Get a Personality Test before you have a BABY!!

This weekend, I watched DVD1 in the series of More Business of Being Born, produced by Ricki Lake. This movie is an excellent introduction to how women can achieve a home birth in today’s hospital dominated birth world. As an average American living in a large city, the thought of a home birth sounded quite hippy and scary. WHAT IF….WHAT IF…WHAT IF….

This attitude has arrived because I have not been surrounded by any “natural” births. To me, a “normal” birth is being rushed to the hospital, in extreme pain, receiving drugs to eliminate the pain and if the baby is too big, having surgery to get the little sucker out.

Once I did some research, looked at stats of home-birthing a low risk pregnancy, read some of INA MAY GASKIN'S books, it made perfect sense to birth at home. Note, I mention “low risk.” That is the key. My personal goal was a natural, non-medicated birth for my son. Check out the American Pregnancy Association regarding homebirths.

One piece of information I would recommend before deciding if a hospital, birth center, or home birth is right for you or someone you love--have them do a personality test! Like a DISC profile, etc.  See how much the environment really affects effectiveness of getting work done or relaxing. If you have a personality that is easily influenced by others when your guard is down, or when in pain be aware of that especially if planning a natural birth. If nothing bothers you and you have a more dominant aggressive outlook on life, a natural-hospital birth will be easier for you. Know how you react in different environments. It sounds pretty obvious, but this really makes a difference. 

Take me for example. My environment has to have the right “ambiance.” It has to be decorated just perfectly, cleaned up, music has to be playing, candles burning.  Every sense has to be stimulated for me to really get some work done, or relax and feel good.  I would choose a nice stimulating fireplace to LOOK at rather than have heat from it. 

If you want to have a natural birth you have to assess what type of personality you have and how it will be affected by the environment you choose to be in. period.