MOONDRAGON ARTICLES
My Birth Story - By MoonDragon Midwife
A Little Past History:
I was the oldest child of 6 children (4 girls, 2 boys). My mother gave birth to me at
the age of 16 years and 1 month during the beginning of the 1950's. This was the time
of obstetric "twilight sleep" where they knocked the women out with anesthesia and
basically dragged the babies out. My last sister was born in 1960 when my mother was
24 years old. She had her fallopian tubes tied at this time. She has her share of birthing
"horror stories" from that time period. I was also the reason she had to marry my father.
He was a physically, emotionally, sexually deviant, and mentally abusive man, who was very
self absorbed and a self-centered egotist. We were all afraid of my father. I really
didn't have alot to do with my siblings during my childhood, and to a great degree, not
even now. More times than not, I found them annoying or an inconvenience at the least.
My mother, although a good woman, didn't have the maturity to really have been a great
mom. I know she was very young and very naive about life, birth, sex, and motherhood.
We kinda grew up together. I have always felt she was more like an "older sister" figure
for me than a mother. I felt that I was the "try it and see if it works" child. My
mother was taught that we must obey "the male authority figure", whether this be our
father or a male physician. We blindly, without question, did what we were told to do.
I relate all of this to give a sense of where I was when I became pregnant with my first
child in 1970 at the age of 17 years and 11 months.
I have been pregnant 14 times
in my life. Out of those 14 pregnancies, I have had 5 children. All the others were
miscarriages that were spontaneous and happened between 6 weeks and 18 weeks of pregnancy.
My first three babies were born in a Catholic hospital in Oregon, since this was the "way
it was done", without questioning why. I had the same male physician with my first three
hospital births. My last 2 babies were born at home in Idaho. My first homebirth was
assisted by a male naturopathic physician/midwife who was instrumental in getting me
started with my midwifery pathway. He became my teacher and my mentor during my early
midwifery days. My last homebirth was done by myself, as my own primary midwife, with
the assistance of my birthing partner (she traveled from my Oregon midwifery practice
with my mother to assist me) and my apprentice. This last birth was very special to me,
not only because I "did it my way", but because my mother was able to attend this one. She
had never been able to see a baby born, including her own. This was her first.
My first hospital birth - 1970
This was my life's initiation into motherhood. My maiden voyage through the realm
of birthing. I was extremely uninformed and innocent and this birth became the "birth
from hell" for me. The only thing positive about this experience was that I had my
eldest son.
My second hospital birth - 1973
Luckily, this birth was short and sweet. They did not have time to do all of the other
medical procedures they did with the first birth. This was the birth of my only daughter.
My third hospital birth - 1975This birth I prepared by taking Lamaze
classes (which were educational, but the breathing huffing and puffing definitely was
not for me, I had my own style that worked). My husband finally was able to be there
in the delivery room for this one (at the threat of his life and malehood!). However,
I did not realize the my son's "natural birth" was anything BUT natural until after
obtaining my medical records. At this point I made the decision that I would never again
give birth in a hospital! No matter what!! And I didn't.
Finally after "doing it their way"... I chose to do it my way, at least mostly. My labor
was very long, but my son was born drug free and healthy.
This was my true labor of love. I had my baby, my way. I was my own midwife and my son
had the gentle, natural birth I wanted.
MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information
MoonDragon Birthing Services - Holistic Homebirth Midwifery
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