Got to pipe in here too.  But I would say that after having one medicated
birth and now I am hopefully some day soon going to have my second natural
birth, natural is BETTER!  Sure, it hurt... but I went through Bradley
classes and learned how to cope with the pain.  I think that's the biggest
point right there, with our first we just took a hospital child prep. class
and thought that was all we needed.  We didn't learn how to deal with the
pain, how to relax or anything.  And my poor husband had no clue how to deal
with me.  But then after our natural birth, our midwife asked if she could
hire him out since his coaching skills were so wonderful!  I swear, my
husband could be the first male doula!

One thing that I think is important to tell new moms (when they are pg) is
that while it's the worst pain you will ever have, it's also the best pain.
After giving birth the second time I got up feeling better than I had in
months!  My baby took right to the breast (and is still there!).  If we can
get more moms to realize that the birth is about their baby and not so much
about them then maybe we can get them to understand why no drugs is better.
Birth can be so spiritual if we let it and we give up the fear that goes
with it.  This reminds me of a wonderful book that I just read, and forgive
me for not knowing the author off hand.... the book is called The Red Tent.
It's about the family of Jacob in the Bible.  It's religious fiction but a
very interesting insight into how it *could* have been.  It's written by a
wonderful Jewish author.


Melisa
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Did you hear? Breast is Best!
Certified Lactation Counselor
IBCLC Exam Candidate
Homeopathic Counselor in training
www.nurturingmama.com

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