The Business of Being Born
At the end of this trailer there is a a mom saying "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" with that orgasmic rise in her voice as she gives birth. As long as I live, I hope I never forget that awesome, joyous, overwhelming feeling. I hope others continue to have the opportunity.
This film is being shown at Duval Aud (UMC) on January 19 at 2pm-lunch and a movie anyone?
Click here
~Judy
8 comments:
What I want to know is WHO GOT MY ORGASMS?? Two vaginal births, one completely unmedicated, and neither time did I get the OHMYGODOHMYGOD experience. Somebody owes me!
~Michelle
I should have watched the trailer first. The OHMYGOD was after the birth, not during. So what will we learn from watching this film that we don't already know or suspect? How much angrier can I possibly get, how much larger a knot can I tie in my feminist sensibilities? I'll call you later about the lunch and movie idea.
~Michelle
:) Nicely put Michelle.
There is a panel discussion afterwards (forgive me if you-all already knew that--I haven't been to the website but this is what we're hearing at the birth center).
None of the El Rio or birthcenter midwives (nor do we know if any homebirthing midwives locally) have been invited to sit on the panel. We're hoping to have an en-masse attendance in the audience, at least.
One of our clients, Louise Roth, wrote about birth centers at her blog on The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-marie-roth/still-selling-women-short_b_75002.html (sorry, I'm not sure how to get to older posts)
There was, at that time, quite the discussion on whether "natural" childbirth is "empowering" or whether that is all a myth driven by somebody's need to categorize and rank experience.
So far, the best I'm able to come up with is that our sense of the concept "empowering" has to do with self-efficacy, or your belief in your ability to perform or accomplish challenging stuff (google self-efficacy and look at Bandura's work).
To me, the achievement of "natural childbirth" is that someone made choices and decisions they felt were right for them and were able to realize those goals despite the difficulty (probably with the help of a continuous support person--friend, mother, grandma, doula, midwife, whomever). The actualization of those hopes and dreams gives one a sense of wonder and awe--self-efficacy--whether or not accompanied by a physical orgasmic sensation.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say Michelle, is that the value of the experience is not so much physical. It may even be possible for somebody who has a cesarean delivery in the hospital to get such a feeling?
Olga
My stance is that all should get to choose and if you choose to have your birth without the "aid" of Pit and an epidural you should get as much support as those who choose PPED (pit, pop, epid, del). And be fully informed-like that will ever happen.
And Michelle, I didn't mean it felt like an orgasm-but the release was similar.;)
Who can say what is empowering except the person being empowered.
I've only had vag births but have seen many of all kinds over 28yrs, can't say that I've seen as explosive a reaction with a section.
(the blog will probably get some interesting spam after all these suggestive words)
~Judy
I was mostly kidding about the orgasms. There's sure to be another one around the corner soon, so I can get over missing out on those two.
My outrage (and yours perhaps, if you're not too exhausted for outrage) comes from the message that women are swallowing whole: they're not competent to make well-informed decisions about pregnancy care, labor & delivery, and that they're courting disaster if they "try" to birth without all the interventions. That women are being managed for convenience and profit isn't news -- it's a practice as old as humanity, and not only in the realm of health care. I just don't understand why women aren't more discerning consumers.
~Michelle
That's what gets me, too, Michelle...it's not just being "managed" in childbirth, it's the whole gender disparity in healthcare, period!
That hospitals are reimbursed more for a simple prostatectomy than for a mother undergoing a cesarean and burdened not only by her own recovery but by learning how to raise a new baby in a sleep deprived state, endure an endocrine storm that would paralyze a man, and fend off depression...egads I fume!
~ Robin
95% (just a guesstimate from personal experience)of the obstetric community loves to play the shame and blame game. As if we (mothers) don't have enough responsibility with 9 months of supporting this new life we also have to give birth. And then in our most vulnerable time we have a healthcare professional with more "knowledge" say things like "It's best for the baby" "If you don't do this your baby may suffer". If a less powerful member of the "healthcare team" (there's a funny term) attempts to advocate for the mom/baby they are seen as trouble and the pressure is on to mold them into a good little girl. Some get molded, some move on.
It is a culture of fear on both provider and the patient side.
I really don't want to be angry about this anymore but I do want to protect a woman's right to choose her birth style and place. If we all stand by and allow birthing centers to fall by the wayside and don't push to include midwives in hospital maternity care-we all lose so much. I'm always reminded of The Handmaid's Tale at this point in the conversation.
My head hurts-I didn't want to think this hard this morning. And what the hell am I doing with my life?
~Judy
One more thought-insurers will never reimburse the true cost of healthcare-a given. What medicine has done, and this is true across the spectrum, is add more and more stuff that costs more and more but does not always increase value or improve outcome. If we treated birth as a natural event and waited for labor, decreased the last minute epidurals, got moms breastfeeding right away,worked at decreasing the section rate, it would cost much less and there would be increased parity.
My fear-someone will have a dim lightbulb moment-"I get $1400 for a vag delivery that stays 48 hrs and 2400 for a section-if I can get more sections out in 48 hours it's more profitable to do sections!"
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