An Aversion to Pain

Mom: Have you thought about how you want to have your baby?
Jessie: I’d like to have a natural birth. But we’ll see what the doctor thinks when the time comes.

Is adding that last sentence really necessary? Every time someone asks her, she feels a need to add it in. I know that there’s a possibility that complications could arise in which the doctor would have to perform a C-section, but to me, it almost seems as if she’s hoping and wishing that the doctor will tell her, “Sorry, but things haven’t gone as planned. I’m afraid we need to perform a C-section on you.” This way, the responsibility falls off her and no one can blame her for not going through with a natural birth because she wanted to avoid the pain.

I know this because Jessie shirks from anything that involves anything hard or painful. This is probably the reason she avoids exercising or playing Sudoku with me. The minute things get a little tough, she starts waving the white flag.

Often times, I joke with her and ask if she’s really American rather than Taiwanese because in the book Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, it was reported that Americans on average tend to give up quicker than Asians when confronted with a difficult situation or problem. 

With people after people recounting the excruciating pain of their baby’s birth, I’m worried that she’s beginning to having second thoughts about a natural birth. And who can blame her. Who in their right mind would want to go through this sort of pain besides a sadomasochist?

A C-section seems so much more appealing. It’s the simple way out of something difficult. Obviously, the choice is up to her. I can’t make the decision for her, and I support whatever decision she makes, but I hope she stays strong. If she can tolerate being around me for as long as she has, then I’m pretty sure giving birth shall be nothing but a mere blip in the whole scheme of things.