Since the dawn of time, women have been having babies the way that nature intended it –moving and swaying with our bodies’ cues, moaning and humming our babies into the world, holding onto our support people, and actively and consciously birthing our heritage.
We were made for this!
Women did not fear childbirth, the hard work that came with it, or the pain that often accompanied it – because they understood that they were designed to carry and birth their own children! Contractions were welcomed with confidence and trust in their bodies’ abilities. The contraction can not be bigger than you, because it IS you.
We were made for this!
Women gave the laboring mothers strength through their words, encouragement, hands, actions, and beliefs. They were not cajoled or encouraged to make it ‘easier’, but to make it right, and strong, and efficient – to birth the way that their mothers and their mother’s mothers did!
We have forgotten, in the last 150 years, how to trust our bodies, and we have lost sight of the best and safest route of birth – all in the name of a comfortable labor and birth. As a result, we have traded out our power, our bodies abilities, and our newborn’s rights to be born into health and alertness. It’s time we reclaimed what we have given away to the hands of Anesthesiologists and Obstetricians.
We were made for this!
3 comments:
i truly believe that our bodies were built for birth, and totally capable of birthing intervention-free.
however, what do you say to someone who has been eager for that natural, from the gut, instinct driven birth but experienced the complete opposite?
water broke at 36 weeks, 12 hours later no contractions, pitocin for the next 30 hours and finally, with only 2 cm dilation achieved, a cesarean? how do you encourage this disappointed mother?
I hate to have this type of situation where someone asks 'what ifs'... No one wants to be told that things could have been avoided if 'such and such'... But, truth be told, there were other options for this momma. She could have waited much longer than 12 hours for contractions, which means her body would have gone into labor on its own, in it's own timing, and most likely dilated much more quickly and easily. When we force a body to birth, it has consequences.
From here, though, where do you go? More knowledge. More information for next time. Looking at alternatives (such as an HBAC). More support.
Most importantly, LET HER GRIEVE. She is most likely going to grieve the birth that she missed out on. Often, cesareans cause womens bodies to literally grieve what they have lost - one moment they were pregnant, the next they were not. It is a hormonal, physical, emotional, and mental shock.
Anger is healthy. Anger at the turn of events, anger at the choices of her birthteam, anger even at self.
Grief, regret, and anger, when allowed to play out their courses, often will lead into healing. With healing comes empowerment and proactive assertiveness. So, encourage her with allowing her to feel what she needs to feel while also helping her get the answers she needs to her many questions - then help her to get ready for next time.
That is woman to woman wisdom and care at it's best.
thank you...
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