The Right Decision for Your Birth

I hope that no one started reading this, expecting that I would actually give you the "right" answer for what you need to choose for your birth. The "right" answer is based on weighing the options, information, and trusting your GUT feeling. That means lots of different things for different people.

I want to offer a resource that can be very helpful in getting evidence based information to help you make decisions that are right for you. If you have never heard of the Childbirth Connection, you need to get your hands on this website http://www.childbirthconnection.org/. It seems like everyone has something to say about what the "right" choice for labor and childbirth are. Unfortunately, not everything out there is a quality resource (even popular books like What to Expect When You're Expecting offer hugely biased information). The Childbirth Connection offers evidence based information for any and all maternity care options. Their website is well mapped out, and easy to find what you are looking for. They cover topics such as choosing your caregiver and place of birth (a HUGE factor in what your birth will be like) as well as induction, labor support, labor pain, Cesarean, VBAC, and repeat C-section.

I would like to suggest using some of this evidence based information to start practicing your decision making skills for birth NOW during and throughout your pregnancy (or even better, know about this stuff before you are pregnant). You can use this information along with your BRAIN (the acronym that can be helpful in the decision making process) and ask all of these questions about what you are considering:

-What are the BENEFITS of deciding to do this?
-What are the RISKS?
-What are the ALTERNATIVE options to what we are considering?
-What do my INSTINCTS tell me?
-What do we do NEXT? And what happens if we do NOTHING?

Ultimately, the right decision for you can mean a lot of different things. It often feels good to come to a decision after thinking through it thoroughly, knowing you have explored every avenue, and this is what is right for you, your baby, and your birth. Don't let anyone take those choices away from you!