Today Ellie asked me sweetly, "Mama, is it hard for you to have a baby in your tummy and be pregnant at the same time?" She was surprised when I told her they were the same thing.
Also, she wanted to come to the hospital with us when it was time for the baby to come out. (Family birth might be nice for other people, but it is definitely NOT for me.) I told her that it would take a very long time, and she would get bored. When she tried to convince me she wouldn't get bored, I had to break down and explain that some things during birth are too hard to explain to little girls and it might be scary for her to be there because she wouldn't know what was happening. (Sometimes I wish I could just lie and say they don't let little girls in.)
Anyway, I had forgotten about this conversation until today, when Ellie asked, "Mama, are you going to be bored when it's time for the baby to come out at the hospital?"
I don't think so.
3 comments:
Personally, I think it would be wonderful to include Ellie in the birth of her sibling. It's something she'll never forget. But if you think that family centered birth is not for you, then that is your decision. Just remember, as messy as birth is, it is one of the most pivotal moments in a woman's life. It is a natural human occurrence (well, it should be, anyway) and it is beautiful and amazing. I wish birth in our society wasn't kept behind closed doors. I wish birth in our society wasn't taken out of the hands of the parents. It is no wonder, yet a terrible shame that women go into pregnancy and birth feeling afraid, blindly trusting a physician who really only sees dollar signs on pregnant bellies.
All right, that's my soap box for the day. :)
I would have to agree with you and not be at all ok with having her in the delivery room. I can see the point of the whole family idea, but it isnt something that I would want another child to see.
For me, it's not that I think it would be bed for Ellie, although I would have to answer questions I'm not ready for! It's that I know I wouldn't have the energy to give her and pay attention to her when she needs it. I don't even have energy for myself during labor! I just wouldn't have the capacity to think of her at all.
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