Shayndel - Happy 1st Birthday :-)

I was very impressed by the fact you obviously refused an epidural. Induction need not be so 'tortuous' and invasive. You know, simple castor oil - although not tastefully pleasant - is known to work just as well. This kind of oral method of induction leaves a Woman free to move - that's important in Birthing. I am not one to encourage walking when in Labour, but I would get rid of those 'tortuous' single hospital beds. Women in early Labour sway from side to side, a bit like a belly dancer; it helps the coming and going contractions and makes them very bearable. But on one's back or on any forced and imposed positions, these contractions become utterly unbearable and 'tortuous'. Perhaps, next time, don't go to the hospital too early so that you can, at least, do as you please up to that point. Try swaying. Of course, it is, in my eyes, tragic that a Woman like you has to leave the sanctity of her Bedroom, to perform an act which essentially belongs in Her Personal World. If after such an ordeal, you had to endure an episiotomy, please know one thing: you do not need to be cut again - it's a myth. Like Women in Holland, not only the Dutch ones, but all the others who give Birth there, your Doctor, like the Doctors in Holland, should be able to strive to make you one of the 8 out of 10 Women who do not get cut. If you cannot be guaranteed of that disposition in your Birth Assistant, look for someone who can, someone who has mastered the required techniques whose dictates are far safer and dignified than the brutal and compulsory tortures. Personally,and aligning myself with the substantial opinion that Birth is not a medical condition, I find scandalous what is going on actually with the manner of these 'medical methods'. It's not about Birth anymore; it's about whether one can handle whatever tortures are imposed on one. Most Women don't cope very well with these 'assaults'. It is truly torture.