The Business of Being Born,
and I just ordered a book my friend Becky recommended called
Natural Childbirth: The Bradley Way.
My friend Jodi also gave me a book to read about water birth called
Choosing waterbirth: Reclaiming the Sacred Power of Birth.
I have known only a few people to actually deliver naturally and it just astounds me that the percentage of women getting c-sections in America continues to rise. Just today I had a customer ask me if I had scheduled a c-section. WHAT?! I'm not Britney Spears. Here are some revelations and statistics for you to devour:
-C section rates have risen to more than 29% in 2004 and continue to climb
-The United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world
-Midwives attend over 70% of births in Europe and Japan, but that figure totals less than 8% in the US
-The US spends twice as much per birth as any other country
I don't think I want a home birth because it comforts my American soul to be in a hospital, but I don't want to use drugs or be confined to a hospital bed if I want to move around. I just want to have a healthy delivery and a healthy baby. I truly believe our bodies were made to do this and that the more we interfere with the miracle of life, then the more room we have for error. God designed us purposefully.
If anyone has any advice or experience I would love the comments. Please email a link to this post to anyone you think might have some feedback for me.
