Ch.14/ The importance of advocacy in birth
Advocacy is a cornerstone of a positive birth. Standing up for yourself is necessary and empowering.
Whether it’s your first baby or your tenth, everyone can benefit from advocacy. Learning how to advocate for yourself is crucial in having a positive birth experience.
Now, let’s get one thing straight – I don’t hate OB’s or nurses. Not by a long shot. They provide life saving care and they do truly amazing work. We need them!
But I do think that in a hospital birth, it can feel like your care providers are just living another day at the office. While this is a normal day for them, it is not a normal day for you.
Hospital policy runs deep and a lot of times these providers are just doing what is most common.
Your nurse asks you when you’re getting your epidural because most of their patients get epidurals.
Your OB tells you when your next cervical check is instead of asking if you want a cervical check because most of their patients don’t question checks.
They tell you to lay on your back when pushing because most of their patients are conditioned that this is how you have to give birth.
By asking questions, you are not being a difficult patient. By asking for things that are not automatically offered (wireless fetal monitoring, a squat bar, a mirror), you are not being a difficult patient.
Informed consent is so powerful! This is true even if you come to the same conclusion they were suggesting in the first place. You will feel so much more empowered knowing that you came to the best decision for you.
Your decision wasn’t because most people pick that option. Instead, you were able to decide what your specific and individual experience needed.
Knowledge is power. Empower your birth by advocating for more information and the decisions that will create your dream birth.
Get my free Advocacy Workbook where we break down the exact questions to ask so you can get full information when making a decision.
