Showin 'em How it's DONE!

I have a love / hate relationship with A Baby Story. It's mostly love, mingled with just a little hate, like yesterday when they showcased a lesbian couple (sorry, won't watch those) or a few years back when they had the gay guys and their surrogate sister-in-law. There is something so disappointing about waiting for the 1:00 hour then turning on the T.V. to that. My other pet-peeve is the sheer amount of c-sections on the show. I am sorry, but that's not birth! Yes you are bringing a child into the world, but if I wanted to witness major surgery I would watch the health channel.

And then there are the times when A Baby Story makes its restitution. More and more I am noticing the increasing trend of home and midwife-attended births on the show. These stories are the rare gems we watch and wait for, and when they come around, it makes it all worth-while.

Today's show, however, took the cake. Specifically, I am referring to the second episode. The woman was a fourth-time mother with three natural births under her belt. I knew right away she was someone I could sit down and have tea with. She was so composed throughout the whole labor, and progressed textbook-style. At every stage, I predicted to the kids where she would be at in terms of dilation, and I was always right. I said she'd be 5 cm. the first time they checked her, and she was. After a couple of hours she got into the jacuzzi tub and said she noticed some shakiness. When she got out of the tub to be checked, I said she'd be seven centimeters, and she was. I felt like I was witnessing one of my own births through another's body. Then- the best part- baby came out in two pushes. She knew exactly where she was during every stage of labor, she predicted what was going to happen, and she never lost composure. Her strength and perspective were awesome.

She made a little comment at the beginning of the show that if this birth "went how (she) was envisioning it, then all would go well." Bingo. Let me repeat that:

*If you want a positive birth experience, visualize it and it will happen!*

Don't just say the words, but really believe in it. This has to take place on a sub-conscious level, virtually to the point where you are unaware. It becomes engrained in every fiber of your being, through your practice and mental preparation. All fears have been erased, and at this point your body will use every facet at its disposal to ensure the kind of birth you desire.

Perhaps if the media's portrayal of birth were more like this woman's and less like the screaming-woman-being-wheeled-into-the-delivery-room-type, we would see more women (and their doctors) trust their bodies and fall less victim to medically-induced procedures and c-sections. The words I dislike hearing the most on the show are "your baby's just too big" or "you're just not progressing." Okay, if you tell a woman that then it will be. Next comes Mom being wheeled into the surgery room just in time for Doc to make his lunch break. Whenever my kids tell me they can't do something, I tell them, "You're right, if you tell yourself that, you won't."

So kudos to you TLC mom for showing 'em how it's DONE! This is why I share my stories, and encourage others to do the same. If you have an empowering birth story, get out and share it. Let other women know what their bodies can do. Help them to access their God-given right. Counteract the negative effects of the media and false notions that birth has to be a medical procedure. While a c-section can be a life-saving procedure, something tells me there will be no operating rooms in Heaven.

As for you Baby Story, I continue to pledge my loyalty to you for now. Just stick to your nature of telling birth stories, and keep the drama on Lifetime.