It's GOOD for women to suffer pain in childbirth
When I first heard that there was a medical professional suggesting that women should not be offered pain relief in labour, my initial thought was: "This could only be a man."
I looked at the article in The Observer and lo! It was.
Dr Denis Walsh says that more women should be prepared to withstand the pain of childbirth.
I don't care how senior a midwife this guy is. I don't care how many studies he's done, how many babies he's delivered or how many books he's read. Until there's even the slightest chance he might have to push a person out of his body, he's not allowed to say that women shouldn't have pain relief.
He bases his theory on the following points:
- 20% of epidurals are given to women who do not need them
Okay - even if I bought that women who ask for epidurals don't 'need' them, what about the other 80%? How do you decide who 'needs' one? Surely the need depends on the desire of the individual woman?
I haven't done the studies, but I know a lot of women who have given birth, and lots of them haven't 'bonded' instantly with their babies. In my experience it doesn't matter how the baby was delivered. Saying this is just another guilt inducing statement to make women feel they've failed if they haven't given birth vaginally.
- Pain prepares women for the demands of motherhood
How? When human beings are about to go through something demanding and challenging (albeit rewarding) do they start off with punching themselves in the face? Do we inflict pain on ourselves to get ourselves geared up for things? No. No we don't.
- An epidural makes a mother more likely to need help in getting her baby out, such as by using forceps, which can be traumatic for both mother and child.
Women who have epidurals are well aware of the risks. Surely the fact that women know the risks still go on to have them just demonstrates how bloody painful it can be?
I have read the article and feel that Dr Walsh is simply writing about an area that, although he has a doctorate in, will simply never be able to fully understand.
No fear - I think we can help him appreciate the nature of this type of pain and therefore be able to write from a more empathetic prospective. We will simply insert a baby (or baby sized object) into him, over a period of about 30 hours.
It's only fair. If after that he says that the pain was actually a good thing, and he finds himself feeling more maternal then I'll take back everything I just said.
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Laura Yates - Brummie mum Laura Yates is a 27 year old mother of two from Kings Heath. She gives her take on family life in the city.
Having babies is a big and very important decision. It should be planned well. There are many women who fear of getting pregnant. Some of the fears are scared of losing their freedom, losing their job, scared of taking responsibility, loosing figure. Some think they don't have enough money to have a child. But one can over come out of it by managing everything properly.