Childbirth Choices Debate

This blog posting raises an interesting question that we might discuss here as well. Is childbirth more about the mother or the baby? It seems there is a wide range of opinions, judging by the comments posted to the blog. There is also a voting feature on the blog, if anyone is interested. Here's the link, and I'm pasting the blog posting beneath that:

http://www.lilsugar.com/5369506

Is Birth More About the Mother or Baby?
Sat, 10/24/2009 - 6:00am by LilSugar

A friend recently told me she was shocked that I had allowed my sisters and sister-in-law into the delivery room when I had my kids. I told her I don't think of birth as a production centered around me and my husband, but rather the baby. Each of my children was lucky enough to be welcomed into the world with their godmother present. While some ladies primp for the occasion, bring a picture to focus on or stock up on their favorite snacks for the hospital stay, I'm usually too preoccupied watching the monitors and coping with contractions. Who do you think the experience is about?

I think it's all about the mom for 9 months. 

Then all about the mom for the 12 hours of labor/delivery.

Then it's all about the baby.  Mom is ignored for the next 18 years!

LOLOLOL!    ;)

I think it's about both because I don't think they have to be mutually exclusive.  But if I were to say that it leaned one way or the other, I would say it leans more towards being about the mom.  The baby is important, but this is the mom's experience.  It is likely the most profound experience she will ever go through in her entire life.  How it goes (good, bad, otherwise) will affect her for the rest of her life.  It's all about mom and her needs, wants, desires.

Mom is not an incubator or a tool to bring about a baby.  Mom is a whole human being herself and needs to be respected as such.

Ummmmmmmm....the 9 months...about the baby...the birth...about the baby.

The rest of our lives have been about us. I didn't stop smoking,etc. for me. The second that stick showed a + it was about the baby. When their heart rates dropped, it wasn't about my feelings, my fear...it was about their health (not twins, one was stuck in the birth canal and her heart rate kept dropping and the other had her cord wrapped twice around her, both vaginal, see not all dr's are c-section crazy). When I didn't go on rides at the park, not because I didn't want to. It was for them...it was and still is all for them, not me. My experiences during birth was a means to an end, not some spiritual journey, not a rebirth, reawakening. I was a mom from the second I found out that they were living inside me and that is when they started coming first.

If you can have the birth that you want and a healthy baby then great, but if not, what is the most important outcome? I think we all have the same goal in mind, but two different mindsets and neither one is wrong. I will never understand yours and you probably won't understand mine.

Kerri