Birth Fear

On February 10, I went to the Friends of Missouri Midwives annual Cookie Day event at the Capitol. In addition to all the yummy cookies, we had a really special treat this year. Jennifer Block (author of Pushed) spoke at our rally in the rotunda! You can read more about the event here.

I've read Pushed twice and meeting Jennifer in person prompted me to once more share a quote I had written down the first time I read her book:

"Why is it that the very things that cause birth related morbidity rates to rise are seen as the 'safe' way to go? Why aren’t women and their doctors terrified of the chemicals that are dripped into their spines and veins—the same substances that have been shown to lead to more c-sections? Why aren’t they worried about the harm these drugs might be doing to the future health of their children, as some studies are indicating might be the case? Why aren’t they afraid of picking up drug-resistant staphylococcus infections in the hospital? And why, of all things, aren’t women terrified of being cut open?"

Thinking about the women I speak with, many seem to simply be afraid of BIRTH. Afraid of pushing the baby out. When I reflect on what I was personally afraid of in birth, I realize that I was afraid of the very things she mentions above, which is part of why my baby was born at home!

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Molly Remer
CfM Blogger