why natural?

Some people have asked and some people haven't but just think I'm crazy ... so I'm here to give you my answer. :)  My desire to give birth naturally came from a combination of several things:

1.  I was curious.  Seems a long way to take curiosity, huh?  Well, I wanted to know what it was really like ... what it really felt like.
2.  Our bodies were made to do this.  People have been giving birth for years.  We also have been blessed with knowledge and with medicine.  So, of course, if my life or Duke's life would have been endangered in any way, any kind of medicine or surgery necessary would have been gladly accepted.  I'm not against it.  But I'm grateful that, in my case, I was able to do this.
3.  I was really scared of the epidural.  It wasn't really the needle part but more of the I'm-not-going-to-be-able-to-feel-my-legs part.
4.  I'm stubborn.  If I say I'm going to do something, I feel pretty obligated in my mind to do it.

My desire did not come from any of the following:

1.  I wanted to prove my awesome-ness.
2.  I'm against medicine and epidurals.
3.  I thought my baby would turn out better from a natural birth.

So, there you have it.

I know that to some of you, Duke's birth story might have sounded awful.  Well, it was.  I'm not going to be Positive Penny and try to trick anyone into thinking that it was easy.  One blog I read beforehand described giving birth with words like "energy" and "electricity."  I've never felt my body so alive and have to fight for something so much.  That kind of pain is only worth ONE thing in this world ... a precious baby.

I would also like to add that there's just not a right or wrong way to do it.  I think how you give birth is totally dependent upon your situation, your health, your baby's health, and your personality.  Having a baby is having a baby and the outcome will be a little person that loves you, that you love, and that cries, poops, and sleeps like the rest of them.

So, was it worth it?  Absolutely.  The things I learned about myself, Colt, and God during childbirth are things I wouldn't trade for anything.