Your body is perfectly designed to give birth!

[candiland]

I have been thinking about all the messages I've been bombarded with lately IRL... my body "wouldn't" go into labor so we had to induce... I was too tight and "needed" the episiotomy... I "needed" a cesarean because I just wouldn't progress.

The vast majority of women in North America seem totally unable to give birth without medical interventions.

And I thought to myself: How odd. We, as the females of the human species, have been very successfully breeding and birthing since the dawn of mankind. Those women who were deformed and/or sickly died out during childbirth over the past several hundred thousand years. That means we women today are the strongest, most efficient birthers... because thousands of generations of women in our family lineage did it totally NATURALLY and we are ALL here to tell the tale!

How bizarre that women's bodies worked fine until modern obstetrics came about. Then, 90% of us suddenly couldn't birth without the medical institution's help for some strange reason.

So, stick with it, ladies! We are perfectly designed to birth our babies. Feel it, sense it, know it. The body/mind connection is immensely powerful. Create a nice birthing mantra that allows you to confirm your womanhood and your perfection to birth your child. You can do it!

[AugustLia23]

Right on. I try to tell all pregnant and future pregnant women that. Unfortunately it isn't said enough.

[applejuice]

Originally Posted by candiland

The vast majority of women in North America seem totally unable to give birth without medical interventions..., 90% of us suddenly couldn't birth without the medical institution's help for some strange reason.

Actually, the history of childbirth is full of stories of interventions.

Forceps were invented nearly 3-400 years ago; caesareans were done in Roman times when it looked as though the mother was not going to live.

You simply have to believe that your body has served you well throughout your life and will continue to do so during pregnancy and childbirth.

I am worried that within the lifetime of most of you here at MDC, conception will not be allowed without "in vitro" or a "uterine wash" will be mandated, since the old fashioned way is so "dangerous" and risky.

[OnTheFence]

For the record, not every woman's body is designed to give birth naturally or vaginally. There is a good many of us, several on MDC even that have mullerian anomalies. We were structurally born this way, designed from birth actually to have infertility, pregnancy losses, and if by some chance we finally succeeded have babies by cesareans.

Unfortunately things are not so cut and dry, black and white.

Kim

[SunRayeMomi]

Exceptions to every rule, I would think. Makes us human

[Artisan]

You are so right... women are raised to believe that they need help to give birth. And while a small percentage do, the vast majority do not.

As Ina May would say, "Your body is not a lemon."

[SunRayeMomi]

[liseux]

As one of the moms OnTheFence is talking about, I do believe our body was meant to give birth, just like our body was meant to be pregnant. Our heart was designed to beat and that doesn`t always work out. Our bowels were designed to work efficiently and even that doesn`t always work. We still haven`t evolved to the point of perfection.


I have a friend who wears a wristband that says "Trust Birth". I had a loss during a completely uninterfered with home birth, she had multiple miscarriages and her living children were perfect home births. I on the other hand always carry to term. Wouldn`t it be weird if I wore a wristband around her that said "Trust Pregnancy" ?

I would never tell a mom IRL anything negative about birth, I still think most of the time it is a natural process better left alone for the most part, yet I find it painful to think we are all supposed to be perfect at birthing at this point in time.

[Guest*]

I think the point the poster was trying to make was that the majority of women are very capable of giving birth perfectly without intervention, yet our culture which holds doctors is such high esteem and believes women are big wussies tells us we need help. So, the majority of women don't believe they can do it well. They are scared and place their trust in medicine, instead of within themselves and end up taking a lot of help they don't need while believing it could not have been done any other way.

It's understood here that some women do need help. It's women who need some help that obstetrics was intended for. There's, of course, nothing wrong with this. Medicine is not completely evil or unnecessary. I'm sure there was no intent to minimize the experiences of the women here who do require Cesareans, induction, episiotomies, etc.

It's good to recognize the difference between necessary and unnecessary intervention and for "society" to quit teaching women to fear birth and that they can't do it without state of the art medical equipment and procedures.

[StrawHatBrat]

I think the point the poster was trying to make was that the majority of women are very capable of giving birth perfectly without intervention, yet our culture which holds doctors is such high esteem and believes women are big wussies tells us we need help. So, the majority of women don't believe they can do it well. They are scared and place their trust in medicine, instead of within themselves and end up taking a lot of help they don't need while believing it could not have been done any other way.

I agree that we usually CAN do it without intervention.
I know I *can* give birth unmedicated because I HAD to last time when my epidural failed.
This time I am choosing another epidural. Not because I am told I am a wuss, but because I WANT one. I hope it doesn't fail again. If it does, I know that I CAN do it. But I don't want to. And it has nothing to do with my regard to the doctors/healthcare establishment.

[OnTheFence]

I have a problem with "majority" of women. In the past few months I have witnessed with my own eyes serious pregnancy complications that resulted in much intervention and often cesareans. I believe these women's pregnancies weren't mishandled by doctors, or that they were lied to, schemed, etc or led blindly to have these highly medical pregnacies and birth.

I am all for natural vaginal births, in hospitals or at home. My best friend is looking to do a home birth with her next pregnancy and I have referred her to a local lay midwife. I have many friends who have had homebirths, but I have just as many who have had serious medical issues come around in pregnancy that no diet, meditation, herbs, was going to change the outcome.

Also, let me note that I also fully support women who choose to have pain relief in childbirth. Maybe some believe they could birth naturally but they choose not too. There is nothing wrong with this. Pregnancy and birth should be about choice not what one camp or another says.

Kim, mom to 4

[Artisan]

Originally Posted by OnTheFence

I have a problem with "majority" of women. In the past few months I have witnessed with my own eyes serious pregnancy complications that resulted in much intervention and often cesareans. I believe these women's pregnancies weren't mishandled by doctors, or that they were lied to, schemed, etc or led blindly to have these highly medical pregnacies and birth.

I am all for natural vaginal births, in hospitals or at home. My best friend is looking to do a home birth with her next pregnancy and I have referred her to a local lay midwife. I have many friends who have had homebirths, but I have just as many who have had serious medical issues come around in pregnancy that no diet, meditation, herbs, was going to change the outcome.

Also, let me note that I also fully support women who choose to have pain relief in childbirth. Maybe some believe they could birth naturally but they choose not too. There is nothing wrong with this. Pregnancy and birth should be about choice not what one camp or another says.

I don't think the OP was talking about pain medication. If the majority of women couldn't give birth without medical assistance, the human race would not currently be at a population of more than six billion. Your experiences do not necessarily equal the norm.

[candiland]

Originally Posted by OntheFence

Pregnancy and birth should be about choice not what one camp or another says.

Unfortunately, most women believe that natural childbirth is impossible for them, point blank.

It is because modern obstetrics has placed so much fear and distrust in our bodies that women actually believe they need to be "saved"... whether it's by epidurals, c/births, Pitocin... or even simply "needing" an iv. and being forced to fast for the entire length of their labors.

It is this fear that blinds a lot of women from free choice. The body/mind connection is absolutely astounding... if you have a lot of doubts and fears about giving birth, the chances of "needing" interventions is pretty high. And the medical establishment does nothing to ease those fears and assure a woman that she is strong and capable. Instead, they "save" her from herself. It is a viscious cycle, as the vast majority of obstetricians and their clients know virtually nothing about truly normal birth.

In the Netherlands, I believe that 80-90% of women birth with midwives and have natural births. That IS the majority of women. I have no doubt that some of the 10-20% have malformities or medical conditions that require a specialist's care. But here in America, most women birth with specialists and most women "need" interventions.

I am simply pointing out to those women who are giving birth to trust in themselves and their bodies. We wouldn't have made it this far as a species if most of us were defunct, as modern obstetrics seems to believe.

[liseux]

"It's good to recognize the difference between necessary and unnecessary intervention and for "society" to quit teaching women to fear birth and that they can't do it without state of the art medical equipment and procedures. "jlpolzin

I agree with this completely.

[StrawHatBrat]

It is because modern obstetrics has placed so much fear and distrust in our bodies that women actually believe they need to be "saved"... whether it's by epidurals, c/births, Pitocin... or even simply "needing" an iv. and being forced to fast for the entire length of their labors.

I trust my body. I know I CAN do it. I choose not to. I want an epidural. And that doesn't make my experience of giving birth any less.

[LavenderMae]

Why can't someone say most women's bodies do work perfectly for giving birth, it happens to be true. Of course there are women who need interventions but saying that our bodies are naturally designed to give birth doesn't negate that.

I think the point the poster was trying to make was that the majority of women are very capable of giving birth perfectly without intervention, yet our culture which holds doctors is such high esteem and believes women are big wussies tells us we need help. So, the majority of women don't believe they can do it well. They are scared and place their trust in medicine, instead of within themselves and end up taking a lot of help they don't need while believing it could not have been done any other way.

It's understood here that some women do need help. It's women who need some help that obstetrics was intended for. There's, of course, nothing wrong with this. Medicine is not completely evil or unnecessary. I'm sure there was no intent to minimize the experiences of the women here who do require Cesareans, induction, episiotomies, etc.

It's good to recognize the difference between necessary and unnecessary intervention and for "society" to quit teaching women to fear birth and that they can't do it without state of the art medical equipment and procedures.

Well said!!

[Thmom]

But it is the majority of women who birth without intervention. Look at the statistics of the world as a whole. Only in America is having a surgeon attend your birth condisered the norm and not the exception. The female body was designed to give birth without assitance. Yes there are some exceptions to that rule, but none the less that is the rule. If it were not the case we never would have gotten this far.

Originally Posted by OnTheFence

I have a problem with "majority" of women. In the past few months I have witnessed with my own eyes serious pregnancy complications that resulted in much intervention and often cesareans. I believe these women's pregnancies weren't mishandled by doctors, or that they were lied to, schemed, etc or led blindly to have these highly medical pregnacies and birth.

I am all for natural vaginal births, in hospitals or at home. My best friend is looking to do a home birth with her next pregnancy and I have referred her to a local lay midwife. I have many friends who have had homebirths, but I have just as many who have had serious medical issues come around in pregnancy that no diet, meditation, herbs, was going to change the outcome.

Also, let me note that I also fully support women who choose to have pain relief in childbirth. Maybe some believe they could birth naturally but they choose not too. There is nothing wrong with this. Pregnancy and birth should be about choice not what one camp or another says.

Kim, mom to 4

[Thmom]

Originally Posted by StrawHatBrat

I trust my body. I know I CAN do it. I choose not to. I want an epidural. And that doesn't make my experience of giving birth any less.

I have to respectfully disagree... you may have an awesome birth experience but an unmedicated birth allows hormones to flow that do actually enhance your experience.

[StrawHatBrat]

Thmom... I've done it both ways. The first was totally pain free. The second was supposed to be medicated, but wasn't.
That's how I KNOW I want an epidural. But of my experiences left me with the exact same exhileration afterward.

So no, my experience won't be any less.

[Artisan]

Originally Posted by StrawHatBrat

Thmom... I've done it both ways. The first was totally pain free. The second was supposed to be medicated, but wasn't.
That's how I KNOW I want an epidural. But of my experiences left me with the exact same exhileration afterward.

So no, my experience won't be any less.

That's great... good for you. Make an informed decision.

The point of the OPs post was to encourage women to think about the fact that women ARE designed to birth, and they are designed to birth without significant medical intervention, contrary to the beliefs of popular culture.

I have done it both ways as well, and unmedicated was so much better. Your experience does not negate mine, and vice versa.