Thought provoking...

Monday was a very inspiring/thought-provoking day. Well, it was for me anyway. I felt well enough to get some chores done...never thought that would be inspiring, but it was. :) Then I started surfing the internet. I don't do this too often, because it's a time waster and fairly boring, but since I was still supposed to be "taking it easy" I figured why not.

So, for some reason it popped into my head that I hadn't looked at the Duggar Family website for a while. It's not like I'm obsessed with these people, they are just very inspiring to me. The link is on my sidebar if you're curious about them. In case you don't know who they are...they are the family in Arkansas that has 18 kids and now a grandchild on the way. They believe in a branch of the Baptist faith...I think it's referred to as "a quiver full" in relation to the scripture in the Bible that says that children are a gift and blessed is the man who has a quiver full of them.

My inspiration comes from how they teach and raise their children.

Anyway, I had really been thinking about c-sections and how I wished I hadn't had any the last time I looked at the site, and Michelle (who is the mom) had just had her 18th baby.

On the FAQ page there was an answer to the question about what all her deliveries had been like, and I noticed that she had had 2 c-sections and delivered a lot of babies VBAC after the fact, until her last delivery which was also c-section.

I even sent an e-mail asking how she was able to get permission to do a VBAC and if she had any ideas of what I could do if I got pregnant again (because if I do get pregnant again, I REALLY DO NOT want to have a c-section unless absolutely necessary...)

Well, when I looked today, I noticed an addition to that question...maybe it was there before, maybe not, I don't know, but I did notice it today, and she made reference to an organization called ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network).

After reviewing this organization a little bit, I could really agree with what they stand for. Every woman deserves to know all they can about c-sections, how they recover from them, why a c-section is necessary, why a c-section isn't necessary, and all about VBAC's (vaginal birth after cesarean), and how, a woman should be allowed to try to deliver a baby the way she wants to.

Initially, after I came to the point where I wished I could have a VBAC if I ever got pregnant again, I was disheartened because it didn't seem like a possibility. Now I know that there really isn't a reason why I shouldn't have one. There are concerns, but there are concerns with everything. I knew, because of my medical background, most of the issues with having a VBAC after more than one c-section. Now I also know that there are LOTS AND LOTS of women who successfully have a VBAC after 2 or more c-sections EVERY day!

So, if you're curious about that, there is another website link on my sidebar. It has patient stories, of women who have successfully had VBAC after 2 or more c-sections. It also has a lot of interesting research information about the success and failure of VBAC's.

I guess my desire now is to let women be educated about their options. Yes, sometimes there is a medical need to have a c-section, but most of the time, there isn't. I shudder to think of all the control I gave my first OB. He knew all. Anything he recommended...I did. I was so scared and uneducated when it came to pregnancy/delivery. What I did know and had been educated with, scared me to death!

The OB/GYN I have right now I really like because he seems willing to at least let me think what I want and doesn't treat me like I'm an idiot for thinking certain things (yes, I have had more than one doc treat me like I'm stupid for some concerns...) and, I like that he puts up with me even when I won't go along with his suggestions. Some doctors won't. I think he thinks that I am stubborn and quirky, and he'd be right on both counts. :) I still need to ask him the VBAC after 2 questions, but as I am not pregnant, I figure it doesn't really matter right now anyway, but I have a suspicion that he would be willing to work with me as much as he was able...getting the hospital to work with him...well now, that's another thing entirely...

Now, I know a lot more than I did. Having the schooling that I've had has made me more skeptical about things. I realize a lot now that a lot of things in the medical world are in a shady gray area. Not that they are bad, but I think we rely too much on the mentality of... I have a problem, it needs to be fixed, so give me a pill, or cut it out. What is frightening to me, is that is how we treat pregnancy too.

I'm beginning to relate with one of my friends who is always saying, "childbirth is not a disease, stop treating it like it is..."