The Best Answer

At least one of my regular readers is familiar with Yahoo! Answers, where I often go when I'm bored or hoping to encourage that certain pregnant someone who is on the fence about things or just needs advice. I'm no expert, obviously, but I try my best to be forthcoming and honest, as well as offer my personal experience. So my antenna went up the other day when the question "C-section vs. natural birth - pros and cons?" came up!

I checked my email today and found that the asker had chosen me as best answer! This is why I do this - this blog, this advocacy stuff: so that someone, even if it's just one person, can be more informed and know her options. Be encouraged to ask more questions and demand answers. To know that she's not alone, and yes, you DO have a choice.

The mom had a rather bad experience with her first, a vaginal birth, and was wondering if a scheduled c-section wouldn't be better for next time. I wonder if that isn't the reason for some of the c-sections scheduled today - because the experiences that first brought them into motherhood were so downright horrible that they never want to relive them again. What a way to gain passage into one of the most rewarding jobs ever.

She thanked me for my lengthy answer LOL and I even got two thumbs up. Which means people are reading and agree. Which means the information is getting out there. She might never read anything by Ina May or watch Ricki Lake's movie. But hopefully she will have been helped by my post, somehow. Yes, I tend to be long-winded, but it's just so much more than a yes or no answer - it's so multi-faceted and really, the more information, the better.