Natural childbirth as a whole has faded into the background, being replaced by the sterile birth chambers at hospitals around the globe. In the process the rights that women have fought so hard for are being stripped away in one of the most critical times in a woman’s life: when she is giving birth. Medical professionals prefer rigidly controlled environments where nothing is left to chance, and in the wake of this desire for control women are often treated…well, sometimes I think that cattle get treated better.
Don’t get me wrong. There are some wonderful physicians out there that genuinely care for their patients, even birth specialists. But when it comes time to deliver a child everything changes. Sarah and I were mortified to learn what they would do if we elected to give birth to our children in a hospital. There were not choices involved on our part, only compliance with the desires of the doctor.
Yes, I understand that some of this is driven by outside influences by insurance companies and the like, but loss of choice is still loss of choice regardless of who is causing the environment to exist.
But traditional childbirth methods have not vanished, though they can often be hard to find in today’s world. Giving birth to your child in water is an old concept, but is not something you are likely to ever hear about in a hospital. In recent years it has seen a bit of resurgence in popularity in Western society, and part of that is due to the efforts of the folks at Waterbirth International.
Waterbirth was a new thing to me, something that I had never heard about prior to our pregnancy. Sarah on the other hand, well she had decided she wanted a water birth years before we ever met. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical, but it didn’t take much work by the folks at Andaluz Waterbirth Center to convince me that not only was it safe, but it was also a far more comfortable solution for the mother as well as the child. The birth of our children only reaffirmed the value of this kind of birth option. Needless to say, Sarah and I are big proponents of waterbirth being an available solution for all expectant mothers, and we can often be heard talking to people about the virtues of it.
Today I learned some unfortunate news: that Waterbirth International, one of the major organizations behind the waterbirth movement, is in danger of closing its doors. To learn more please visit their home page. We can help them stay alive and continue to evangelize the benefits of alternative choices to mothers around the world. You can find the Waterbirth International site here: http://www.waterbirth.org/mc/page.do
