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Friday, July 4, 2008

Themes in labor and motherhood

As I have thought and read about this topic, I have found some common themes or steps to have a successful labor. And because I very much see labor as a being connected to motherhood, I think they apply to that also.

With my first child, I attended childbirth preparation classes. Since then I have also read quite extensively on the subject. There are many methods out there that I feel are useful, but for me, I had to find my own way. I took something from everything, but in the end I was the one that had to figure out exactly what worked for me. In my opinion a lot of classes are too confusing. My focus would be on how we internalize our emotions, fears, and struggles during labor, not if we breathe the right way, or relax, or vizualize. So, I have talked with others and thought about my own experiences and have come up with five different areas to think about, understand and internalize as we think about our own labors and on to motherhood. These are, releasing fear, accepting pain, finding control, using support, and finding meaning. I would like to explore these five areas in other posts to come, but for now I just wanted to throw them out.

1 comment:

Crissy said...

Rachel, I have been re-reading and thinking about your posts as I approach my own labor (only 27 days until due date), your thoughts on these five elements are intriguing, and I hope the answers come before this baby doe!!

Birth is a Journey: Does it have to be life changing?


  • One woman might have to climb on an overfilled boat, risking her life and nearly dying as she escapes over the ocean to come to this land. This experience could certainly be life altering. It may very well color the rest of her life, positively or negatively. (I overcame this amazing struggle and here I am triumphant! OR Holy crap, that was SO hard I don’t know if I can go on! By the way, neither response is “right”. No one would judge the woman with the 2nd response.)
  • One woman may buy an airplane ticket, sit on a comfortable 747 and fly to America with a nice smooth flight and landing. She is happy to be in America. Those welcoming her are glad she is here safe and sound. She may only travel by plane 2-4 times in her life, so it is pretty memorable. But the journey itself probably wouldn’t be life changing; it would simply be a journey.
  • One woman may learn to fly an ultra-light plane to lead a flock of geese into America teaching them to migrate. This experience could certainly be empowering and life altering.