Older & Wiser

So...Watching 16 & Pregnant on hulu, ( My 1st mistake..I know.) & the girl gets asked by her friend, " Are you going to have a natural birth?" She responds, " Would you? I can't even stand a papercut." Giggles erupt.. Ugh. I hate the term natural birth-all birth is natural. It's vaginal &c-sec, medicated & unmedicated, assisted & homebirth, etc.. Gah. I've had 3 hospital births, 2 unmedicated-not even Tylenol. While it'd be great if every mom could experience unmedicated birth , I really appreciated my epidural on the 3rd go & in fact wonder what the big deal on shaming moms who get one is. It was awesome. Granted I'm 20 yrs older now & arthritic, so having the pain relief was amazing. :) Also-really hate that the show trivialized even trying for unmedicated. I cheered last week when the teenaged mom breastfed. Later in the episode, formula was being made, so not sure if she supplemented or wasn't supported in breastfeeding(always sad & unfortunately too common), but good on her for trying! I gave birth to my first child 2 weeks before my 19th birthday. I am an only child of a single mom whose extended family lived across the country, so I didn't have any real knowledge of how to birth. I gave birth unmedicated & managed to breastfeed for 12 months. I was told that milk lost its benefits at a year. it sounds so ridiculous now, but wikipedia wasn't around then. :) I mabaged 15 months with number 2-He self weaned then, & my baby turns 17 months tomorrow & we're still going strong. He loves the boobies & his relationship with them & me. It's a little odd to be considered a different entity from your breasts, but sweet nonetheless. My older kids did it too-would pat, stroke, kiss the boobie, but be mad at mama & give me mean looks. Funny, I have one about to be a junior in high school, one graduating in a week, & one that tugs enthusiastically on my shirt & gets upset if he sees me latch my bra. Somewhere in there, there's a fantastic observation on life.