Lord of the Rings and C-Sections!

SarahM · 01-12-2010, 03:44 AM

I am hoping this is a place where people won't laugh at me for making this association but here goes...

Male doctors often can't understand why women would choose to birth vaginally without pain medication or other forms of intervention when they have all these options available to them.

They don't seem to get that for women it can be a powerful rite of passage, and some of us actually want to experience what our bodies can do and the satisfaction of knowing *i can do this*.

So I saw this clip which offered a different ending for Lord of the Rings and it made me think about some doctors who think c-sections are preferable to natural birth.

Without all of pain and suffering the friends went through in LOTR there wouldn't have been a story, they wouldn't have formed those special bonds and they wouldn't have woken up the next day being thankful for everything they had.

While I believe that even with a c-section it can be a profoundly spiritual experience, I think its the attitude of doctors wanting to make it like any other day that is the problem. They treat it like you get up one day, have your nails done in the morning and remove the baby from your uterus in the afternoon. To me, that is cheating a woman out of something very special.

Obviously it's easier to experience birth as a rite of passage when you do it naturally, but I think those in the very traditional medical system need be more attentive to the fact that (especially these days when we can have babies in relative safety) it can and should be a special time, no matter how it happens.

thanks for reading this rambling post

DL · 01-12-2010, 04:09 AM

Thanks for sharing that clip. I'm a big Lord of the Rings fan and so I really enjoyed that! Please understand that I am NOT laughing at you for the association, though, just the clip itself.

As for the association, you are so right! I think that making the association was very inciteful of you.

I probably would have just watched the clip and took it at face value, but I love that you were able to think: Natural birth/rite of passage = Lord of the Rings looooong movie and all that entailed VS. Cesarean birth = short little clip/missing out on so much. Two thumbs up!

AngelsMum · 01-12-2010, 06:51 AM

I also have similar thoughts about birth too. I think HP's do women a huge dis-service by not giving them this opportunity.

I read somewhere (but can't remember where) that there's a moment in transition where many women get to where they feel like they can't go any further. For some, they feel like dying. But then, they get through that and are rewarded with a baby.

I feel that this intense experience is meant to be a way of preparing mums for the intensity of raising an infant. Along the lines of "Well, if I was able to get through that, I can handle sleepless nights."

I think there are very few intense experiences in life that can match that point in birth. There are a few, but every woman has the possibility of achieving that in birth.

Personally, I believe that there is a very spiritual experience involved in pregnancy & the birthing experience. For those clients who are open to it, I certainly talk about that and have spiritual birthy books to read.

AMotz · 01-12-2010, 09:52 AM

I agree, I think so too. Even the best OB we have in town has told me that he doesn't know how I can watch women in pain all the time. I try to explain that it's different because it's "normal" pain, but it usually falls on a genuinely confused facial expression.

Funny clip though.

sunshine · 01-12-2010, 10:48 AM

i'm a huge believer that women "need" labor and birth as a rite of passage to motherhood. my own experience in that (the pain of transition and transcending it) was fundamental to who i am as an adult woman and mother. i can't imagine not getting it. i too agree that it can come in many ways and not only w/ an all-natural birth. it's more about respecting that sacred space. it's a beautiful thing when everyone present gets that.

thank you so much for bringing this up. i think it's really imp for doulas to recognize our part in helping women have this rite.

ehilleke · 01-12-2010, 11:41 AM

I totally get it.

My fourth birth (first natural birth) taught me more about trusting my body and trusting my support people than my first three scheduled-induction-plus-epidural births. Period.

The memory of a woman's voice in my ear saying "you're doing fine. everything looks great. keep breathing." is one I treasure. I call upon that memory again and again when I am weary and the world seems to be spinning too fast for me to catch up.

I also remember thinking, about 90 seconds before my daughter was born, "Why did I choose this? I will. surely. die. before this is over." Then after she was born - I felt incredible. Wonderfully high and thrilled at my accomplishment. That is another memory that I recall often - especially as I'm expecting another child this July.

My other birth experiences weren't bad. I am very satisfied with the care of my OB and nurses. They just didn't give me the opportunity to learn these things about trusting myself and others. That's all.

raeben · 01-12-2010, 12:13 PM

great analogy - although to be really true to the c-section metaphor, they would have had to walk back through mordor after accomplishing their task...

DL · 01-12-2010, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raeben

great analogy - although to be really true to the c-section metaphor, they would have had to walk back through mordor after accomplishing their task...

So true!

toricaswell · 01-13-2010, 01:02 AM

i love your analogy-
and found the first link to the article really interesting also.

i can always see where people are coming from when they talk about how c-section is pretty safe (something i would be happy to tell a mama who had to have one), so why not avoid all the inconvenience of vaginal delivery

but something that goes so unnoticed is the emotional impact of being told you can't birth your baby on your own.
i see this mindset carry over time and again to breastfeeding- "i can't breastfed my baby- not enough milk, not enough time, not enough....trust in our bodies"

accomplishing the so very difficult task of birthing a baby IS a huge ego boost and you need one- right before you are holding this helpless child that sometimes cries no matter WHAT you do.

AngelsMum · 01-16-2010, 04:37 AM

Following is a research article I'd forgotten that I had bookmarked:

Birth and Death: Opportunities for Self-Transcendence

Quote:

Abstract:
One thing that is often absent in childbirth education classes is a discussion of the spiritual aspect of giving birth. Birth offers women a wonderful opportunity to awaken their spirituality. Natural childbirth, in particular, has the potential for self-transcendence, offering an even greater appreciation for the miracle of life. The normal, natural pain in labor can challenge the core of one's being—it is a healthy sensation that provides direction for women moving through the maze of labor. The challenge of giving birth today is to develop confidence and trust in one's inner wisdom and allow nature to do its thing. When this is accomplished, a woman's body is often permeated and nourished by spiritual energy and guidance. She emerges from her labor bed with a renewed sense of her body's strength and power and with an enhanced spirituality.