Childbirth Education- Preventative Medicine- one doula's ramblings

Last night I viewed the film- Laboring Under an Illusion.


Childbirth Education- Preventative Medicine- one doula's ramblings- By Hallie Dedrick

A look at birth in our culture, as portrayed by media in various formats and how it shaped the way we feel about birth, how the images that are put before us impact how we react to birth itself. It was really interesting. And a funny movie too.

As a doula and childbirth educator, I feel this is one of the biggest challenges I have with educating expecting families. There are massive amounts of information available to families these days, at the touch of their fingers thanks to the internet. But how do families know where to look and how to sift through it all.

A quick google search of "childbirth" brings us first to Childbirth.org. Not too bad.
Google "pregnancy" and you are first directed Pregnancy.org, the topics highlighted under labor and birth both involve homebirth and natural birth. Alright!

What are the most popular sites? BabyCenter, BabyZone, ivillage are a few that come up quickly. Many of them have the same articles. And they all are full of advertisment pitching the latest must have baby product. Most moms these days will tell you they visit these sites and watch birth shows on TV for their information. So whats the big deal? If information is available from the comfort of the couch, why attend a series of classes?

Well, to me the answer is simple. Childbirh Education is preventative medicine. I wish I could say this was my concept, but I stumbled across this simple, yet true statement while reading Childbirth Education: Practice, Research, and Theory, for my childbirth educator certification. What does this mean and why is it important?

Well I feel taking an actual childbirth education class is important because it connect the expecting family with their community and other expecting families. Being able to ask questions, discuss ideas, fears and concerns, as well as hand on practice, allows the group to learnon a variety of levels. Its one thing to see a picture of a couple doing the labor "slow dance", but its a completely different experience when a couple practices together, with an educator by their side to guide them to use it most effectivly. Being part of a group can help the expectant family know they are not alone in their experiences and feelings.

A thorough well taught class can empower the expecting family with the knowledge and confidence to be an active part of their birth. When a an expecting family is empowered, they make desicions and choices not out of fear, but because they have weighed out there options and can choose the best birth for them.

Dr Harvey Karp says this of modern parents "Although today’s mothers and fathers are very well educated, they are the least experienced parents in history." I think this can also be said about the experience of "normal" birth. Mothers birthing today have had mothers and grandmothers in many cases who have birth ina very medically managed environment. The combination of this, along with the images the media has put out on birth, leave most expecting parents having no real concept of birth and what it will be like. Again, this is where the childbirth educator plays a vital role.

Fear is the biggest obstical parents face. When an educator shares how birth works, what a parent may encouter in their choosen place to give birth, and what their options are, they can make informed choices, gaining control and reducing fear. If a woman knows how how to keep her body healthy she can reduce her chance of a variety of problems related to pregnancy and birth such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and also help her body birth easier and reduce her chance of tearing. Not to mention a huge benefit, reducing risks of complication in labor and problems for her baby. If a woman knows how to use various positions to work effectivly with her labor, she will work with gravity anf increase her chances of her baby being a good position. If she knows her pain management options, and how they can be of most use, she will make the right choices for her, and possibly avoid common problems like getting the epidural too soon or the side effects of IV narcotics. If she learns about common interventions and decides ahead of time what she is and isn't comfortable with, she can discuss this with her caregiver before she isin labor and faced with the desicion. By learning how to breastfeed before the baby arrives, she is more likely to be successful.

So if we educate our expecting families, and they become active participants in their care, I believe we could see a reduction in many of the problems that women face in their pregnancy and labors. This make education preventative medicine. We see it to be true with the miwifery model of care. When the mother to be is involved,informed and held accountable for her pregnancy and birth experience, the results are far better than when a woman hands over all control and doesn't bother to learn how to help herself.

Coming next- moms reaction to their childbirth experience