My last post was about my decision to have a home birth. The reason is because I had horrible experiences at the hospital and I left out a lot of details because I wanted to get to the point. For example, when I was in labor with Zion I went to the hospital when I was contracting because I had no idea when I should go in. They turned me down twice because they said I wasn't dialating. I went home and walked and tried to get things moving. When I went in for the third time I was throwing up and I was so scared they would turn me down again. Without any kind of warning or telling me what she was doing, the nurse stuck a needle in my butt and afterwards she said this will help you sleep. Five minutes later I felt like I could not see and could not concentrate. I couldn't focus on where I was and kept trying to make sure Cody was there. The next thing I knew I was at home. I wouldn't ask that for my worst enemy because when you are already terrified of what could happen during birth, and being "high" on top of that, it was so terrifying. When I woke up at home I was in horrible labor and got back just in time at the hospital. I can't even remember the name of the drug they gave me but I KNOW I didn't need it and it caused more fear and anxiety which is not a safe environment for the baby. Unfortunately, everything they had administered was without my consent. When I went in I had faith that they were doing everything they needed to take care of me. I found out later I was wrong. So the question is why do doctors do these things if they are dangerous? They do know they are dangerous that is why they hook you up to machines and IVs and exceptional monitoring because they are planning for these events to happen.
That is just one example, I may share more throughout my pregnancy but I have nightmares about some of them. Over the past few years after these things have happened to me I have done lots of research and found out so many things that they do that I don't agree with. What I find most intriguing is when I can find scriptures or church doctrine to help support my ideas. I do not only believe in church related resources. I use anything that will support me, but I when I told my mom about my decision she told me that there was a quote by Brigham Young that talked about women giving birth and they would have fear to have it without a doctor. I have been on the search for this doctrine and I finally found it on someone else's blog. This quote is also on babycenter and there were over 200 comments. It definitely caused a controversy and I think it is mostly because it can easily be misinterpreted. So I'd like to share it and give you some of my thoughts on it.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Journal_of_Discourses/Volume_15/The_Order_of_Enoch
If you have time I invite you to read the whole thing it has a lot of other information as well. He first talks about how the city of Zion would be in the order of Enoch. He says that people wouldn't complain about their jobs and they would all just go to work where they are needed and are capable. I actually find some of the things he says humerous because he doesn't speak very well and he is very blunt with his words. He thinks that the LDS people are wasting their rags and disrespecting their belongings. . He also says he would not allow wasting time reading novels. I think that relates to todays music, movies, tv, and media that we waste ourselves with. He says that he would not allow lawyers in their society because we should be forgiving and not sue each other. He even says women should be using their own silk worms! It is actually funny.
However, this is what I was attracted to
Would you want doctors? Yes, to set bones. We should want a good surgeon
for that, or to cut off a limb. But do you want doctors? For not much
of anything else, let me tell you, only the traditions of the people
lead them to think so; and here is a growing evil in our midst. It will
be so in a little time that not a woman in all Israel will dare to have a
baby unless she can have a doctor by her. I will tell you what to do,
you ladies, when you find you are going to have an increase, go off into
some country where you cannot call for a doctor, and see if you can
keep it. I guess you will have it, and I guess it will be all right,
too. Now the cry is, "Send for a doctor." If you have a pain in the
head, "Send for a doctor;" if your heel aches, "I want a doctor;" "my
back aches, and I want a doctor." The study and practice of anatomy and
surgery are very good; they are mechanical, and are frequently needed.
Do you not think it is necessary to give medicine sometimes? Yes, but I
would rather have a wife of mine that knows what medicine to give me
when I am sick, than all the professional doctors in the world. Now let
me tell you about doctoring, because I am acquainted with it, and know
just exactly what constitutes a good doctor in physic. It is that man or
woman who, by revelation, or we may call it intuitive inspiration, is
capable of administering medicine to assist the human system when it is
besieged by the enemy called Disease; but if they have not that
manifestation, they had better let the sick person alone. I will tell
you why: I can see the faces of this congregation, but I do not see two
alike; and if I could look into your nervous systems and behold the
operations of disease, from the crowns of your heads to the soles of
your feet, I should behold the same difference that I see in your
physiognomy —there would be no two precisely alike. Doctors make
experiments, and if they find a medicine that will have the desired
effect on one person, they set it down that it is good for everybody,
but it is not so, for upon the second person that medicine is
administered to, seemingly with the same disease, it might produce
death. If you do not know this, you have not had the experience that I
have. I say that unless a man or woman who administers medicine to
assist the human system to overcome disease, understands, and has that
intuitive knowledge, by the Spirit, that such an article is good for
that individual at that very time, they had better let him alone. Let
the sick do without eating, take a little of something to cleanse the
stomach, bowels and blood, and wait patiently, and let Nature have time
to gain the advantage over the disease. Suppose, for illustration, we
draw a line page 226
through this congregation, and place those on this side where they
cannot get a doctor, without it is a surgeon, for thirty or fifty years
to come; and put the other side in a country full of doctors, and they
think they ought to have them, and this side of the house that has no
doctor will be able to buy the inheritance of those who have doctors,
and overrun them, outreach them, and buy them up, and finally obliterate
them, and they will be lost in the masses of those who have no doctors.
I know what some say when they look at such things, but that is the
fact. Ladies and gentlemen, you may take any country in the world, I do
not care where you go, and if they do not employ doctors, you will find
they will beat communities that employ them, all the time. Who is the
real doctor? That man who knows by the Spirit of revelation what ails an
individual, and by the same Spirit knows what medicine to administer.
That is the real doctor, the others are quacks.
This is blunt and not so sensitive, but I must say I LOVE IT. Most importantly he is not saying that we do not need doctors. There are certain times when the care is beyond what we are capable of to require a doctor. If I broke my leg I would go to a doctor, but for everyday ailments and colds there are home remedies that we should administer with the faith, intuition and spiritual healers. Brigham Young says that we ask for a doctor for a "back ache" or "heel
ache." What he means is that not every ail needs to be administered by a
doctor. I love that he says he would rather have a wife who knows what medicine to give him than all the professional doctors in the world. I believe as mothers and wives it is one of the many roles that we have been blessed with on this earth is to be in charge of the health of our family. We need to trust our intuition and use preventative medicine with food and regular exercise, and to use remedies when we have diseases. When our ill is beyond our care we are blessed to have educated doctors that are willing to help. We want doctors to use spiritual intuition with physical medicine to help the body heal itself and not give everyone the same medicine. We are not all alike and it is important that we take each body individually and treat it as a body. I have been a massage therapist for 7 years and I can say that at times of healing the body I can get intuitive thoughts or feelings that could be spiritual or physical and I can help assess(not diagnose) certain problems with people. It is very rewarding and I love to help people learn how to heal themselves.
I laughed when he said, " I will tell you what to do,
you ladies, when you find you are going to have an increase, go off into
some country where you cannot call for a doctor, and see if you can
keep it. I guess you will have it, and I guess it will be all right,
too." I think he is exaggerating when he says to go out into the country, but he is making the point that if you are far enough away that there is no aid for giving birth, that he guesses you will keep the baby and you will be alright. We should not underestimate the power of women's intuition and our instincts to take over. There is some controversy about this article because it's "outdated" or its not of a prophet. I believe in Brigham Young as a man of god and trust his word, and I also think it all can be related today. This also was spoken in General Conference in 1872. he says, "It will
be so in a little time that not a woman in all Israel will dare to have a
baby unless she can have a doctor by her." the key words is in a little time, which I think that has happened today. Doctors have made women believe that there are many problems that come with birth and they are required to be there and then they charge over 20,000 to catch your baby, or inflict unnecessary interventions which in my case were the only problems. Now there are many women who are going to tell me or think "I had a doctor deliver and my interventions were absolutely necessary." or "I was induced and had an epidural and everything was fine." Well I will just say you are very lucky and should feel blessed because not all women have that same experience. And most women these days do have hospital births and they are going in and out quickly and are not allowed time to labor in natural time for convenience for the doctor. The reason why women lay on their back is so it is easy for the doctor. The natural position for labor is squatting to help gravity bring the baby down. You are not allowed any other position at the hospital. Also episiotomies were allowed when they started putting women under for giving birth. They were not awake for pushing and so it was required, and now it has come a very common intervention and do not let women naturally "tear." When I went into have Sage I researched and interviewed the doctors. The ones who said, "I only perform episiotomies when it is absolutely necessary," were the ones who had a higher rate for them.
I am also not neglecting that unfortunate things can happen, and a doctor is required but it is far more rare than society believes. I said in the other post that 70% of births in las vegas area are c- section. I refuse to believe that all of those were life and death situations, and were even necessary. What also makes me mad is places like vegas do not allow midwives to deliver at the hospital. And in some states it is illegal for women to have home births with a midwife present so people are doing it unassisted. My insurance is not going to pay for this home birth and I am okay with that but I think it is not fair that women can't choose for themselves how and where they want to give birth. If insurances actually did research and looked at statistics the mortality rate and emergencies are far less at home than the hospital.
I have been doing lots of research for my own education and knowledge. I am sharing these with you so I can simply inspire or help people think differently. What I think is more insulting than someone telling me my beliefs are wrong is someone accusing me of "preaching" or "anti" the other option. I have never used "anti" in my vocabulary because I am PRO natural birth and if someone else decides otherwise that is their decision. I am glad that I had the experiences I had to so that I could be educated for this coming baby. And I hope I can be an example for women who want to do home birth but are "scared." And just give a little more information to empower women. And I want to say that I am not "brave" or "crazy" to do this at home. It is rare for women to give birth at home and I hope that more people will do it so that it becomes more regulated and insurance will cover midwives and we can have it not be so radical. I am ready to do it and I am so grateful to have Cody's support. Everyday I am going to educate myself in every way possible to be ready for a safe natural birth.
(on a side note the order of Enoch kinda sounds like communism, and I kinda like it)
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