I think this a really good question! I think that many people think they know the best way, the only way, to give birth. It is often people who have never given birth who believe most strongly. I did.
Is there anything wrong with this? Usually I think that having strong convictions is a great thing. If you set your mind to something, it is more likely to come to you, right? Send your intentions into the universe and you shall receive. I actually do believe those things!! I also don’t think that believing in it means believing that there is only one way to give birth.
I also don’t think that believing that TO THE EXCLUSION OF ALL ELSE is necessarily healthy.
I chose to learn the Birthing From Within method for this reason.
I believed that I should have a drug-free, intervention-free birth. I believed that was the best way for me. I believed that was the ONLY way for me. If it hadn’t worked out for me, I would have been devastated. That devastation would have destroyed a lot of potential for happiness. I was fortunate that it did work, and I think I can give a little credit to positive thinking and strong convictions. But what if I had fallen down the stairs in my last weeks of pregnancy? What if my baby had turned breech? What if I had gotten food poisoning and become severely dehydrated? What if it really just hurt too much or I got too tired?
There are so many unknowns in childbirth as in life. Setting positive intentions is great. Learning grace in the face of uncertainty and chaos is divine. More than anything, I want to teach this skill to expectant parents. There are no “shoulds” in life, only what is actually happening. Embrace that, incorporate it as your new reality, and find happiness and contentment.
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