I read this statement from the midwife archives on gentlebirth.org and would like to hear some thoughts. This will be my first homebirth and I just found it interesting.
"Transition" as described in childbirth classes does not exist in homebirth as we practice it. The hall marks of transition with the the "Third Emotional Sign Post: Self Doubt" as labeled by Bradley just don't exist at home. "Transition" happens in a hospital because the staff starts to change their behavior, i.e.. flipping on the warmer, rolling in the instrument table, more staff in and out as they perceive the intensity in her labor. This activity registers in the brain as danger to the birthing environment causing distress to the laboring woman. As well, most childbirth education classes are very outdated in presenting that somehow a woman is in a place of self doubt because she is not able to verbalize what she wants or needs. Rather the model should be constructed that she is in the deepest part of her work. Are men in a place of self doubt because if you were to ask whether they want chicken or fish for dinner in the most intense moments before they orgasm during sex they might fumble for an answer? So I feel like we are teaching a whole lot of women that when they are in the deep mystical night so to speak of their labor, they are in the land of self doubt. How utterly disempowering!" Transition" has become a buzz word that I have to de-program out of my clients birth view.
"Transition" as described in childbirth classes does not exist in homebirth as we practice it. The hall marks of transition with the the "Third Emotional Sign Post: Self Doubt" as labeled by Bradley just don't exist at home. "Transition" happens in a hospital because the staff starts to change their behavior, i.e.. flipping on the warmer, rolling in the instrument table, more staff in and out as they perceive the intensity in her labor. This activity registers in the brain as danger to the birthing environment causing distress to the laboring woman. As well, most childbirth education classes are very outdated in presenting that somehow a woman is in a place of self doubt because she is not able to verbalize what she wants or needs. Rather the model should be constructed that she is in the deepest part of her work. Are men in a place of self doubt because if you were to ask whether they want chicken or fish for dinner in the most intense moments before they orgasm during sex they might fumble for an answer? So I feel like we are teaching a whole lot of women that when they are in the deep mystical night so to speak of their labor, they are in the land of self doubt. How utterly disempowering!" Transition" has become a buzz word that I have to de-program out of my clients birth view.
About 30 seconds past and I got down to the business of my labor without even saying a word to anyone.
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