I'm shocked that November flew by so quickly and with so many others enjoying their families, ours decided to head west and visit my husband's family.  In the process, we visited Laura Ingalls Wilder's (reconstructed) home in Independence, Kansas.

In this tiny, "smaller than my bedroom at home," one-room house, Caroline Ingalls lived with her husband, two children and gave birth miles away from any town.  Her daughter Carrie was born here in the wilds, a homebirth without support other than that of her family and in the presence of her two girl children.

As December unfolds, many women around this country will give birth with support and with the aid of physicians or hospitals or midwives or other care providers.  Many of those women will have the numerous benefits of modern technology.  Traditionally, this is a time where I hear many doulas and other women talk of how someone is being forced, rushed or convinced into an induction or scheduling their cesarean for the sake of the holiday or the tax deduction.  This conscious misuse of the technology makes the hard work of so many of our ancestral women seem taken for granted at a time of the year where we are supposed to appreciate and love our family and give the gifts of the heart, I hope that some women reflect on what it takes to give birth, the hard physical labor that our bodies undergo in creating a child and then bringing it forth.  I hope they will appreciate the technology while using it appropriately and choosing or rejecting care providers who respect the process of giving birth.