Several
years ago I came across an article in a major newspaper in which the author
stated that women were physiologically incapable of delivering their own
babies. Unfortunately I can't quote from it directly, as I tossed it in the
trash (after whipping off letters to both the author and the editor - neither
of whom ever responded).
The
essence of the article was that labor is painful so that women will seek
outside support, and therefore have someone around to deliver their babies. The
author then went to great lengths to show how anatomically it was impossible
for a woman to reach around her belly and catch her emerging baby. Not only is
this not true, it also shows a misunderstanding of the true causes for the
majority of pain in labor - interference from within (primarily fear, shame,
and guilt), and interference from without (constant poking, prodding, and
testing).
Anthropologists
have observed women delivering their own babies for centuries. Judith Goldsmith
sites many examples of this in her book, Childbirth Wisdom from the World's
Oldest Societies.
There
were numerous societies where women gave birth with no assistance at all. Among
the Chukchee of Siberia, for example, where babies were born with little
trouble, the birthing woman attended completely to her own needs and those of
her newborn infant. She cut the umbilical cord and disposed of the placenta
herself.....The Fulani woman of Africa also birthed without expecting any
assistance, catching the infant as it was born in her own hands.
The
truth is, not only is it not difficult for most laboring women to catch their
own babies, in many cases it may be the most natural way to give birth.
A
woman who is in touch with her body can feel the baby moving down the birth
canal. She knows when it is about to emerge. An extra set of hands - no matter
how caring and gentle - can actually be more of a distraction than a help. Yes,
some women enjoy perineal massage, and I'm certainly not suggesting they deny
themselves this pleasure. But many women find as they get closer to the birth
their need for outside assistance diminishes. A power sweeps over them and
suddenly they know they are capable of giving birth without any
help at all - even if they choose not to.
For those women who do choose to give birth into their own hands, the rewards
can be enormous. Midwives often speak of "the thrill of the catch." As a woman
who has caught several of her own babies I totally agree it is a thrill like no
other. But shouldn't this thrill be reserved for the woman herself, or possibly
her partner? "Tear prevention" is the most common excuse given for denying a
couple this joy. Yet when a woman is relaxed and unafraid, her vagina will
expand. There are also many natural ways of aiding this expansion prior to the
moment of birth - warm compresses placed on the woman's perineum during labor,
sitting in water, and the afore mentioned perineal massage.
People
occasionally say to me, "Oh, you're the woman who believes women should catch
their own babies." I always tell them this is not true. My husband caught our
first child and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. In that birth I felt
compelled to deliver on my hands and knees. I had no impulse to catch the baby
myself and physiologically it would have been difficult. In subsequent labors,
however, I chose to give birth into my own hands simply because it felt like
the right thing to do (the fact that I was alone at the time might have
contributed to that decision!).
If
I were to have another child, I wouldn't insist on catching the baby myself. I
don't present "self-delivery" as some sort of ideal to strive for. But I think
it's important for women to know that should they decide to catch their own
babies, they're more than capable of doing it.
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