For the past 18 months I have been working towards becoming a licensed childbirth educator. Last week I completed my final step, which was an all-essay final exam. It ended up being 21 single-spaced pages. I had quite a feeling of accomplishment when I dropped it in the mailbox.
It got me thinking about the value of working hard for something. I was thinking about the work involved in natural childbirth. There are so many "easy" ways out these days. You can get your epidural or your c-section. You can be knocked-out fot the whole thing if you wish.
But don't we value most the things that are hardest to come by? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that a woman who has a c-section doesn't value her baby. But I do believe that when a couple works together through the challenges and (let's face it) pain of natural childbirth, there is a special bond that takes place in the new family.
