I recently read five books by Michel Odent. He is a
French obstetrician who practiced in a French hospital for many, many years
before attending home births. I could tell you much more about him but it would
be quite as easy for you and easier for me if you just search his name. I’m
sure there are those who do not like what he has to say but so much of what I
read resonates with me that I cannot ignore it.
The first book I read of the five is Childbirth and the Future of Homo Sapiens.
Chapter 6 is titled “Should we criminalize planned vaginal birth?” I have to
admit I was worried when I first read this. Everything that I’ve read by Michel
Odent and everything I’ve heard him say (I’d previously read two or three other
books as well as a couple of articles and watched interviews with him) does not
indicate that he would ever even think such a thing let alone verbalize or
encourage it. Further reading allayed my fears, however; he has not gone the
way of so many in the medical field.
I thought that I had pretty good birth experiences
with each of my babies. Even Alisha’s birth in a hospital wasn’t too awful,
generally speaking, even though I’m convinced this was so because she was born
so soon after our arrival. As I continued reading I began to wonder if I should
at the least reevaluate or perhaps redefine good. Good will stand. Based on the
knowledge that I had at the time, each birth was pretty good. There are aspects
of each that made each better in some ways than the others and overall, they
remain. . . good.
Optimal, however, they were not.
Let me draw for you a picture of what I now would
consider to be an optimal birth.
It is quiet other than the noises made by the laboring
woman and the soft clicking of the midwife’s knitting needles which is barely
audible due to the fact she is using wooden needles. The laboring woman moans
upon occasion in an almost involuntary manner as her body I gripped by
previously unknown sensations. The room is lit only by (sunlight, candles, diffused
light, flickering light from the fire, etc.). No one else is in the room although
the midwife has an assistant in another area of the house and the laboring
woman’s partner is (outside splitting wood, inside reading, pacing, etc.)
The laboring woman is free to move about as she
wishes; there are snacks for her to nibble on and there is water to drink.
Mostly, she ignores these things and moves about from one position to another
in order to be as comfortable as possible.
The midwife glances up from time to time. She is there
only to keep her senses open in the event she may be needed for something
beyond the laboring woman’s ability to cope with. Her practiced ears, eyes, and
general awareness tell her that the woman is progressing well and that the baby
should be born relatively soon.
There is a tub of water in the even the laboring woman
desires to utilize it. As her labor continues and the sensations intensify, she
does get in. The midwife keeps her awareness more closely directed to the woman
in the water but mainly because a woman in labor sometimes requires assistance
getting back out. Also, the baby might well come while she is there.
The woman leans on the side of the tub, head cradled
in her arms as the rest of her body floats, weightless in the water. As a
contraction grips her, she leans back and wedges her feet at the junction of
the bottom and edge of the pool and she grunts, sometimes barely audible,
sometimes very loudly as if with great effort.
The midwife smiles, knowing it will not be long now at
all. She finishes the row she is working on, briefly examines the work she has
completed and tucks it away in her bag. The laboring woman is still at work;
there is no need for the midwife to do other than she has been. Still, the
future in unknown and it is easier to jump up with nothing in one’s hands than
with and easier to devote full attention, even if from a distance, with no other
distractions.
The woman is becoming more vocal. Her moans and grunts
are louder. Sometimes she sounds very much as if she belongs in a faraway
jungle.
After the noise of a very great effort, the midwife
smiles again as the woman in the tub leans back with a baby in her arms. She
looks at her watch to note the time for later reference and continues to
observe.
The baby has apparently found his or her first meal;
the midwife can hear the small suckling sounds of delight. The new mother coos
to her baby, drinking deeply of the huge eyes, taking in every sound and smell
and touch.
Eventually, the midwife collects the placenta in a
bowl and notifies the father that his partner has given birth. He and the
midwife’s assistant return to the birthing room with the midwife. She (ties,
clamps) the cord and the father cuts it.
The midwife and her assistant clean up and put away
everything they think they will not need and then sit back, waiting.
Finally, the baby, a boy, is examined enough to know
he is 20 ½ inches long and 8 pounds, 3.5 ounces, and doing very well. The mother is examined enough to know she has a
very small tear, less than 1/8th of an inch which is not worth the
bother of stitching. Mother and baby are bedded down and the midwife and her
assistant finish cleaning and putting away. The new family is left with
instructions of what to expect and will be visited the following day.
This baby was born under what I would consider to be
optimal circumstances. The mother was allowed to labor under ideal circumstances
and to birth her baby in the same manner. There was no spoken language to
stimulate the neocortex. There was only natural, subdued light and the room was
warm enough. There were no drugs administered and the woman was able to move
only as much as her mammalian self-determined was necessary.
The pregnancy was optimal as well. This woman was not
told she was spilling ketones or that she may have gestational diabetes. She
was encouraged to eat well, get enough sleep, and exercise. The midwife was
knowledgeable. She would have been able to step in and do what needed to be
done in the event such became necessary, including referring her to a doctor.
Are we losing this ability? From what I’ve read and
observed, I think we are.
If we can believe what Dr. Odent has written, and I
think we can, every single time any interference is made with the normal,
natural process of birth, there are consequences. It seems that we are
witnessing these consequences. Indeed, many, if not most of us, are living with
them.
For example, it was determined that I am group B strep
positive before Amena was born. One way of dealing with this is for the mother
to take antibiotics. While there is some risk to the baby without dealing with the GBS, there are
consequences to a mother taking antibiotics just prior to delivery. Would you care to guess what one of them is?
Asthma.
We really need to do as Antoine Béchamp, who “knew about germs and . .
. understood pasteurization before Pasteur” said: “Instead of trying to
determine what abnormal conditions disease is composed of, let us first know
the normal conditions which make us healthy (Odent, Michel. Childbirth and the
Future of Homo Sapiens. London: Pinter & Martin, 2013. Print.).”
