Inidividual Entry Archive
The workshop I am facilitating in Leeds has a large number of midwives who are involved in prenatal education, and there are also five physiotherapists in the group.
Given their interest in parenthood education, I have put more emphasis on communicating with women and boosting their confidence in normal birth through various exercises and activities. I also raised the issue of early pregnancy classes and their value in giving expectant parents a chance to explore issues that are relevant at that time, such as nutrition, emotional aspects of pregnancy, taking care of yourself and the baby during pregnancy, sorting out the various diagnostic tests they will be offered etc.
The possibility of meeting a midwife and being exposed to the midwifery philosophy about birth is also an important attribute of these classes. Many women have their pregnancies turned into an illness through the fundamental structure of pregnancy care, with its focus on numerous tests, regular check-ups and repeated surveillance techniques. Midwives and childbirth educators have a wonderful opportunity through various kinds of prenatal programs to shift women’s views about birth and every chance must be grasped.
This is especially important for women with a previous “obstetric history” who have often been left with many unresolved feelings than can impact on their approach to future pregnancies. We also talked about the usefulness of VBAC classes and today I will give some time to programs aimed at parents who already have children. Refresher classes, as they are often labelled, not only have the potential to enable parents to work out strategies for achieving a better outcome in the current pregnancy, they are also useful in bringing change to the system.
Every “Active Birth” workshop that I present is different, and this one has had a special emphasis on education for parents.
Posted by andrea at October 12, 2004 06:10 PM
I just wanted to let you know that I love the website. I'm an Australian woman who is pregnant with my third child and with 5 weeks to the 40 week mark. My prenatal care is primarily with midwives at the hospital however I still have to see the ob-gyn a certain number of times. I'm already anxious about how to fend off doctors who seem all too eager to interfere with the birthing process. My first son was induce due to "pre-eclampsia" and the experience was absolutely horrendous. With my second child I refused to allow them to induce me and went 10 days "overdue". As a result I had a wonderful birth experience and felt empowered and euphoric afterwards. I remember the opposition I encountered at the time for letting the pregnancy go beyond 40 weeks. In particular, I remember one ob-gyn saying that sometimes "healthy babies just die when they go overdue". His idea was that it was better to "just get it over with". It was pretty obvious he'd never had a baby! I was appalled by his scare tactics but it planted a grain of fear in me. It's very daunting to stand up for yourself against medical authorities as they all assume woman just want it over and done with. It's wonderful to see midwives empowering women about birthing rather than heeding to the male dominated medical model of birthing. I tell all woman who ask me about childbirth to give the ob-gyn the flick and go with midwives. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Lee-Anne on November 13, 2004 12:34 AM