I read a lot about childbirth. Not because I'm excited about having kids, like my friend Rachel, or planning to do so imminently. Mostly because I'm scared to death of it, and for me, having more information about something tends to make me feel better equipped to cope with it. I keep hoping to read a childbirth story that says, "It's not that bad." Instead, I just seem to be accumulating tales of excruciating pain and terrifying complications. I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end, that the pain will be fleeting compared to the excitement and enormity of raising a child, yada yada yada. But I still have so many questions about the experience, that nothing I've read has answered. Such as:
10. Why does it hurt? Flexing other muscles in the body doesn't hurt.
9. Why does it take so long? I don't understand why the cervix can't just open in the space of a few minutes, like opening your mouth - what is going on that makes it take hours or even days?
8. Where does all the blood come from? Is the uterus bleeding from the force of the contractions? Unless there is a wound, nobody should be bleeding, right?
7. Is a contraction the whole uterus squeezing to push the baby out? or is it the muscles around the cervix flattening out?
6. What is the physiological basis for the common feeling during transition of wanting to give up?
5. Does it still hurt during transition, after the cervix is open?
4. Why are doctors so mean to women who want a natural birth? So many stories I've read are about doctors screaming at women, doing unrequested procedures on them, ignoring their requests, etc. It's almost like they resent a woman who is educated about the birth process and wants to do the best thing for herself and her child.
3. Why do some fetuses develop heads that are bigger than their mothers' pelvic openings (before the advent of C-sections, they would have automatically died, and their mothers too)?
2. Why do some women have life-threatening problems with blood pressure? Why do their bodies respond to pregnancy in such a dangerous way?
and my top question that nothing has answered:
1. Will I be able to do it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment