July 08, 2008

Happy Birthday, Mom

Last month, the midwives asked me what kind of delivery I had, when I was born. I guess, anecdotally, they find that sometimes a baby being born has a similar birth as the mother did. The example they gave me was that, perhaps a baby kind of tweaks its head in the birth canal as it is coming out. Not a big deal, but after the birth, the midwife might look at the mother's record and notice that the mother was delivered by forceps. So, the idea is that the mother and baby are expecting a certain thing, forceps, because that's what the mother experienced and is what her body "knew" about birth.

So, I called my Dad, to ask him what my birth was like. (My mom passed away 10 years ago). And he said I was a vaginal birth, my mom didn't use drugs, she did Lamaze, and it happened pretty quickly. He doesn't think she had an episiotomy either. I was pretty excited, and it made me feel like I am on this path to natural childbirth partly because it's what my body knows and wants. I also felt connected to my mom, and then really really sad because I miss her and wish I could talk to her about my pregnancy. Today is her birthday. Happy birthday, Mom!

No comments: