Birth Works Feature Articles

...for the mind

The Meta Message in Birth

Just as it is the flavor of a food that makes us remember that particular food, so it is the energy or feeling we experience when with another person, that imprints memories. Young children are excellent at reading body energy and whether we realize it or not, we are too! When we communicate, about 10% of what we say is actually heard. The remaining 90% is the Meta Message— that which is learned non-verbally. This includes body and facial expressions, positioning, and energy. We can know a person is angry just from the frown on the face, the heated energy pouring forth, and tense body movements. The Meta Message is largely determined by our state of mind.

A good Birth Doula is very sensitive to the energy of a birthing woman. A woman in labor is vulnerable and sensitive and she is easily affected by the energy around her. She must open herself completely to give birth. Any tension in those around her, may cause her to also become tense. If the doula is feeling anxious, the laboring woman may feel anxious. If the doula feels frustrated, so may the woman in labor. If the doula feels rushed, the laboring woman may not have patience. If the doula feels safe and secure, the woman in labor may be more likely to open her body to give birth.

Comments from a woman about her birth doula, demonstrate the energy of love that flowed from the doula and made such a lasting impression on the woman who gave birth: "We started to relax about the birth the minute we met her, feeling safe and in capable hands. Once labor started, she acted as a calm, reassuring presence throughout the process. She knew exactly how to best support us and the medical team. Our doctor was also deeply impressed and thanked her on several occasions."

The qualities that make a good doula are subtle and include the touching, or not touching, the speaking, or not speaking, the tone of voice and manner of bearing, and the mood that she brings to the birthing room. Inviting an 'outsider' into such a personal, even spiritual event as the birth of one's child means that "you, as a vulnerable expectant parent, are placing unusual faith in the doula's skills, qualities, and energy that she brings into the space." If all women giving birth could feel safe and secure during labor, and if they could feel loved by those around them, birth experiences would become memories of pure joy that last forever.

...for the body

Correct Positioning Avoids Need to Push

by Jean Sutton

One of the pieces of advice confusing mothers today is this: "How do we push our babies out?" Until women were put to bed on their backs to give birth, there was no problem. When mothers are upright, with bottom higher than knees, there is no corner to obstruct the baby's path. Once the cervix is fully dilated, as long as the mother stays off her back, there is a straight tube from the top of the uterus to the outside. The symphysis is lower than the coccyx, and birth is as simple as passing through a doorway. The uterus then is able to eject the baby by its own efforts. This also applies, if the mother lies on her left side to allow her baby out. It is also fine when kneeling, so long as the legs are kept well away from the body— more than 90 degrees and the hands are in front of the shoulders.

The difficulty arises when mothers are in bed on their backs with their knees raised. This brings the coccyx off the bed and curves the sacrum. The symphysis is lifted towards the umbilicus, and a nasty bend is formed in the previously straight tube. The baby gets his head too far down and back into the pelvic cavity, and must be pushed up and round the bend. This has many unwanted effects. There is unnatural pressure on the pelvic floor and the perineum is under too much tension. The baby is unable to straighten his head as he should, and may have trouble rotating his shoulders at the spines. He will have to be helped out by the midwife or doctor, when, if his mother kept the internal tube straight, he would lift his head and fall out.

... for the spirit

Truth of Birth: Something Worth Passing On

Truth in its purest form means that which does not change in the three periods of time: the past, present, or future. We can call this an eternal Truth. There may be times when something is temporarily true such as "Johnny is 5 years old today," but that will change with time. An example of eternal Truth is that the knowledge about how to give birth is already inside every woman. This has been true in the past thousands of years before there were ever childbirth classes, and it will be true for many future generations of women.

How is it that so many of today's women have forgotten this Truth about themselves? Today's pregnant women attend childbirth classes believing that someone has to teach them how to give birth. They want to know "What should I do when contractions are mild? What should I do when the contractions become strong?" When the primary focus of the class is that of teaching how to give birth, it serves to undermine confidence in women's own power to give birth and have trust and faith in their own body wisdom.

A participant of a recent Birth Works Childbirth Educator Workshop, wrote the following:

"I came to the workshop expecting to add more pearls of wisdom to my treasure chest— statistics, arguments, studies. I quickly learned that that was not to be the case. The first, central and most important truth that was instilled in us was that 'the knowledge of how to give birth exists within every woman.' And if that is true, then all the libraries of information in the world won't mean as much to a woman in labor as learning to trust her own body, and receiving love, validation and support. How many of us have felt helpless as friends or relatives express to us the conditioned belief that their bodies are broken, inadequate, misshapen or too slow? From the time we said hello and introduced ourselves in the first hour of class, to the last goodbyes, we were immersed in an atmosphere of love, respect and acceptance. That is something worth passing on."

Birth Works E News has been written to provide information on Birth Works, Inc. programs and general information about pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. The information provided is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation with a childbirth educator, lactation consultant, doula, midwife, or physician.