Views on Birth

When you first think of a baby being born what do you see? You might see a hospital room with a mother laying on a bed. With the best doctors and nurses with her. Maybe there is a husband present looking like the proud father. There is medical equipment just in case something goes amiss. And in the back of your mind you know that there is the save all cesarean. You feel that the mother and baby is safe because they are in the hands of a Doctor.

It has not always been the place of doctors and hospitals to bring babies in to the word. Up until the early 1900’s babies were delivered for the most part by midwives. When it came time to deliver, a women was at home in familiar surroundings, supported by women. As time went by roles changes and men (someone that never experiences birth) and hospitals became responsible for bringing in new life. This was viewed as the best possible place a women could give birth. She would be surrounded by highly trained staff that could deal with any emergency. The advent of pain killers made doctors the one person that could give women a pain free birth. This was and is viewed as a wonderful blessing, the right of every women. Then came the advent of drugs that could speed up a delivery. So now women can have a fast pain free delivery. What more could a women possibly want? Well a lot more actually…

Yes it’s a good thing that we have come to able to manage a delivery. But that’s just it, now a delivery is something that is managed by the doctors, not the mothers. They have a golf match at 3, so oops, they will call for a cesarean if it does not look like he will make it. Or oh the doc has a vacation in Hawaii planed on the date that you are due. No problem we will just induce you the week before. Oh you are having a baby no big deal your room door is left open and complete strangers can look in as they pass by. Oh you are having trouble focusing on your delivery, because strangers keep on looking at you. Not a problem we will give you a drug that will force your body to have this baby faster then nature would have it. Oh your not opening up enough for this baby to be born we will just cut you ( in the most sensitive area of a women’s body). But don’t worry we will sew you up tight at the end. So much so that sex will be painful for the next 3 months. We doctors give you the best and safest births, don’t worry you are safe with us. That is what the doctors really believe, so much so that the American Medical Association has tried many times to get home births and midwifery band. Despite the fact that countries that use more natural birth processes have a better infant mortality rate then we do. Take the Netherlands for instance, 40% of all births occur at home attended by midwifes. Yet their infant mortality rate is 4.9 per 1,000 compared to our 6.0. There are other countries such as Sweden and Singapore that have rates as low as 2.8 and 2.3 respectably. These countries also base their maternity care off of midwifes and allowing women to chose were to give birth.

The medical profession might be good at emergencies I will give them that. But they feel a compulsion to mess with nature. They have to do something to feel they are earning there money. Heaven forbid that they let a women handle it her way and let nature takes it’s course. NO, NO that can not be done, we have it down to a science, and that is just what it is to them a science. With facts, figures and time tables, with a human life as the after product.

Not all women are happy with this view of birth. They decide to seek other means of bringing in a brand new life into the world. They turn to midwifes and birth centers and possibly even plan to have the baby at home. What ideas do they run into at these places? What makes them different ? Well first off birth is viewed as something natural. Granted there are the exceptions then a women must be moved to a hospital. But for the most part they let nature take it’s course. Allowing the mother to decide how, when and were she will have her baby. They support her as she goes through a life changing experience. The mother is tolled that her body is capable of this change. That she can do this. They will help her use alternative means of pain control such as breathing techniques and self hypnosis. She is encourage to move and use what ever position makes her feel comfortable. Sometimes using a birthing ball or a sort of a jacuzzi called a birthing pool in the processes.

Above all they recognize the sanctity of birth. And treat the mother and baby with respect and awe as they go through this. Fathers and family are encouraged to support and be involved in the birth if the mother so desires. Overall mothers enjoy an experience vastly different then what they would encounter at a hospital.. Why is this ? Well one sees birth as a science and the other as a miracle. Which one would you rather have for a child and mother? The choice is not all that hard to make.