T – ? (towards birth)

The baby is still not there. We are waiting for him to make an appearance now every day.  My midwife has already talked about inducing the birth, but I am very much against it after reading about the possible side effects.  I am very grateful to have been made aware of the AIMS (Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services) publications as they research these issues very well – from possible mistakes in calculating the due date to flawed research regarding home births and breech births.
Ina May Gaskin’s book “Guide to Childbirth” is also very recommendable and empowering as based on the practical outcomes of over 2000 midwife-led home births from the 70ies till the new millennium. It is showing how easily one medical intervention in childbirth can lead to another: with quite disempowering results for the mother and consequently also unsettling the newborn baby.