Friday, March 28, 2008

Penny Simkin article

Thanks to a link on the Passion for Birth blog, I just read a really great article about Penny Simkin that was in the Seattle Times on Monday.

Towards the middle of the article, Simkin makes the point that it isn't necessarily what happens during birth that makes women feel satisfied with their experiences, but how they are cared for and supported during labor and birth. A quote:

"'We can't control labor, whether it's hard; that's a leap of faith,' Simkin says. 'But we can always control how we care for her.'"

"Even though it's only one day, women are more vulnerable, Simkin says. There's pain, exposure, dependence on others, possibility of physical harm, authority figures who may, or may not, be sensitive. One in four women today describes birth as having been traumatic."

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