Birth Works Feature Articles

...for the mind

Truth

What is it that birthing women want most from their caregivers?  What is it that the obstetricians, midwives and nurses owe to the women in their care?  It is Truth.  However, in some instances, birthing mothers are pressured into tests, inductions, and cesarean sections for reasons which sound valid to them – “advanced maternal age,” “big baby,” and the like.  Many women welcome these interventions, thinking that their baby is in danger.  But what is missing is the truth, that in many instances, research does not indicate that these interventions are likely to improve the birth outcome.

What is it that the medical caregivers want from birthing women in their care?  They need Trust.  But without truth, there cannot be trust.  Women are often in a quandary, wanting to trust their bodies to work in the exquisite manner that nature designed, and wanting to trust that their caregivers have only the well-being of themselves and their babies in mind and at heart.  What all need to remember is that the knowledge about how to give birth is born within every woman at birth.  It is this Truth that all need to believe.  Then all actions will be Right Actions.

...for the body

Right Action

Women want their care care providers to attend them in a manner of right action.  Right action means that everyone involved in each birth acts in the best interest of the mother and baby, recognizing that each birth is a unique experience.  Right action in birth is that which allows for a healthy birth, physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

It is this right action which allows a mother to know and trust that her baby had the birth that he or she needed, and which allows her caregivers to be secure in that same knowledge.  It is this trust which allows for a healthy relationship to develop between each mother and her attendants.  It also helps to facilitate the precious bond between each mother and her baby, so that those early weeks of motherhood are not spent questioning the decisions made during her birth, but instead, treasuring the memories of her baby’s birth and being confident in her instinctive mothering abilities.

... for the spirit

Peace, Love and Nonviolence

In an ideal world, birth would always be gentle.  Every mother and baby would have the opportunity to experience birth in a way that feels empowering, fulfilled and contented.
There are those who say, “So long as the mother and baby are healthy, what difference does it make how the baby is born?”  But it does make a difference.  How are we defining “healthy”?  Does a painful episiotomy scar or the damange from a non-emergency cesarean make a mother healthy?  Her body may suffer the ill effects of these interventions for an extended period of time. Emotional health is important as well as physical health.  When a woman has a traumatic birth, it can affect her ability to mother.  Her feelings of resentment and anger may be directed toward her baby.  When a woman has suffered a traumatic birth, she may find that the reaction of others is to minimize the importance of her birth experience, or tell her that suffering is a normal part of the experience, and that birth wasn’t meant to be enjoyed.  But birth is meant to be a loving and peak experience in a woman’s life.  The hard work of labor is a normal part of any birth experience, and can be viewed in a positive way, especially is there is love and support around her during the birth.

Thirty years have passed since Dr. Frederick Leboyer first proposed the idea of gentle, non-traumatic birth experiences for babies in his groundbreaking book, “Birth Without Violence.”  Only a few decades ago, it was thought that newborn babies were only minimally aware of their surroundings, but we now know that babies are born with all of their senses intact and functioning.  The bright lights, loud sounds and harsh handling which greets many newborns upon their arrival into the world can be traumatic for newborn babies.  Remember that first experiences have the greatest impact on the brain.  A welcome into a room with dim lighting and soft voices, gentle handling and continuous contact with his or her mother and father is what babies deserve and need.  This first experience can teach them that the world will be a kind and gentle and loving place for them.  This is more important and of greater impact than we realize.

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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.