Thank you, Nina Shapiro and Seattle Weekly for an important story well told.
Casey Leichter
via e-mail
Travails of Childbirth
In response to Nina Shapiro's article about proponents of informed birth being a "guilt-laden cult," it seems that Ms. Shapiro has mistaken a minority opinion (that birth should be natural and women feel empowered by it) for the opinion of the majority of women in this country. An overwhelming majority of women in this country believe in the same concept of pregnancy and birth as Ms. Shapiro does, planning to make it through the "travails" of childbirth armed with epidurals and all the latest medical technology and striving to integrate children into their lives without sacrificing too much of themselves in the process.
Ms. Shapiro seems to have inadvertently placed herself in the hotbed of a radical approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and mothering, yet instead of simply avoiding this view that differs so vastly from the majority or instead of making an attempt to understand it, she merely withdraws into a defensive posture of ridicule. Like a person who has taken a tram to the top of a mountain and then derides the mountain climber who has exerted so much effort to get to the same place, she has missed the point entirely. Every mountain climber knows that there are easier ways to get to the top of a peak, and they do not begrudge others for taking them, but for themselves they want to experience the journey in an entirely different manner.
For myself and for many women who choose natural birth the fact that it may be difficult or even painful is not a reason to choose another route. We wish for the entire experience, knowing that for us it will transform the way we feel about pregnancy, birth, and ourselves. Others choose natural birth as a way to avoid the very real risks of an epidural to both mother and baby. Each mother must assess these risks and benefits and come to her own conclusions about which is the best route for her to take. For myself, I am very glad that in Seattle we have a subculture that actively supports natural birth because it gave me more options to choose from than women have in many parts of the country. I was able to choose to give birth in birth center, with a midwife and a doula (labor support person) attending. I was able to give birth in a tub of warm and soothing water with my husband beside me, in a calm atmosphere of loving support. I was able to keep my son by my side without him being taking away for baths, tests, and procedures. All over the country, women have the option to give birth as Ms. Shapiro desires—with doctors attending, anesthesiologists standing by to administer the epidural at the woman's request, and nurses waiting to whisk the baby away to the nursery so that the mother can get some rest. I would hope that she could be appreciative that she has the ability to make the choice to experience birth as she wishes to, without begrudging others the ability to choose a different experience.
For myself and others who want to make different choices, I say a big thank you to trailblazers like Penny Simkin, and to the midwives, doulas, and childbirth educators who give women the ability to choose the experience that they want instead of just the experience that the majority wants.
Robin Clevenger
via e-mail
Not the Case
With great pleasure I read Nina Shapiro's article on birth in Washington state. I am now pregnant with my second child and feel reasonably confident about what I plan to do when I go into labor and how I will treat myself as my preganancy proceeds. This was not the case with my first pregnancy. It seemed to me that it was all about denial in a time in my life when I felt more like pampering myself.
Penny Simkin and her followers do deserve a great deal of credit for what they have done over the past 25 years. Until the recent past, mothers- and fathers-to-be had no choice in how the birth of their child would proceed. I loved the special birthroom my daughter was born in and the fact that my husband could stay with me during the entire ordeal is beyond words. However when the pain began to really increase (my daughter was posterier) I felt so guilty asking for an epidural that I waited a few more hours before I "broke down."
My point is that Simkin and others have worked aginst huge odds to help birth and pregnancy become an empowering process rather then something that just happens to a woman. However it is not empowering to feel like to have the perfect birth experience you have to do it their way, just like the traditional doctors 25 years ago.
Thanks for the vent.
Elise Cottingham
via e-mail
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