Birth earlier and now
Never found themselves in a group of young mothers telling horrible stories about their births? This is enough to frighten a pregnant woman so that she does not come close to the doors of the delivery room. Childbirth does not have to be a walking torment, when fear and pain are robbed of the mother, depriving her of the joy that she gives life. However, a deepening in the history of labor for the last
makes it fifty years old to understand why most of the women living in North America are passing through births that can not be called ideal.
Scene One, 1940-1959
To make births more "safe" for mother and child, hospitals have intervened in the production of children for the world. Since childbirth is associated with blood, suturing, pain and subsequent recovery, this "disease", pregnancy, was given to the brigade of surgeons. Before the "operation" the patient went to the ward where he was prepared for childbirth. The woman was tense and ill-prepared;but she was washed, underwent such humiliating procedures as shaving the perineum and enema. When the patient was prepared and the birth was approaching, she was taken to the delivery room, resembling an operating room with a sterile metal and an
hard table, as if she was going to give birth to an appendix.
The fear and tension of the patient were mixed with horrific pain. An anesthesiologist comes out on the stage - another member of the surgical team. The patient's pain is partially removed, but at the cost of complete separation from the work of her own organism. With a slightly squeamish consciousness after all the sedatives and painkillers, the patient was placed on her back on a solid table( it is now quite obvious that the birth in the position on the back is dangerous for both the mother and the child).Since the legs of the woman in childbirth were completely numb because of spinal anesthesia, or she was in a state of sleep at all because of all the sedative medications introduced, her legs were fixed, fastened with straps.
The scene was now ready for the arrival of the newborn, but nothing happened. Since the mother was disabled, she could not give birth. And not in that position she was. Someone had to take birth with forceps. Following the birth of the baby, the mother was taken to a gambling room in the aftercare room for recovery after an "operation" called childbirth. A few hours later she woke up in her hospital room, still a patient, without a child.
Meanwhile, in the children's ward, the child also recovered from birth according to a scenario that
himself would never have written for himself. After the birth of the child, they put it in a plastic box and rolled back to the children's ward to other anonymous babies in plastic boxes. Then the child and mother occasionally happened on a strict four-hour schedule of feeding, but most of the time they spent separately from each other so that the mother could "rest", and the child could receive the care of "professionals".A few days later, the mother and child left the maternity home almost like strangers.
Scene two, 1960-1989
The main characters of this drama called childbirth were in a wild panic. The time has come, these mothers felt for the best birth. Women went into groups to give birth, not allowing someone to take it away from them. Preparatory groups prepared for childbirth, teaching future mothers to work with their bodies to ease the pain and speed up the fetal release process. Fathers, previously excluded from the chosen circle of people wearing masks admitted to childbirth, were promoted in status and had access to maternity beds. Alternative concepts of childbirth grew like mushrooms after the rain. Childbirth became a family affair.
Hospitals have been left with their anfilades of maternity wards empty. Under financial and parental pressure maternity homes had to listen to real counselors: those who gave birth to children. Something personal was taken from mothers, and they were determined to win it back to themselves.
The relationship between mother and child in hospital walls has been directed at establishing contact;breastfeeding was rediscovered.
But as soon as the correct approach was finally found to the births, two carriers of evil emerged on the stage, sending the women in childbirth again to the operating room. Electronic monitoring of the fetus appeared in the early 1970s, and since then his career has been very variegated. Created to determine if a child is at risk in the womb, this device is often the cause of the problem that was intended to be saved, although it proved useful and saved lives in some cases. In order for the device to function properly, the mothers were not forced to move during labor and, even worse, they had to lie on their backs. Children inside protested against such innovation, electronic monitoring of the fetus shouted "fetal distress", and everyone again returned to the operating room.
Medical personnel looked for a suitable role for this new technology, when the second evil came - the crisis of negligence. When a perfectly healthy child was born, even if there was no one's fault, someone had to pay. Doctors paid
out of their pockets, and mothers paid with their bodies. The number of cesarean sections jumped from the level of the accepted norm of 5-10 percent to an unprecedented 25-30 percent. Just think about it: 30 percent of women giving birth can not have malfunctioning organisms.
The reason for the "inability to resolve naturally" is not at all in the reproductive system of the mother, but in the hospital system of obstetrics. Mothers who underwent surgery had to give up most of their energy to healing their own wounds, emotional and physical, and there were not many children left for her.
Scene three, the 1990s
The scene is prepared for childbirth. Everyone played the role assigned to him. The couple awaiting the baby listened attentively;she went through a course of preparation for natural childbirth, where the future mother is taught to listen to her body, recognize her body's signals, respond to them, moving and changing position in search of any position for childbirth that would ease the pain and speed up the fetal progress. The couple is allowed to look into the delivery room, arranged with the care of the woman in childbirth.
Auxiliary staff appears. The father no longer has to act as an instructor. A professional assistant with whom a pair of pre-
Timely hugs or several successfully padded pillows - trifles have a huge importance during childbirth.
met, leads the mother through childbirth, taking care of its convenience and helping it to act in accordance with its body. The obstetrician is nearby and from time to time looks in to see if everything is all right. Technical equipment and specialists behind the stage, but nearby in case of need in them. The intensive care unit is nearby( preferably right in the ward) in case of unforeseen complications.
As the contractions intensify, the mother begins to move. She is given complete freedom to walk around the room, stopping during fights, and give birth in the arms of her husband hugging her. If for medical reasons continuous monitoring of the fetus is required, it is carried out by telemetry( allowing the woman to move as she needs, rather than being tied to the wires of the monitor at the bed).
At a later stage of labor, the mother disconnects from the environment and goes into the intimate world of the deepest tremors of her body. She squats, bends, gets on all fours, takes any position, except lying on her back - she is given complete freedom to improvise. A doctor or midwife, like a choreographer, helps the mother to direct energy to the goal. Instead of trying to control her family activity, she is given power to her senses to open her body and let the child out. The standard part of the
generic choreography is the mother's attempts to push in a bath that greatly facilitates childbirth. She freely lies on the water and turns, relaxing in warm water. Everything goes well.
The completion is nearing completion. There are no distracting screams: "Tuzhsya, tuzhsya!" Present behave quietly, respecting the privacy of the star, do not interfere and adequately interpret all the emotional sounds that can be heard while her body does its thing. This is her business, this is her creative process. On the rights of the main keeper of the nest, the father corrects the pillows, and all those present support the mother, no matter what position she may choose for childbirth. When the flower of her body begins to open, and the baby's head begins to appear, the obstetrician
A doctor or midwife, like a choreographer, helps the mother to direct energy to achievement.
or assistant maintains and monitors this disclosure. Together with their mother, they carefully guide the child out. Episiotomy( dissection of the perineum) is rarely necessary. After checking the functioning of all life support systems, mothers are given the baby in the hands, skin to the skin, or put on the stomach to start a new scene in the drama of life after childbirth.
What did the science of obstetrics see in the late 1990s? First, a powerful shift from the installation to surgical care for natural childbirth. Emphasis is placed on the fact that 90 percent of women are able to give birth in a natural way, and a high standard of obstetric care is meant for those 10 percent who need special medical care or surgical intervention. More attention is paid to the convenience and comfort of the mother, without, of course, harm to safety.
More humane technology
Once or twice a week I go to the delivery room and see a woman lying on her back with a belt of electronic monitoring of the fetus attached to the display on her bulging stomach. Instead of watching the mother,
nurses watch the display, which "watches" the mother. And too often the labor of these mothers does not produce any results, and they "require" a cesarean section.
Mandatory continuous monitoring of the fetus for each mother is no longer considered necessary or recommended. Instead, if the mother does not experience any complications, the obstetrician can opt for periodic monitoring of the mother for 20-30 minutes to obtain information about the fetus.(Strictly controlled studies have shown that mandatory continuous electronic monitoring of the fetus does not provide better well-being for children compared to short-term monitoring by the nurse from time to time, and mothers under continuous monitoring have a greater risk of cesarean delivery.) If continuous monitoring of the fetusis necessary for medical reasons, it should not restrict the mother's ability to move and change position during childbirth. For the most part, monitoring should be done by telemetry, widely available today on remote equipment, allowing mothers with a sensor to walk freely in the ward. The signals are transmitted through the air and come to the display of the nearest terminal.
In addition, ultrasound, a valuable diagnostic tool, will continue to help accurately monitor the growth and development of the child in the prenatal period. Parents are already getting used to seeing their pawning child on ultrasonograms, rejoicing at the opportunity to communicate even before birth.
Big splash - birth in water
Childbirth in water has been practiced in Russia and France for the past ten to twenty years. Only recently, this innovation, increasing the chances of a successful solution, reached North America.
Why does water have such a magical effect? Immersion in warm water is a very effective relaxation tool that reduces pain and accelerates the progress of the fetus. The buoyancy force of the water allows the mother's body to freely swim and allows her to choose the most comfortable position for delivery. Due to the sense of weightlessness, it is easier for the mother to support her body and endure contractions. Her muscles are less stressed, because they do not have to hold all her weight. When the mother relaxes( without medication), the level of stress hormones in her blood decreases, making room for hormones that cause natural labor, oxytocin and endorphin. The
study of approximately 1,400 women giving birth in Jacuzzi baths( water temperature close to body temperature and no beating jets) showed faster fetal progression and the number of caesarean sections was 10 percent compared to 25-30 percent for traditional births in the hospital. Some women remain in the water and in the final stage, because they do not want to think about leaving the water, despite the fact that the child is about to be released.(This is completely safe, but the child needs to be taken out of the water right after birth.) The school of birth in the water, advocating for gradual extraction, when the child is left submerged for an indefinite time, practices a risky, unrecommended method.)
Note. I myself have experienced all the advantages of giving birth in water, when our seventh appeared
is my baby, Stefan. Usually, my birth is fast( one to two hours), and the bouts become intense only shortly before expulsion, and then, after I podnatuzhus two or three times, the child leaves. With the child number seven, however, the scheme has changed. After four hours of soft, active fights, I felt a severe pain in the lower abdomen. It was a signal that something needed attention. If the pain were in the back, the situation on all fours would help. Yet I tried this position, but the pain only intensified. Then my assistant advised me to enter the bath. Immersed in warm water, I felt all my limbs relax. I tried various positions and finally found one that allowed me to just relax and swim on the surface of the water from the shoulders, so that all my torso and pelvis is turned into warm water is an effective and natural way to relax.
stopped being relaxed. At this moment of complete relaxation, the pain literally melted - better than any tablets! The pushing force of water has done for me something that I could not achieve with my own efforts.
The feeling of complete liberation, accompanied by complete relief, was amazing. I stayed in the water for about an hour until I felt the signs of the buoyancy phase. At this point, I decided to get out of the water. I lay down on the bed on my left side and gave birth after two fights. When the child showed up, we understood the cause of the pain. The handle of the child was pressed to the head - both parts of the body passed simultaneously. My body needed complete relaxation to allow the muscles to separate and let go of a larger than normal fetus.