I have PCOS. This means I have trouble conceiving because I don't ovulate. I also have trouble losing weight and run a higher risk of type II diabetes. Nate and I tried for 5 years (no I'm not joking) to have a child, completely unsuccessful until 2010. Hello little 2.0!
Now becoming pregnant was hard. Being pregnant was hard too. I had pregnancy induced hypertension (high blood pressure due to pregnancy) and gestational diabetes. I went into labor two weeks early and continued to have gradually intensifying contractions until my water finally broke the night before my induction. When 2.0 was born, he was jaundiced (yellow because his liver was taking a little longer to process toxins in his blood) and he had low blood sugar (a side effect of my gestational diabetes). His birth was rather easy (the labor was difficult, but the birth was smooth) and we both recovered quickly.
That all being said, without medical intervention, I'm not sure both of us would be here. I was put on pitocin when my water broke so I would continue to contract. I was given an epidural partially because it helps lower high blood pressure during delivery. I was placed on oxygen during 2.0's delivery because the cord was wrapped around his neck. During my pregnancy, I was put on blood pressure medication because of how high my blood pressure was.
Attachment parenting talks about the need to limit medical intervention during labor and delivery and afterward for the child. This I do not agree with and felt it needed to be addressed in a separate post. I watched my son try to breathe in the middle of the night before his asthma was diagnosed and treated. It's the worst feeling in the world to see your child struggle to breathe and know there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
Sometimes the medical interventions we think might be unnecessary are really for the benefit of us or our children. God created doctors and nurses to help care for our children (not to mention us) and keep them as healthy as possible. Now I don't always agree with my son's pediatrician. He told me to let my son cry and eventually he'd learn to go to sleep on his own. I strongly disagreed with that and did not follow that advice.
We need to use our intuition to help determine if our children need to see the doctor. But at the same time, we need to do what's best for our kids, even when we think they don't need to see the doctor and in fact, they might benefit from someone who went to medical school.
Did you know SIDS deaths went down partially because doctors and other medical professionals started listening to mothers when they said 'something was off' about their child? We are more powerful than we know, we just need to be ready to get help when it's needed, even when we might doubt if it's necessary or not.
One one level I agree with you. I know medical interventions are in place for a reason. However, as parents, we also have to decide what interventions are necessary and unnecessary. In your case, the interventions were necessary, so I'm glad you decided to use them. However, during my labor and delivery, my epidural was not necessary.
ReplyDeleteLike all things in attachment parenting, it's about listening to your intuition and listening to your children to determine what is best for your family.