Why I Choose Modern Medicine

Why I Choose Modern Medicine

This is not a post to say how I am better than you or care about my children more. We are all doing the best we can and make decisions based on what we feel is in the best interest of our children. Let’s be honest: We all love our children. We all think that we are doing things the “right” way. This is more about my feelings of the attitude people take towards modern medicine, especially when it comes to having babies.

I struggled with fertility issues for quite some time. Without the advances in medicine, it’s quite possible that I wouldn’t have any children today. Modern medicine is THE reason I had my first child. But that first child and pregnancy taught me so much about why modern medicine is important. That first pregnancy started off as a twin pregnancy. It ended with a singleton. At 25 weeks, I lost one of my babies.modern medicine

If you rewind to that pregnancy, about 8 weeks in, I was so naive. I had an initial consultation with a doctor who was more natural minded. I had visions of having a drug-free labor surrounded by candles, fairies, pixie dust, and Enya. This doctor was supportive of that. I also wanted all the testing possible done because I wanted to be reassured that things were on the right track. I should have known better when this doctor tried to say I didn’t need to have NT scans or blood work done. I pushed for it anyway. At 12 weeks, thanks to modern medicine, we found out that one of my babies was not growing properly. I went back to my OB who said what the specialist saw was “nothing” and that he was making me worry for no reason. Looking back at this, there were so many red flags.

There is no need for me to get into particulars about the rest of the pregnancy but what it comes down to is this: modern medicine. Modern medicine is how I found out there was a problem. Modern medicine couldn’t solve my problem but I was able to use the information it provided to keep me on track so the rest of my pregnancy didn’t take a turn south, which it almost did several times. My dreams of an un-medicated birth were replaced by dreams of just having my pregnancy last long enough to avoid a NICU stay. I started to show signs of preeclampsia towards the end, which was a sign. I wanted to go into labor naturally and mourned for all of 5 minutes that I wouldn’t get that opportunity. But you know what I would get? A healthy baby! That was so much more important. Again, thank you modern medicine. My baby lived and I didn’t end up like poor Sybil Crawley Branson.

I recently read an article that said, “Yes, it’s evolved so that birth has become a piece of performance art and not a means to an end.” In my case, it was a means to an end. I had no other stake in the game besides wanting a healthy baby. I thank modern medicine for the ability to be able to induce my labor, monitor my baby during it all, and keep me healthy. I know everyone has their own views and prerogatives. I do want women to realize this: how you give birth is not tied to how you are as a mother. You did not fail if you relied on modern medicine. And if you did give birth without relying on hospitals, doctors, epidurals, monitoring, etc, good for you, also. But just remember: the hospital doesn’t hand out trophies.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here