As you may notice, there's a new poll on the page: all about pain management.
I've been doing a lot of reading about the birth experience and am in the process of putting together a birth plan, a list of preferences for our doctor and hospital staff.
Right now, my philosophy is that birth is a perfectly natural process that women have been doing for ages and that it should involve as little medical intervention as possible. So my current plans are for natural childbirth, with intuitive pushing, alternative positions (squatting or sitting upright gives an extra 2 cm of space to the pelvis, which seems helpful when one's trying to squeeze a 10 cm baby's head through there!), and minimal restrictions on my movement.
But once the first (or second... or fortieth) contraction hits, will I continue to hold that philosophy or will I be begging for all the drugs they can give me? I'm just not sure.
What does everyone think? Am I nuts to ignore medical advances that could alleviate some of the pain of childbirth or am I doing the right thing to want to be lucid and aware of what's happening with my body and baby? I'd love to see your votes or comments.
PS: For those keeping up with the weight gain poll, I've gained five pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight so far. Anyone want to recalculate their vote yet? I could continue with minimal weight gain for the next few months, or I could start packing on the pounds now that the baby is in weight-gain mode himself. (He supposedly gained a half pound in the past week.) At the moment, Brian isn't disclosing how much he's gained over his "pre-pregnancy" weight.
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