Home Birth Home School

To dismiss an experience as not attainable simply because one has not experienced it seems to be standard operating procedure for mainstream news.

With two natural, home births on the books, I cannot say either experience was orgasmic. However feelings of ecstasy (an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden, intense feeling) were surely present at both births.
I don’t find the movie trailer for Orgasmic Birth to be harmful to the natural childbirth movement, and certainly not an invitation to bash the most innovative and respected midwife that I am aware of: Ina May Gaskin. Yet film critic Avril Moore has done just that in this mean spirited article; Orgasmic birth and other old midwives’ tales.

Mainstream media is constantly bombarding us with stories of painful, dreadful, miserable, and excruciating childbirth. So what are we to expect with these images ingrained in our psyche? How refreshing to see women discuss birth and not appear horrified, fearful and disturbed by natural birth.

If we stand any chance at changing our culture’s highly technical, manipulated, unnatural, and hospital managed, birth model; we need to begin to incorporate new ideas about birth into our consciousness. Our goal should be directed at ridding ourselves of the damaging beliefs surrounding childbirth that send 99% of women to the hospital, 33% of which will undergo surgery in the form of a cesarean section to bring their baby into the world.

Why has the author chosen to diminish the work and credentials of Ina May Gaskin? This world renowned midwife has helped “directly” over 2000 women bring their babies into the world with natural home births, not to mention the untold tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of women she has helped indirectly through her books, lectures, and trainings. To depict her as some flaky, flower child hippie is just sad.

I highly doubt Avril has read the book, Spiritual Midwifery.

She describes it awkwardly:

This hippie heyday instructional manual became the home-birth movement’s bible, while stories of the commune where Gaskin lived were the stuff of dreams for anyone “seriously into” natural birth.

The book encompasses so much more than the “stuff of dreams”, many different kinds of birth are represented in the book; including miscarriage, breech, hospital birth, cesarean, painful experiences, and infant death.

Spiritual Midwifery fills a much needed niche for women seeking information vetted by real life experience. These experiences are outside the conventional and prevalent, What to Expect when Expecting style book, (which is near useless to a woman looking for first hand birth stories). So Gaskin’s book has remained thirty years later, a huge value to not only to expecting Moms planning a home birth, but to any one interested in gaining meaningful insight into the multi-faceted changes that occur during any birth in any setting.

Belief’s are powerful don’t let a film critic choose your beliefs for you!

Avril:

“let’s get real, and stop equating this choice with some hokey idea of “ecstasy” when we all know natural birth is pretty much like trying to push a football through the eye of a needle “

Her sad choice to hold this belief aligns perfectly with a 99% cesarean culture that seems to loom before our not too distant future.

Wouldn’t it be much more useful to hold the belief that birth can be ecstasy, and free of misery?

Avril equates such a belief with “hippie claptrap”

Having a “natural” labour at home with the help of a midwife does not necessarily mean you eat lentils (or placentas), wear alpaca ponchos or remain serenely submissive when in pain.

This stereotype promoted by Gaskin on the Orgasmic Birth website is exactly what drives women into the arms of their scalpel-wielding obstetricians, not to mention encouraging a good dose of post-natal depression due to profound disappointment with their labour.

Well, I have not seen the movie but neither has Avril.

How disappointing to discover last week a flyer promoting the private screening of a new short film, Orgasmic Birth — the Best Kept Secret, by none other than this weary, world-renowned midwife.

Curious to see what her contemporary take on modern birthing practices would reveal, I logged on to www.orgasmicbirth.com, only to discover a much greyer Gaskin still expounding — “it is possible to have an ecstatic birth — in fact, it is the best natural high that I know of”.

I can say, unequivocally, that my birth experiences have been the biggest highs of my life. In Liams Birth story I describe the feeling of wanting to do it again” and thats just how I felt.

I choose to believe …that birthing is, for myself and my baby, pain free,

…that I can experience a healthy and safe birth in my own home.

…that the path of least resistance is found within my consciousness and mine alone,

… that cesarean births are wonderful blessings if and when they are needed,

… that I am very fortunate to be able to birth at home with very good results.

If you are truly believing and expecting a pain free birth, it is far more likely your experience will be in relative alignment with that expectation. Why? Because if you belive it you will plan, prepare, and act in a manner that will bring you the result.

If on the other hand, you go Avril’s way all “footballs and needle eyes”, well then your actions will be in alignment with your beliefs and a self-fulfilling prophesy may be unavoidable.

In my big fat pregnant opinion IMBFPO the film critic “has issues”. : )

Here is wishing all women a more pleasurable birthing experience.

Abbie

One day past the due date, should be soon now!  Feeling well, and lots of activity from the baby.

While rereading Laura Kaplan Shanley’s book Unassisted Childbirth I came across this passage and thought it might be helpful for other women preparing for birth.

“When we truly accept the fact that we create our own reality, all fear of pain or complications in childbirth vanishes.  We feel comfortable giving birth by ourselves or in the company of our mates, friends, or family.  When no fear is present, some women actually prefer to be completely alone.

Solitude, it appears, may actually be beneficial to the laboring woman.  When she has no overly concerned observer’s to “comfort” her, she can be free to look within herself for support and direction.”

“Physician and author Michel Odent agrees.  He believes that “the length of labor is proportional to the number of people around”  The more people observing, Odent says, the longer the labor will be.  In The Nature of Birth and Breastfeeding, he states that almost all animals seek seclusion when in labor.  This allows the mother, as he puts it, “to go off to another planet”, or in other words, go into an altered state of consciousness that allows for the safe and easy delivery of the baby.  When a woman feels she is being observed, generally she is unable to do this.”

This passage sums up nicely a woman’s potential  access to this instinctual part of their being to birth easily without  interventions and the complications which may ensue thereafter.

I have experienced this  “go off to another planet” feeling with my two previous births.  It really feels like a trance, where no outside contact is getting through to you and you are only listening to what your body is telling you to do.  When someone does speak to you, it is rather distracting and takes several moments to react and respond to what they are saying or asking of you.  You are temporarily pulled out of your altered state and then need to refocus to go back to that place where this instinct is grounded.

I would find it difficult to reach this state in a hospital setting, but I am sure it could be achieved with a little help from your mate.  An advocate that can keep you from being hassled in the hospital while in labor may be able to help you achieve this state of consciousness.  In the safety of your own home, it is quite easy to access this part of your mind, making labor easier and much faster.

Many women find it beneficial to tune into a labor coach or husband to guide them through labor, and help with breathing techniques and massage areas of their bodies that are feeling pressure or aches.  I find this distracting from the instinctual part of the birth process, and looking within myself has brought the answers I needed for a smooth labor that progressed rapidly.  You will find out as you journey through the birth process what works best for you.

39 1/2 weeks, only a few days until the babies due date. We are all getting very excited and anxious to meet our new baby. This pregnancy has gone by very quickly, but being pregnant at 36 is a whole lot different than pregnancy at 26. This little one was a big surprise, and it took a little time to get used to the idea of being pregnant again and adding to our family, we are really looking forward to having a baby again.

I had my usual nausea with the first trimester, felt more tired in the second trimester than with my first two babies and now in the third trimester I am feeling very well. Many of us get Heartburn with pregnancy. Quitting coffee a few months ago cut the heartburn  to an occasional discomfort that is tiny fraction of what I was experiencing.

For a couple of weeks now the baby has settled and dropped head down and I can take a full breath again. The kicks and movements are always in the same places now, it has been so long since having Owen 7 years ago I’d forget what it is like to have a little person in there, but it all comes back to you. I am visualizing a healthy and easy birth often now in anticipation for our third home birth. I have reread my favorite birth books Spiritual Midwifery
and Unassisted Childbirth as well. There are so many great birth video clips on the net now too.  Ten years ago, when I was pregnant with Liam, is was not easy to get access to so much great information about home birth and water birth.

As with the first two pregnancies; I have not had any ultrasounds, so the sex will be a surprise again. Our boys are anxious to find out if they will have a new brother or a new sister. Liam and Owen were both four days past their due dates when they arrived, so we are expecting our new family member within the next week. We are planning to tape the birth and will post footage to the site soon after.

That’s the feeling that comes through so clearly in this brief excerpt from the movie trailer posted below. This Mom’s expression communicates all the beautiful things that are possible with a natural birth.