I saw the BOLD play TWICE this weekend....and loved it both times. I laughed and cried. I don't think there was a woman in the theatre that couldn't identify in some way with one or more of the characters. The message of the play was this: Women deserve birth on their terms.
The play was about women....real women's stories of birth. Some of the stories were joyous and some were filled with regret. Some were hilarious and some were deeply moving. I have heard those stories represented among my friends. So many, including myself in my second birth, went in with an expectation and came home wondering, "what happened?" Somewhere along the way, we felt that we lost control of our birth and we agreed to interventions or procedures that we weren't sure of. Labor is such a vulnerable place. For a woman to try to make an informed decision between 75 second contractions is nearly impossible. Aren't we taught to never make major decisions under stress?
I hope as a doula to be there during these moments to help mom and partner feel less pressured and more informed. I want to be sure that a mom in my care can walk away knowing that every decision she made was the right decision for her.
Birth is normal and natural. Most moms know instinctually what to do and a good birth attendant will encourage those instincts. Labor doesn't have a time limit and babies don't follow schedules. Not every labor will follow the "roadmap" that the books talk about. It's ok.
Women deserve to be heard. Women deserve good support. And yes, women deserve birth on their terms.
