My Philosophy

Childbirth is a natural process. For thousands of years, women have trusted in their bodies, and given birth with only other women, both young and old, as support. Since throughout their lives, even young girls participated at births, when it later was them having babies, they were not afraid and knew exactly what to expect. The older women, who had experienced many births, both of their own and of others, were sought after for their knowledge and became known as midwives. In the year 1900, midwives delivered 95% of babies, most of which were home births.

Today, things have unfortunately changed. The world of pregnancy and childbirth split into two separate sides, one that has remained close to the natural process, the midwifery model of care, and one that has gone high-tech, low-human interest, the obstetrical model of care.

Where the majority of women once had the knowledge and supportive care of midwives, with regular conversation and appointments lasting 45 minutes to an hour in length, they now see a doctor once a month throughout most of pregnancy in appointments that last an average of 4 minutes. A number of these patients will not even deliver with "their" doctor, but a practitioner they have never met.

As women have moved towards obstetrical care for birth, the number of medical interventions has increased dramatically. Nearly all women with an obstetrician experience the use of IV fluids in labor, external or internal fetal monitoring, augmented labor (by various means), episiotomy, use of vacuum or forceps to aid in delivery, and medication, either anesthesia or analgesia. Many women will end up having their baby surgically removed from their body, in a major abdominal surgery known as cesarean section. The cesarean rate in the United States has risen from 1% in 1940 to an all-time high of nearly 33% in 2009. Of the nearly 800,000 cesarean sections performed last year, it is said that 500,000 of them were deemed medically unnecessary when later reviewed. Isn't it ironic that with all of this technology and intervention, the United States has slid to 27th place worldwide in infant mortality rates and 20th in maternal mortality, behind other countries, such as the Netherlands, where midwives and care focused on the natural process is the norm and obstetricians are only used on as as-needed basis?

So, what can we do to change this?

I believe that we need to get back to the natural process as quickly as possible. When available, more women need to see midwives for care. We need to educate and prepare our moms and dads-to-be so they know what is happening and exactly what to expect. The Bradley Method(R) classes are a great way to achieve that goal, as couples learn great nutrition, exercise, relaxation, and information to help them follow the natural process and only use intervention when it is truly needed.

We need to make sure these moms are supported during labor so they don't feel scared and alone. This support comes in the form of a prepared husband or coach and a certified doula, or labor support professional. Doulas are becoming very common and more than 12 randomized control trials have proved that having one present greatly reduces the risk of cesarean birth, medication use, and overall intervention. They also increase satisfaction with the outcome of the birth and improve breastfeeding success. If doulas were drugs, it would be illegal not to use them!

And, speaking of drugs, we need to stay away from unnecessary pain medications and interventions during birth, since just one can snowball quickly into emergency surgery. The natural process is designed to be effective- and 96% of births could occur successfully without any intervention at all. If that has been proven in a study, how can we be content with a 33% cesarean rate?

We need to talk about birth. Moms-to-be need places to talk to other experienced moms that are not going to be filled with horror stories of how "everything went wrong and my doctor saved the baby's life". Online forums, like Mothering Magazine's community, and great books and movies like The Business of Being Born and Pushed need to be on everyone's shelf.

Finally, we need to back away from the idea that birth is an unreliable process that is destined to fail and be complicated. Instead, we need to embrace the natural beauty, power, and wonder that is birth and trust in our bodies once again.

For more information, contact Lisa.