HW 40

Hey- thanks for writing Guide to Childbirth. Your main idea of letting the readers acknowledge the true nature of birth helped me view the topic from an alternate perspective. Instead of assuming the procedure practiced in hospitals is the safer alternative, I now understand that natural birth forms a stronger bond between the birth mother and the experience. 


"Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?"


Well, in the last third of the book you focused on a variety of more technical aspects concerning the process of birth. Such as the positioning of birth and new drugs and techniques that are often used during or post birth and the extent of how much they really help you or hurt you.  which added another angle to the first 2/3rds of the book. But let me be more specific:


You had a whole chapter focused on the positioning of the birth parent and even a brief history of what practices were common back in the day. "Women in traditional societies all over the world almost always choose upright positions in labor. This worldwide consensus suggests that women don't choose to lie down to labor and give birth unless forces within their culture pressure them into doing so" (pg 228). This especially stood out to me because it totally contradicted my assumption of how birth was "normally" practiced. In America the stereotypical position of the mother in labor is laying down which is much more ineffective due to the lack of gravitational support. Yet why an advanced country like America practices a more difficult technique puts me in a daze. The pictures below the text also provided great visuals of past practices. This connects to the part in the book where you explain the significance of how the mind and body work together throughout the pregnancy, birth techniques focus on the connection between the body and earth. 


Within the same chapter you also mention "letting your monkey do it". Though somewhat amusing to hear, I felt this section of the chapter really compared nature to humans. "Letting the primate in you do the work of labor is a short way of saying not to let your over-busy mind interfere with the ancient wisdom of your body" (pg 243). Though the book is suppose to be a guide for mothers giving birth, you promote natural birth mainly through the various birth stories in the first third of the book. More than anything, this section made me really see the difference between natural and man made. It answered the big question of why we have so much difficulty performing a natural procedure. 


Last but not least, you reference the awareness of maternal deaths in the United States. "Judging by the conversations I have had with many physician friends, US doctors are generally unaware of the stagnant US maternal death rate. The lack of federal mandate for statewide mortality review keeps attention from being focused on this problem". (pg 278). Not only did you bring up a very significant aspect of birth, but you also had a reason why this is an ongoing problem. In order to fix something, knowledge about the cause is very vital. The answer to this problem may possibly be birthing facilities similar to The Farm. By taking the responsibility of labor from the hospitals and giving it to trained mid wives may alter our birthing practices forever. 


"But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?"


I found the book to be very well rounded as it covered a wide range of things that factor into birth. If there was one thing I would recommend to better the book, I would say the organization of birth stories. Having them in chronological order might of been interesting since the change in the process overtime seems like an interesting topic. Though it may not necessarily benefit some readers, I sure would of found it to be interesting. 


." The author replies, "Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!"