It takes practice to write from the heart responsibly.
So many little stories every day as I support mothers through pregnancy, labor and those first precious weeks as they start their babymoon. Stories that are sometimes joyous and sometimes regret”full”; triumphant and sadly, sometimes partly a feeling of defeat. Most mothers, given time and a little distance, are comfortable with sharing their birth story. However, out of respect for their privacy and a need to ensure they are not subjected to hurtful comments I feel it necessary to wait long enough lest some identifying details find their way in. I may not think I’ve included an identifying detail but what seems anonymous to me may not actually be so.
I remember when I first started “teaching” birth. I really was “teaching.” I had a set curriculum, written out line by line what I was to cover and the order in which to cover it. Not to mention what I was “allowed” to include and what I wasn’t allowed to include.
Let’s see …. I was “allowed” to hand out the letter from Searle telling practitioners their drug, Cytotec, is not meant to induce labors. That was terrific because Cytotec is dangerous. It kills. Period.
I was not allowed to discuss with mothers various articles and midwives’ experiences with recognizing a posterior baby and subsequently turning the baby during labor. A posterior baby is more commonly referred to as a “back labor.” Back labor at the onset of birth is reported to occur in 17% to 30% of all births according to published reports. What I was seeing is that it was common for posterior labors to end up with pitocin, epidurals and subsequently cesareans. Here was something I was seeing with my own eyes, but my experience was not a good enough reason to talk to mothers and prepare them for the possibility of a back labor including what you can do during pregnancy to avoid a posterior presenting baby?
Maybe that’s why practitioners think natural birth advocates are too radical. Of course I know there are birth care practices that can maim or kill. There’s more to birth prep than just hearing xyz can kill you. We know that about all things medical, including vaccines such as the new Gardasil vax.
Time and again mothers would say to me “IF you know something … tell us. Don’t hold back.” I won’t. And there’s more to birth than what can be harmful. There’s so much more beauty and awareness in birth than there is to fear.
Gag orders. Yuck.
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