Ah, the question of childbirth… At the hospital? At a birthing center? At home? No matter which option the mother chooses, everyone has an opinion and is eager to share their experience, whether it was perfect or terrible. First off, I’d like to say that I’m not writing this to convince anyone that one choice is better than another: I see advantages to each setting. My intention is rather to reassure those who are afraid of ending up in the hospital to give birth.
Let’s be clear: birthing centers are very safe places, and midwives are trained and extremely competent. However, circumstances sometimes force a mother to change her plans and be transferred to the hospital. Unfortunately, this is a possibility that terrifies many, and it’s a fear that can only be harmful…
To those people, I’d like to say: the hospital isn’t hell! You can have an extraordinary birth experience there. Medical staff have a bad reputation, and that saddens me. Doctors and nurses are also dads, moms, husbands, aunts, and friends. These people aren’t robots or zombies. Believe it or not, they have hearts.
For my own delivery, I chose the hospital because I was very anxious. If anything were to happen, I wanted first aid to be literally right there for my baby and me. Luckily, everything went well, and I don’t regret my choice.
I was surrounded by wonderful people. I could see in resident Étienne’s face that he shared my disappointment when he told me my labor wasn’t really progressing. Catherine, a medical student, did everything she could to reassure me when I told her that no one had ever looked under my gown so many times in a single day.
Nurse Mariette loves her job so much that she regularly comes out of retirement to support women in labor, and I was the one lucky enough to have her by my side that day. As soon as she arrived, Mariette took charge of everything and guided both my partner and me. She showed him how to apply pressure points on me. She ran me a nice, hot, deep bath. She breathed with me during the contractions and took my hand to help me get to the bathroom because I was having trouble getting there on my own. She helped me sit in the rocking chair and rolled up some warm towels, which she placed on my back and neck. She even stayed a few extra minutes in the hope of seeing my son being born.
Dr. Martine encouraged me throughout my pushing. I felt like the strongest woman in the world—she seemed so impressed by my efforts. She stayed with me while the OB-GYN stitched me up and made sure I didn’t feel a thing. When she had to leave, she asked the nurse to call her when they weighed my baby, just because she was curious to know.
If I ever give birth again, I’ll consider having a midwife present, because it’s an option that really appeals to me. However, if I ever have to go to the hospital, I won’t be afraid, because I know there are people like Martine, Étienne, Catherine, and Mariette who will welcome me there with all the empathy and professionalism they can muster.
Remember that there are also good people working at the hospital, and I hope that brings you some comfort if your delivery doesn’t go as planned 😉