“Enjoy your labor”
I had to make a trip to one of the baby superstores to buy a shower gift, and while standing in line a book caught my eye. The title was “Enjoy Your Labor: A New Approach to Pain Relief for Childbirth.” The subtitle said “the only book that takes the fear, mystery, and guilt out of epidurals and spinals.” I was so taken aback that I decided I had to look the book up when I got home. The author, who is (not surprisingly) an anesthesologist, advocates for the use of epidurals early on, “before the severe pain of labor starts.” So, basically, you should get one before you even know if you’re going to need one. Now, while I’m not thrilled with the subject matter of the book at all, I am particularly offended by the idea that you have to have an epidural to enjoy your labor. I suppose it could be a matter of what he means by enjoy; to me sitting around disconnected from what is going on inside my body, watching television and chatting with others would not constitute enjoying labor. On the other hand, even though some of my labors have been quite difficult, I would still say that I have enjoyed the birth process. You can read more about the book here.