Comments on: the business of being born: birth story part 2

By: cricket desmarais

cricket desmarais — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:18:55 +0000

thank you for reading my blog, and your kind comments about my writing, and the encouragement regarding my experience. it was a pretty terrible experience but i have the amazing gift of a healthy, happy little one, which is what helps ease and erase all the disappointment. im still learning so much from it, actually, though i will say i prefer to learn through joy and am working to manifest my learning through this method instead! : ) what got you thinking about water and ocean births again? are you considering more children? i never understood why anyone could go through all that again to have more, but with seava being as wonderful as she is, now i totally get it (though i still think one is good enough for me….)! thanks again for taking the time to write to me. oh, and yes, that book is still in my “cart” with amazon.com. i didn’t buy it (yet?) because a) it’s a tad on the expensive side and b) i didn’t want to have the subconscious stream of thoughts regarding someone else’s ocean experience filter into mine. maybe that’s weird, but i do the same thing re: novels. i can’t read them right now until i finish my own book. …..but now, well now perhaps i should really order it! thanks for the reminder. and a very happy day to you. xo

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:56:26 +0000

I’ve just come across a book title that may be what my friend read. Ocean Born by C. Criscom 1989, if your interested. As horrific as your experience is, the quality of your writing is beautiful. A writerly Duende. I hope things are fine for you.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:48:49 +0000

Hi Cricket
I’ve just chanced upon your blog. I googled “waterbirth ocean” so I first read your plans of an ocean birth. It’s so sad to hear the outcome. I hear such horror stories of hospital births. When I was pregnant in 2006 occasionally I’d bump into a friend at my favorite cafe and we’d have long conversations about birth and stuff. What was wonderful for me (first-time mother to be planning a home/water birth) were her stories about giving birth in the ocean (in Western Australia) 15 years earlier. A couple of years before her daughters birth she came across a book about ocean birth. It was called something like “Water Born”. I hope you have he opportunity to experience it. If I have another one it’s something I’d consider.

By: cricket desmarais

cricket desmarais — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:15:53 +0000

thanks aaron. yeah, it is strange: the very reasons why i didn’t want a hospital birth were the ones i got multiplied by a thousand. it sucked. seems something out there thinks i learn best through advdersity. im ready to learn through joy, ease, and grace. thanks for reading my blog, and i hope you are well. xo

By: Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:48:19 +0000

… forgot to add…
The hospital in Key West did something similar to Dan & Amy when they had Nina four years ago. She had a little jaundice due to excess bilirubin and the hospital wanted to keep her & the baby for extra time but wouldn’t explain the issues. They just told her it was dangerous and scared her. Turns out they wanted to keep nina and use phototherapy to reduce the jaundice. Amy pointed out that it was april in Key West and with proper breast feeding and an hour or two of full-body sunlight, the issue wouldn’t be one. The hospital still made her sign a AMA document and ran her thru the same guilt and fear wringer they ran you thru. Nina is now a healthy, happy, beautiful four and a half year old… against medical advice!

By: Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:34:06 +0000

I don’t think I would have had your patience. Three unannounced visits to the room and the nurse(s) would have had an issue to deal with. There’s an awful lot of fear, intimidation and horrible communication even in good hospitals. It seems that, if the patient or the support team (your term for it is the best) doesn’t demand to be informed and treated well, the staff tends to shuffle you thru like an animal and hope you get better and the insurance pays the bill. It’s not just obstetrics, it’s every specialty. I guess they deal with alot of people who don’t know, don’t care, can’t be bothered and it makes them forget why they do what they do.
I’m taking notes to remember everything I’m learning from you if I ever find someone who will put up with me.