Tuesday 16 February 2010

Birthing


I've written previously about my two birth experiences. Both were completely different, and both were incredible. The Doctor loves to hear about how he arrived. We were lucky to be surrounded by passionate, supportive midwives who empowered us to make our own decisions (that coupled with being incredibly lucky made for two beautiful births).
If you're passionate about women having choices and being able to make their own decisions - then rally 'round sisters.
Shout it from the rooftops.
The Sydney event will be outside the office of Tanya Plibersek
11-117 Devonshire Street Surry Hills NSW 2010
Thursday, February 18 from 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Find your local event here.
For more information visit here.
Found via the ridiculously cool Rummey Bears

12 comments:

Shelley Trbuhovich said...

i am passionate about this. passionate about women making their choices, because regardless of the birthing outcome, if you have made the decisions, you'll still feel that YOU owned the situation. i had two entirely different scenarios, the things they had in common, they were loooo-oooo-oonng, posterior, mid-wife led and i called the shots (in consultation of course.) with petit i decided to get an epidural on the third morning of my labour when things weren't getting past 8cms. so then everything that happened from there, i owned....as unpleasant as it was! and the same with petit-petit, i owned being a stubborn mule who refused to leave the birthing centre after 2 and a half hours of pushing. he eventually arrived and all was well. (i swear they should bottle those post birth hormones....!!) completely different scenarios, both as incredible as the other because i chose what was happening as it happened. surely this is the only way? why are aussie medicos so backwards when it comes to birthing? ps. rant over. i loved your birth stories.

Tania said...

I'm doing warm-up shouts at the top of my lungs even as I type.

Bianca said...

Way to spread the word. So much silence or outright apathy is what gets these ridiculous laws past in the first place. Its not about your personal choice, it’s about HAVING the choice!

My grandmother was not allowed to even have my grandfather present at any of her 10 births It disgusts me that her generation after fighting so hard for the rights we have today get to see us piss it away due to outright apathy, and blind acceptance of misinformation.

Snooze said...

My first labour was crap and I have a gammy hip because of the doctor shoving my hip into the stirrups that didn't take into account the human being at the other end of the leg. That and the rest of my experience which left me feeling as birth was something being done to me rather than happening to me (if you get the difference) and second time around I had a midwife (in a hospital) and had the best experience. I can't come but I'm totally there with you in spirit.

Cath @ chunkychooky said...

I am so in!! I think a group from my town is driving down for it- we have a lot of homebirths in our little town so these new changes are very huge for this community.

Jodi said...

would love to come...but will be there in spirit. Anna is very cool - even cooler in real-life. she's the sweetest x

Sarah said...

Yup I am going to be at the Hobart one!

mylittlebirdie said...

there's no melbourne one however they'll be able to hear me shouting in hobart and ballarat!
i chose midwife care and they were fantastic. a sole midwife ended up delivery my baby as the doctor wasn't due to check me until 8, well he/she still hadn't checked me by 9.09 when miss poppet came literally 'flying' out and the midwife caught her. they were supportive, reasurring and compassionate throughout my entire pregnancy, birth and hospital stay. i completely support the right to choose. i would choose them again no questions!

Lindy said...

Eeeek....I feel like I'm opening a can of worms here....but I feel compelled to share.
Having lived through the death of my 3 month old daughter who was born full term, if I could go back in time and was told your daughter will live, but she's going to be born "our" way. I would have eaten hot coals and delivered her in the middle of a circus ring to have her live.
Surely the focus of child birth is the end result, a live healthy baby, and not the emphasis of "how" they came out?
I wish that the worst thing I had to feel about the whole childbirth expereince was how my baby was delivered, I would swap with you in a heartbeat this over the pain of your baby dying. Who cares how they came out, they lived!!! You never know what you've got till it's gone.

Lexi:: PottyMouthMama said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Veronique said...

Great post - and thanks for letting us know. This is such an important issue, and while governments think it's ok to make decisions for us, it's not. Taking away the right for women to make choices is like taking away the right for women to vote. Even though I won't have any more children, I will support this, for my daughter's rights. And for my daughter's daughter.

Here's one of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite birthing gurus, Sheila Kitzinger:

"Health is not a medical artifact. Economics, politics, the social system in which we live, conditions in the work-place, poisons in the environment, and personal relationships are all elements in causing health and disease. Doctors treat illness; they do not make us healthy. For the vast majority of women physical health and a sense of well-being during pregnancy is nothing to do with how often they visit the doctor, but with the social conditions in which they live."

Katherine said...

All for choice over here! Ever read the stats on birth intervention? Scary. Being well informed leads to making well informed choices, specific to your situation and nobody need fell guilty about that.