Singin' In the Rain and Accostin' Pregnant Mamas

Last night, JDub and I went to see Singin' In the Rain at the Hale Center Theatre with my parents, my sister and brother in law. It was SO much fun. I didn't know what to expect, since I'm a HUGE fan of the movie. I didn't want it to be too copycat. I didn't want it to stray too far. I was convinced that nobody could possibly play Cosmo as well as Donald O'Connor.

I was more than pleased with the production. Wow. It was just SO good. The dancing was incredible. There was real "rain" and we got very wet in the front row. The costumes were amazing. The guy who played Cosmo gave an EXQUISITE performance. He was hilarious and spot-on through the whole show. When it was finished, my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much. All in all, a well spent night. Thanks mom for treating us all!

During intermission I had a little conversation with JDub. I determined that there are three things that are hard for me to watch: live theatre, live soccer and pregnant women. With all three, I just want so much to be involved and it takes some doing to just relax and enjoy.

Today I've been particularly thinking about the pregnant mama connection. Perhaps it's because I'm currently not doing any birth work, but every time I see a pregnant mom (especially one who looks like a first time mom), I just want to accost her. In a loving way, of course. :)

I want to ask every pregnant woman I see the following questions:

"Who is your care provider? Do you trust and feel comfortable with them and do you know about their intervention rates?"
"What childbirth books have you read? Can I give you a good list?"
"Have you taken or do you plan to take a GOOD childbirth preparation class?" (Typical hospital classes don't offer much more than VERY basic physical and consumer information.)

I just want every pregnant woman to have a positive, healthy pregnancy and birth based on the following criteria:

• excellent, compassionate care from a provider who respects her body's ability to give birth and her desires and choices
  
• true choice based on solid information, not scare-tactics or pressure from others
• a wealth of resources to help her navigate the physical, social, emotional and cultural aspects of birth
• a feeling of empowerment and the confidence to, at each moment, mindfully make the best decisions for her and her baby -- no matter what those decisions are
  

For many women, their first birth is not a positive experience. This makes me sad beyond words. I want all women to have the best experiences possible with birth.

Understand, that by "best" I have few definitions of what "type of birth" is best. The one thing I've learned over my last 6 years of birth work is that women know. When well cared for, well-informed and given the message that their bodies work, women inherently know what it is they need at each moment to birth their baby. It is different from woman to woman and from one birth to another. A peacefully accepted, necessary emergency cesarean. A drug-free home birth with music and candles. A hospital birth with a speedy epidural. When mindfully chosen, any of these scenarios can be positive birth experiences.

I find that knowledge, compassionate care, mindfulness and a sense of personal sovereignty have much more impact on how a woman feels about her birth than the actual physical circumstances of that birth.

So, I'm planning to write (and probably have a few guest posts) on enjoying pregnancy and preparing for birth. I hope they will be helpful and that everyone who reads here regularly will disseminate them to as many people as possible.

I have a few ideas of what I will be writing. But I'd like to know what you would like to see. What do you wish you had known with your first birth? What books, advice and preparation have been most helpful for you during pregnancy and birth?