Also Peachy 23: Do midwives not have oxygen masks for both mother and baby in your region? What area are you in? I'm in Canada, and here midwives bring full resuscitation gear, including an oxygen mask for the mother and another oxygen mask for the baby. Also, two midwives -minimum - are required to be at every birth. I think having a hospital birth is just fine, btw - I'm just curious about whether there's a regional difference here that I've missed.

Am I the only one who thinks it's insulting to assume that women who want a vaginal birth either haven't really had a child or had an easy labor?!?! I really think that that perspective exposes a lot of naivete on the part of the speaker - I've spoken to many women who labored for more than a day, had difficult, painful labors, but still advocate drug-free, vaginal deliveries as something they feel is best for their child and has benefits for themselves as well. It's not fair to assume that those who advocate natural births haven't had kids or breezed through labor (frankly, I don't know many women who've claimed to have an orgasmic birth or a painless labor, and while those women exist, I've heard most women express the fact that the labor was painful, difficult...you name it). I don't judge women who need emergency "C-sections" - that's exactly what we've got technology for, and frankly, I prefer to call that a Cesarean birth because it is just as legitimate and significant a birth even if the grapefruit came out another way - a child is born alive, for goodness sakes! It's important to celebrate no matter what. We all do what is necessary. But I the generalization made by Mindy (I think it's Mindy) does a disservice to the complex reasonings that go into why some women choose a vaginal birth and/or natural birth.

I think you do what you need to do for you and your baby. This is true for all major and minor choices in parenting. That is the joy and burden of being the mommy, you have the freedom to be the kind of parent you want to be. I am terrified of having a c-section. Mostly because getting that long needle put in my back was the worst part of my labor experience. My next child I will try to go at it 100% natural. I will boohoo and have a short pity party if mother nature says no to my birth plan. And I think it is OK to feel disappointed a little bit if the birth of your child is not what you planned. However, aside from my parade getting rained out, I will move on. I'll grit my teeth as they shoot me up with fantastic drugs, and I will embrace the c-section experience. HOWEVER, other than my husband no one, NO ONE, is allowed to hold or sees my baby until I have left recovery and held and nursed my baby!!! Do you hear me? NO ONE!

I gave birth on 08/11 and in my original comment I was rather freaked out about delivering vaginally and was praying for a C-section. To be honest I just could not imagine something so large getting pushed out of something that appeared to be so much smaller. Anyways... I did end up delivering vaginally and it was no where as bad as I had imagined. Yes - things are a little "messed up down there" but I am sure I am better off than if I had to have incisions in my abdomen and uterus. Once again this shows me that you never know what you are capable of until you get to actually experience it.

Um....WHAT GRAPEFRUIT???? I'm not a mother myself but I do plan to have a baby someday, probably in the next few years, and I'm fascinated by how much there is about childbirth that is not commonly known by those of us who haven't done it. I feel like I hear something new about it every day! So tell me, what is this grapefruit business?

Oh. My. God. I spent half of my pregnancy defending my choice of having my son in the hospital. There are a lot of mothers in my area who have had doulas and given birth at The Birthing Center here. I totally and completely respect that. I am impressed by the courage it takes to go through labor and delivery at home, in a bathtub or in a Birthing Center. However, for myself and for my husband as well, we knew that neither of us could live with ourselves if something were to have happened during labor or delivery that required more medical intervention than a midwife could give. I know they would take you to the hospital, call the "On Call" doctor who supports the Birthing Center, or call an ambulance. But look. Five minutes with no oxygen is a long time. Thats all I'm saying. I was extremely comforted in knowing that the NICU was upstairs, there were surgeons and perinatologists, and neonatologists in the same building as we were.

After my children's births I did feel like a failure as a woman - mainly because almost every other woman I knew regarded her birthing experience as "wonderful" and "transforming" and as a central part of her identity as a woman. I don't feel that way. My children's births were by C-section, no labour, for complications that were an immediate threat to all our lives. I don't think we should use words like "natural" deliveries - stillbirths are also "natural". "Natural" doesn't mean live deliveries, without injuries or what's best for everyone. What matters is "successful" deliveries - mother and baby survived the birth and will recover.

I guess I found the tone of this video frustrating. "Earth moms"... kind of rude, huh. Anyway, I don't think there is a tyranny of births. If you see us Earth moms bragging about our natural, vaginal, unmedicated, homebirths it is because we were told by just about everyone that it wasn't possible. When I was 7 months pregnant I was telling people at a neighborhood party that I wanted a natural childbirth. I was laughed at. Literally one mom (of 3 girls) laughed at me and told me she'd be calling me at hour six of my labor to see if I still wanted a natural childbirth. And I was told of how many moms had to have c-sections and how unsafe and stupid I was for not having a hospital birth. So yea, when I did it, when I birthed a 9 pound baby, with a 5 hour pushing phase, in the water with my wonderful midwife, yea, I bragged. Hell yea, I did. I was proud of myself. I never discredited or put down anyone else's birth choice. It is none of my business. But did I go on about how wonderful my birth was, you bet I did. It was an amazing feat for me and I am so proud of myself.