Slow Birth

As you can imagine, being almost 35 weeks pregnant, birth is on my mind. There's no fear involved, even in light of our adventure the other night. I've done this twice already and while I know this birth could be very different than the other two, I trust my body, the way it has been made, the way it knows what to do, the way it does it. I also trust my husband to be by my side and our midwife who helps us discern at each step of the way what is the safest and best course to take.

I have been reading Vancouver Doula, Jacquie Munro's blog. She writes about her experience as a doula and an advocate of Slow Birth. Sounds a little like Slow Food, if you are familiar with that movement. If we have a slow attitude toward food, why not a slow attitude toward another natural process?

The other day, Jacquie posted about an article written by Dr. Lauren A. Plante, a US obstetrician, entitled, "Mommy, what did you do in the industrial revolution? Meditations on the rising cesarean rate."

Important: Now, neither I, nor Plante, are against cesarean sections. I am so thankful, so very thankful, that that option exists for mothers and their babies (and me and my baby!). Please understand what I'm saying. What Plante points out in her article is another animal all together- the opting for a C-section when it's not medically necessary. Ok, I'm just going to be quiet now and let you read an excerpt. Below it is a link to the entire article- a very good read.

"As a reaction to industrial agriculture and food marketing, the Slow Food and locavore movements have recently been born. If de-escalation of our food production practices is healthier or more humane, why is intensification of our child production practices better than sustainable childbirth? I’m waiting for the birth of the revolution, or at least, the revolution of birth. Will women who are interested in Slow Food or cage-free eggs find their way to a Slow Childbirth movement? Imagine: educated upper-middle-class women who buy songbird-certified organic coffee and worry about their carbon footprint, just saying no to the quick-fix cesarean culture. If they’re not part of the problem, maybe they can be part of the solution. But the impetus must come from women themselves. Do we really believe that industrial obstetrics is the best model for ourselves and our children? We must clearly understand that real autonomy does not mean cesarean on request, but instead a spectrum of birth options that honor women’s authentic choices. Real autonomy also means, to borrow a sentiment from Gandhi, that women should bring forth the change they wish to see in the world."

Read the entire article here. Pin It