future homebirthers!

mama-star ↓

Tue, Aug 05 2008, 2:03 pm

so last night I was reading a book to my 2 girls (6 and 8 years old) and there was a part in the book where baby chicks hatch out of their eggs. so 8 yr old dd starts talking abut how reptiles hatch out of eggs like birds, but mammals give birth to live babies. I asked if she was a mammal, and she said yes, she was going to have live babies, like mommy.

"and I'm going to make noises like this when I have my babies!" (proceeds to groan, moan, and wail.) I said, "do I sound like that when I have my babies?" and both girls said yes. so I said, "would you want to have your babies at home or in a hospital?" 8 yr old dd said at home, because "in a hospital they don't let you drink." (I have no idea where she got that from). 6 yr old dd also said at home, because "you don't have to drive to the hospital to have the baby, you can just be home in your own bed. that's nice." ok, that's pretty on target!

someday, when they can understand more, I'll have to explain more about birthing choices and the pros and cons of each environment. but for now, I thought it was a funny conversation.

GAMZu ↓

Tue, Aug 05 2008, 9:19 pm

Haha, cute cute. Smile

Once, a long time ago, we were passing by the hospital where my kids were born, and I told my son (3 at the time) that he and his brother were born there.
He got all into it and was asking questions and whenever he would tell over something he did when he was little, he'd say, "When I was very little and in the hospital, I played with this toy... slept in a crib..." etc.

Once I made my decision to have a home birth, I regretted telling him about the hospital.

Another factor is that we had to take him to the emergency room for choking on a fish bone, and he's very confused about this hospital business now.
Like, is it where you go to have babies (good thing) or where you go when you are very hurt or sick (bad thing)?

He doesn't know yet that I'm not going to the hospital to have this baby. I hope he forgets the issue and doesn't start philosophizing. LOL

Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Wed, Aug 06 2008, 10:13 am

About a week before my daughter was born, I was asking my 3 year old if he wanted Mommy to have a baby. And he asked me "Here? In your room?"
(He was probably talking about there will be a baby in the room as opposed to where she would be born as he doesn't understand anything about birth, but still I thought it was funny Smile

)

↑ GAMZu ↓

Thu, Aug 07 2008, 1:10 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

)

And what if he said no? Tongue Out

BTW, I mentioned on another thread already, but my 4 year old asked me if I'll have the baby in the Sukka. LOL

↑ mama-star ↓

Thu, Aug 07 2008, 1:35 am

gamzu!!! I have always had a "vision" that I would some day have a baby in my sukkah. it doesn't seem very practical at all, but imagine - a baby born into kedusha, born into a mitzva... WOW!! although, I have wondered if giving birth inside a sukkah could somehow render the sukkah tameh???

↑ GAMZu ↓

Thu, Aug 07 2008, 1:47 am

I guess it's one shaila that any Rov would be surprised to receive! LOL

But in all practicality, until I have a balcony on which the Sukka can stand, and some heavy furs and rugs to hang on the walls to make it a bit "soundproof" Wink

I think that idea will need to be shelved. LOL

↑ mama-star ↓

Thu, Aug 07 2008, 1:53 am

I have a better shaileh for you. a homebirther I know called her rav and asked if they could continue using the cooking pot they put the placenta in! (why they put it there, I have no idea)

she said he was stunned.

Tehilla

Thu, Aug 07 2008, 12:16 pm

my midwife asked me if I wanted to give birth in the sukkah.

I stared at her.

(hey if it's a good cooking pot! LOL, just kidding. I wouldn't want to reuse it personally...)

↑ mama-star ↓

Thu, Aug 07 2008, 1:21 pm

I guess it also depends on the sukkah and the location!

if you have a large sukkah (we do) that is very helpful. also, we live in a warm climate. so when sukkos comes, it's warm! I recall very well a rainy, freezing sukkos in brooklyn. Sad

manhattanmom ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 7:24 pm

A cat once gave birth in my sukkah when I was a kid.
I went into the backyard in the morning to start setting the table and saw about 4 newborn cats with their eyes still closed crawling around and the mommy cat under the table....
We ate the rest of our meals in our neighbor's sukkah.

↑ manhattanmom

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 8:01 pm

mama-star wrote:

awww...so cute!

you could have named the kittens sukkah, schach, lulav and esrog! Wink

I remember that we didn't want to take the sukkah down because they lived there and we didn't want them to have to find a new home but my parents absolutely refused to let us keep taking care of them. Sad

↑ GAMZu ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 8:34 pm

That's sweet. Smile

Many people would just shoo them out that very morning. (Did you read the amother who in her brilliancy threw a kettle of boiling water at a stray cat sitting on her steps? Rolling Eyes

) How nice to read that there are people who actually observe the lav of tzaar baalei chaim.

↑ mama-star

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 9:46 pm

this just reminds me of a story I heard from a rabbi who taught in the seminary I learned at. when he lived in monsey he was walking on shabbos afternoon. he saw a cat trailing another man who was also walking. after awhile, the man turned and looked at the cat and yelled, "I TOLD you I'd say kaddish for you!" after that the cat went away. my teacher saw this event with his own eyes!

is that weird or what?

↑ GAMZu

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 9:56 pm

Oh, wow... Sounds like they had previous conversations. Wink

Maybe we should make a thread for such stories. There was once a dog who kept coming into our shul and the story is similar, but I am not clear on the details, so I won't write it.