After talking right through the New Years Eve countdown N agreed that we would make the trip down to The Farm in TN and take the next step towards planning our birth there. The financial aspects of our situation really bother me and they are the only reason why we would choose not to birth at The Farm.
We still need to come up with the cash to repair our nice Nissan Maxima that is still in Arizona before little Tater Tot comes. We’ll need a safe car to transport our little one around in and the Nissan has airbags and all that safety jazz, the Amigo does not…
Fixing the Nissan in addition to paying for our birth at The Farm basically puts us way over budget. We’ll be short about $3000 based upon how much money N is making working a 40 hour week.
We both feel that having the best birth situation is totally worth paying the extra money we just need to figure out how to come up with the money. We talked about N working overtime when possible to earn some extra cash and we also talked about the possibility of postponing the Nissan repair until after Tater Tot is born since we can only pay for the birth or the car repair (you know one or the other) but not both within our budget.
That would just mean Tater Tot and I would be stuck at home unable to ride around in the car until we get the Nissan fixed/ out here and that our family and friends in Arizona would not be able to see my pregnant belly before I deliver. It also means we would have to rent a car to get to and from The Farm.
Bringing Tater Tot in to the world at The Farm is what is right for us. I feel it in every bone in my body, it is hard to explain but the point is I know without a doubt where we are meant to birth this little one. Now I just need to make it happen. Do you think people would pay to see my labor and delivery via the web? LOL, that could make us some extra cash to get the car fixed…
Well thanks to my Farm birth obsession I have managed to stumble upon a number of bloggers/ blog posts that either have already taken place at The Farm or are planned to.
I found a fellow blogger (The Jenk Adventure) who is also preparing to birth at The Farm, she has my same midwife and is due before I am. I am enjoying following her pregnancy progress and reading her Farm experiences via her blog.
I also found a very detailed water birth story about Savanna Zoe Ioanna, a Farm born baby. You can read the birth story here if you want to get an idea of what a birth at The Farm is like.
Another birth story I found that took place at The Farm was that of Elijah, it was a longer labor but inspirational nonetheless. I am just loving reading home birth style birth stories, especially those that took place at The Farm like:
If you want to know more about The Farm or about The Farm Midwives and their services I would encourage you to follow the provided links. Also check out the work of Ina May Gaskin, she’s viewed as the “mother of authentic midwifery,” says Jan Tritten, editor of Midwifery Today, a quarterly journal. Her work really gives you a feel for the birthing philosophy of The Farm and the history and experience that goes along with a Farm birth.
I was just asked today what happens if an actual emergency does arise during my birth at The Farm, what would happen since I wasn’t at a hospital?
My answer was: Almost every midwife who is attending a home birth has a back up hospital and even a back up doctor in place before labor even begins. There is no doubt that complications can happen even in the most normal and risk free pregnancies. This is why having a knowledgeable, experienced birth attendant is so important.
If my planned birth develops complications a hospital transport is the obvious next step, this is why I am so set on finding a midwife who knows her stuff. I want to be able to trust her to know when a hospital is necessary and to be able to keep me and my baby safe until we arrive there if any unexpected complications do arise.
I feel like I have been pretty open and clear about my reasoning behind this decision but I know that many still have questions and things they don’t quite understand about the process or the idea since this isn’t a very common thing.
I wanted to take this opportunity to allow you guys to ask any questions you may have about all this, especially family. Just post your question below and I’ll get you an answer. I am not trying to debate the decision or convince you of anything I just want the lines of communication open about it all so if you want to know something ask away! Don’t be shy.
Oooo one last thing! I know HOW much longer can this post be???
Passed on from CIMS e-News:
“TONIGHT: Orgasmic Birth to be featured on ABC’s 20/20 “Orgasmic Birth” will be a featured segment on ABC’s “20/20” tonight (Friday, Jan. 2) at 10:00 pm Eastern.Filmmaker and former CIMS Leadership Team member Debra Pascali-Bonaro presents the ultimate challenge to our cultural myths by inviting viewers to see the emotional, spiritual, and physical heights attainable through unmedicated normal birth. In this revolutionary documentary, physiologic childbirth is revealed as an integral part of women’s sexuality and a neglected human right. Learn more about the segment on the ABC News Web site. “
I am not sure about the “orgasmic” part that the title suggests but I am going to record the show to see how they portray “the emotional, spiritual, and physical heights attainable through unmedicated normal birth” since those are the aspects I am trying to experience and preserve in my own birth.
I can already tell by the video clip posted on their site that many things are going to be inaccurately portrayed. The video clip ties unassisted birth (what Laura Shanley did) and assisted birth (what Rick Lake did) together when they are two completely different things.
Also, the interviewed doctor speaks about how home birth is unsafe because of lack of medical support when in reality a midwife in an assisted birth is the key medical support present to keep mom and baby safe.
Anyway I thought I would mention tonights show incase you are also interested in recording or watching it for more infomation. Then you can come back here and ask questions!
Also, if you read about how Ina May Gaskin began her midwifery career,you will see there are few people out there, doctors and hospitals included, more qualified to deal with a birthing emergency than she is.
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Memarie Lane » I need to get my hand on her books already. I am excited to read them!
I have no questions. Maybe it’s cause Ive know you for so long, and I know you research the sh*t out of everything! lol But in the end you need to go with you heart, and if the farm is your calling that trust that! Ive done a lot of reading up on it too, and sounds like a great and safe place to have a baby!
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Krystal McCarthy » LOL, I know I get obsessive about researching stuff huh? I hate having questions I don’t know the answer to, it makes me insane to not know stuff.
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/orgasms-during-childbirth/?hp
According to the article, it’s orgasms during childbirth and I honestly don’t know what to think about that. The comments are interesting, as far as I read.
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Donna B. » Yeah, I am not sure that is what I’ll be experiencing but I am interested in the spiritual and emotional aspects of natural childbirthing. The show should be interesting.
Believe me, the only thing orgasmic about when I birthed Shortman was the Percoset I got when I got home.
😉
Talina, I think I know what you’re wanting and I think it’s wonderful. I remember being allowed only one visitor while I was in labor with my first child. I felt so isolated, powerless, and I was frightened.
Then I felt imcompetent when I was only allowed to hold my baby when nursing her. Nobody was allowed in the room except her father when the baby was in there. He had just as much experience with breastfeeding as I had! No one offered help with that until I got her home and my Mom and aunts gave me lots of tips.
Even in hospitals, things are SO much better for mothers and babies now. And fathers, too. My husband didn’t get to hold the baby until we were home.
However, the spiritual and emotional aspects of childbirth will have to be almost orgasmic to compete with the spiritual and emotional thrill of parenthood over the next… oh, 30 or 60 years 🙂
Donna B.s last blog post..Stuck DVD
I’d love to hear how many REAL women think giving birth is orgasmic!
Hyphen Mama » If you meditate or are hypnotized it is possible I suppose…
I have heard it is all in the frame of mind of the birthing woman. I am sure I’ll be feeling pain though.
Birth first, car later. You won’t feel like driving for a while anyway.
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This is off topic, but I just read an article and had to pop over to tell you. There is some speculation that pet shampoos that contain pesticides can cause a pregnant woman’s unborn baby to be more prone to autism. I can’t recall the name of the pesticide, but it’s in medicated pet shampoos (ie: flea shampoo). Just thought I’d pass that on, you know, because you don’t have anything else to worry about.
Here’s the site:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCall/Story?id=4857380&page=2
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I’ve had three births and NEVER had an orgasm with any of them, or maybe I did and couldn’t enjoy it because of all the pain.
I’d have to think there’s something to it tho’ because of the holistic angle.
Great article and check out my blogsite for some helpful health tips. Thanx.
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Good thing I don’t bathe the pets very often. We did it once while I was in early pregnancy I think but N handled the pet shampoo.
I am steering clear of all non natural cleaners these days. Shoot I cleaned my shower and tub with baking soda last week. Ha…
Thanks for the article, I’ll check it out!
Talina, I appreciate your comment and out of curiosity I followed your name to your blog! I think The Farm is a perfect birth choice if you feel led to go there. I know it seems extreme to drive so far, but how often do you give birth anyway? Why not have the experience you desire and feel/know is best for you and your little “Tatter Tot”?! Also in regards to safety you and your readers might be interested in reading a previous post on our blog from our archives it is dated 9 May 2008. Our family also had some concerns over safety and it was my attempt to try and answer them. Also, there are some more pics of The Farm. I hope that you are able to make things work and that you have the birth experience you dream about! Childbirth does not have to be scary and painful, it can be beautiful, peaceful, amazing, and empowering! If that is what you want, I am certain you will find it! God bless, Jade
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Not much that I can add to this post that hasn’t all ready been said. But, if you feel that The Farm is truly the place that you are meant to have your baby, then it will happen. Things have a funny way of working themselves out:)
hi Talina et al. I am a “real woman” I suppose. I had a great homebirth at the age of 38 after 15 years of infertility.
I;ve never been to the Farm but UI have relatives, neighbors, and friends who lived there, including those early pioneering days. Ina May’s writings on childbirth have been very influential on me, though hers is not the only approach to home birthing and I;ve had some driticisms of the ways she’s promoted as the chief innovator of a homebirth movement that was really quite widesprread by the early 1970s.
partly because of the exosure to the Farm birthing philosophy, I did not find birthing really painful, though it was hard work that took plenty of attention. if you have ever packpacked, or aprticipated in athlietics, or done some kind of all-day physical labor, you will recognize the strains and the joy.
natural childboirth isn;’t for everyone and I have been accused of being part of a cult for my faith in it. let;s just say there are plenty of things in life that scare me, but home childborth isn;t one of them. yes, things can sometimes come complicated, but life can become complicated. people sometimes choke on their food, but this isn’t a reason to have medical supervision of everyone eating.
I’m curious as to what the Farm Midwifery Center charges these days. as you porbably know from reading Spiritual Midwifery, all services o the farm were without charge the first thwelve eyars of tehir existence. after a while, the community could no longer afford this, and tehy restructured so that individual families and businesses had to porvide for themselves. my guess is that they are quite reasonable compared with the costs of a homebirth midwife in the large cities, but I really don;t know, and they don;t hint at it on their website.
I hope your experience with the Farm Midwifery program is as wonderful as it sounds it could be.