. I've struggled with this because I've always believed that I should consider the needs and wants of others before my own. I'd like to think this is a valiant approach, but the truth is that it only leads to martyrdom...and I don't think I was given the opp...
2 comments
Read more