I feel like a Hippie!

A pregnant friend in the US has just let us know she's being induced tomorrow, 10 days early from her EDD, because her doctor thinks her baby's estimated weight of 8 1/2 lbs is too big to go to full term!

I'm soooo glad we live in NZ, where our options about childbirth are more open! And that we are generally more empowered to say no if we don't agree with something.

I suggested to her that she use a bath or shower to help with some of the pain, but all her US friends are telling her to get an epidural as soon as she's admitted.

Anyway, never thought I'd be considered a hippie, but by comparison I'm well out there

Hehe, yeah my friend in the US also automatically had an epidural as soon as she was admitted when in labour with both her kids, she didn't believe it when I had DD with no pain relief (she just never thought you could do that!) now she says she wants to try and not get an epidural when they have their next baby now she knows it's not compulsory hehe (if she's allowed that is!)

I also must be a hippie as on Good Morning a while ago, a lady was talking about attatched parenting, and said "I don't mean you have to be one of those hippies who breastfeed, use cloth nappies, wear their babies and co-sleep" lol, I'm guilty of three of those, and have co-slept on the odd occasion when necessary each to their own eh!

hehe... GOOOOOOOO THE HIPPIES!!!

Although I'm a little perplexed as to why cloth nappies/co sleeping/breastfeeding/baby-wearing are associated with 'hippies' when those parenting choices, both individually and collectively are older than the alternative parenting choices we have today ie disposables/buggies/formula/cots etc

Oh and ETA - why 'natural' birth is considered abnormal too?????

Back on topic - I am faced with the same sort of dilemma with the prospect of any future babies we have being born in Italy, where the maternity system is VERY medicalised. They apparently have a very high c-sect rate. DH's family think I'm mad that I want homebirths and that potentially I will be having unassisted births as there are very few, if any private midwifes in the area we will be living in.
The cloth nappies/baby-wearing/extended BF'ding and on occasion co-sleeping doesn't help with their view of my parenting choices.. hehehehehehe

Edited by Mamma2N

HippyMama wrote: Mamma2N - me saying this might not surprise you but, your babies - your body - your birth! Trust it, regardless of where you are

Absolutely! I also have to commend you for bringing it to my attention that we DO have choices with regards to when & how we birth our babies - the professionals don't have the final say - we do!
And atleast I do have DH on my side who is very excited about a homebirth - so he can deal with his family

Plus they like you to be on the bed for the labour don't they? Or is that only on TV shows?

Yay us Hippies unite!!

The US programs really get up my nose!

Mamma2N - if you want a homebirth in Italy then I'm sure you will be able to do it!

Births tend to be very medicalised here (in Singapore) too, it's not uncommon to choose your elective c-section date based on whether the date is auspicious or "lucky" (the 8th of the month is always busy!). Also there are NO independent midwives.

BUT there are 2 obstetricians who will attend homebirths here and they are the same two obstetricians who are much more relaxed (normal, IMO) to their approach to pregnancy and childbirth. I wasn't that excited about being pregnant here until I started asking/reading around and found out that you CAN have what you want.. you just need to know where to look.

The Business Of Being Born is a great movie / doco, completely the oposite to how the systems in NZ and the UK work. You can watch free online. A friends sister had her baby in the US and had an emergency C Section but after a few hours when baby hadnt fed properly they were threatening to take her baby off her and give it formula as she was insisting that she didnt want the baby to have a bottle. Their family is very pro BF / Grandma is a LLL consultant etc so they discharged themselves I think in the end as the threat from the nurses was that they would give the baby a bottle if he hadnt fed in something silly like 5hrs post birth whether the mother agreed or not.

Watch the movie its really worth it, makes you see how its all about bed occupancy and long labour equals less turn over equals less money, so they bring out the drugs ridiculously early so they can free up the bed for another insurance payout.

Ohh that doco sounds interesting. Might have to download that one.

We were supposed to move to Aus, I said to DH I wanted to stay here until bubs was born as I knew our system was better than the Aus one, based on what I'd seen & heard through my good friend over there. Although where we were moving they had just set up a new birthing unit so that looked promising, but I chose to stay here instead & funny we are still here!

Yep understand what you are meaning by Hippy, Andrea

emz that is shocking:(

remember they pay through the nose for everything they get done there too! it's crazy expensive!