Abc.com recently published an interesting article entitled "Trying to Take Back Natural Childbirth," written by Susan Donaldson James. The article takes a look at both sides of the childbirth debate - the mom who is planning a natural childbirth, and another mom who is planning to have an epidural.
Although the article was sparked by a staff member at ABC who was surprised at how hard it was to find a doctor in New York City who would be supportive of the couple trying for natural childbirth, the piece does well not to show bias and instead explains the different perspectives regarding what a woman needs or wants from her birth environment in order to cope.
What I find funny about conversations about "the woman who wants to do natural childbirth" and "the woman who wants an epidural" is the defensiveness. Saying that women are trying to take back childbirth, and yet implying that the way to take it back is through advocating natural childbirth is still missing the point. 'Taking back childbirth' isn't about how we decide as individual women to cope. Instead, it's about understanding what happens to our bodies and being respected enough in a moment of vulnerability that the professionals around us will have what we need - whether that's medications or jacuzzi's and massage. The article does a good job explaining the frustration women are having at finding practitioners and facilities that understand that individuality and provide a range of coping choices.
The more critical aspect of 'taking back childbirth' is about curbing our race to excessive surgery. A woman now has a one in three chance of a surgical delivery, according to the recently released 2006 NYC Department of Health statistics. Don't get me wrong, surgery has a time and place, but not 31% of the time – and this is a surgical shift that has occurred in just one generation. If we're going to take back birth, we need to start understanding why it's a good idea to have a baby come out of our vagina - both for our body and for the baby. Our vaginas are multi-use works of evolutionary perfection, and women need to have equal access to doctors and midwives who are skilled and trained to birth babies out of them.
When women understand how their body works, how their baby works, how reproduction works, how evolution worked and how medicine can support them but not play god, they no longer live in fear of the myths and the pain, but rather see it as a process that is doable in one way or another. That's taking it back.
I was greatly moved by this article. Yes! Woman can have a natural and stress-free birthing experience. I encourage the women in my practice to call upon their natural birthing instincts as our grandparents and great grandparents did. This can happen through education and an awareness that women have the power within them to create the birthing experience that they desire and deserve.
Posted by: Tameko Jones | October 04, 2008 at 01:50 PM