These benefits include but are not limited to the power of the human touch and presence, of being surrounded by supportive people of a family's own choosing, security in birthing in a familiar and comfortable environment of home, feeling less inhibited in expressing unique responses to labor (such as
making sounds, moving freely, adopting positions of comfort, being intimate with her partner, nursing a toddler, eating and drinking as needed and desired, expressing or practicing individual cultural, value and faith based rituals that enhance coping)-- all of which can lead to easier labors and births, not having to
make a
decision about when to go to the hospital during labor (going too early can slow progress and increase use of the cascade of risky interventions, while going too late can be intensely
uncomfortable or even lead to a risky unplanned birth en route), being able to choose how and when to include children (who are
making their own adjustments and are less challenged by a lengthy absence of their parents and excessive interruptions of family routines), enabling uninterrupted family boding and breastfeeding, huge cost savings for insurance companies and those without insurance, and increasing the likelihood of having a deeply empowering and profoundly positive, life changing pregnancy and birth experience.
Warning the audience that the session would be
uncomfortable but important, I asked them, honestly, to think
about what they considered a maths teacher to «look like» and why and how it might affect their
decision -
making.
It's no wonder this tense,
uncomfortable living situation often pushes divorcing couples to
make rash
decisions about moving out before fully considering the consequences.