I've written before, way back on this blog, about my birth story. It wasn't a great experience and mainly I blame myself for not being better informed. By the time I was taken in for induction, I was pretty fed up at carrying my bump around and the SPD was becoming unbearable but I feel like if I'd had more support from my midwife (I'd never had the same midwife twice at the antenatal clinic) and did some research on how safe it is to go past 42 weeks, I probably would have waited it out to see if my stubborn child was going to make an appearance on her own (I was told that going past 42 weeks was dangerous - the perfect word to shit a first time, heavily pregnant woman up).
What I didn't know then is that it's perfectly ok to go past 40 weeks and even 42, the baby will come out... it has to and there is no doubt about that. And there are plenty of cons when it comes to being induced, not especially that you have someones hand shoved up your vagina countless times a day until there's sign of an impending birth. I'm speaking from a bad experience, I know women who have had a great experience with an induction but if there's no need for one, really no need for one then... why not just wait? But forearmed is forewarned and you can bet your bottom dollar that this time I'm going to do my research and ensure that my midwife is supportive (and hopefully the same woman every time) and positive (I was told at around 32 weeks that my baby was measuring small by tape measure standards and that they may have to deliver early by c-section... went for a private scan to be told that my baby was measuring just fine... I spent the majority of that pregnancy scared by someone or other).
There is a great article here about avoiding induction and the experience of one woman...
"The most important lesson I learned was: trust yourself. Others are scared because they can’t feel what you can
feel. I knew my body was designed to carry this baby. I’d got through nine months (OK, ten months…) perfectly
safely and didn’t believe my body would just ‘give up’ at the end. That kind of faith is frowned upon in
conventional medicine because it can’t be controlled or rationalised. I chose to listen to people who respected
my judgement and supported my positive attitude, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made."
I've found The Positive Birth Movement to be a great help, alongside The Calm Birth School's program (more on that later). TPBM is a great site for any pregnant woman, whether you're having your first baby or seeking positivity for subsequent births that may not have gone so well. You can read some amazing birth stories here, join your local PBM group or get involved through social media. They even hold workshops. After reading through their site, I feel so much more positive about this pregnancy and hope that I'll still feel the same as my pregnancy continue.
You can find websites recommended for their positivity during pregnancy and birth, great books to read and Facebook groups worth a follow. I cannot shout about them enough and urge every pregnant woman to go check them out.
You can find out more about The Positive Birth Movement here. It's time to shake up childbirth.
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