Birth is a Journey: Shouldn't we be able to choose our transportation?

Imagine 5 different women want to travel to America.  There are two ways to travel there:  an airplane or a boat.

Allison’s travel agent tells her about both options and the pros and cons of each.  Allison chooses an airplane because it is a good choice for her.

Britany wants to take the boat, but she is forced to take the airplane. They won’t let her board the boat because she broke her leg 5 years ago and they think the boat ride might be too long for her.

Callie doesn’t even know that boats are still an option.  (Her travel agent doesn’t sell boat tickets.)  So she takes the airplane even though she is scared of flying.

Dorian doesn’t know that boats are still an option either. (Her travel agent doesn’t sell boat tickets.) So she takes the airplane, but doesn’t really mind.

Evelyn wants to take a boat but her travel agent saw a boat accident and tells Evelyn how dangerous boats are.  She is torn because she really wants to take the boat, she has taken a boat before and enjoyed it, but her friends who are traveling with her want her to take the plane because they keep hearing how risky the boats can be.  So finally she agrees to the plane ride.

Fran’s travel agent tells her about both options and the pros and cons of each.  Fran chooses to take the boat because it is a good choice for her.

All of the women make it safely to America.  They are happy to be there, but in reflecting on their journey, some are happy and some are not.

• Britany loves the water and feels disappointed she didn’t get to enjoy the beauty of the ocean during the journey.

• Callie still has nightmares of the plane ride even though it was a fairly smooth flight.

• Evelyn is angry because she has since found out about the risks of flying and really wishes she had taken the boat.

Some Questions to Ponder

How many of these moms actually had choices?

How many of the moms made good choices?

What is better to take the airplane or the boat?

I think women should have choices.  REAL choices!  They should not be forced or scared into the type of transportation they take, they should be informed about both choices.

Women shouldn’t take this lying down!  Let’s fight for honest information and real choices.

VBAC moms should have the choice of a repeat cesarean or a vaginal birth.  They should be given the risks of both in a calm rational way and then take that information and use their intuition to make the best decision for them.  We need to support them in whatever that choice is.

This post is in honor of the ICAN VBAC Blog Carnival.

For great information on the real risks of VBAC visit the VBACFACTS site.