I totally agree Dierdre, what you have written is what I meant by "how to birth". I do think birthing stories are part of our socialisation process and in times past this whole process was handled very differently than it is today. I mean I don't think we need to learn "how to birth" anymore than we need to learn how to make our liver's function, the idea is ridiculous, obviously it is there innately within the very cells of our bodies. But, because birth has elements of the conscious mind as well as the unconscious or involuntary nervous system involved, then some of us need to learn to let go of this conscious control. I think, or I like to believe, this ability to give up control is what women got from their community of women ages ago. Gosh! I hope I am not digging an even bigger hole for myself. Language can hang us (me) up sometimes.
Incidently the edition I had in the 70's of "Childbirth without fear" by Grantley Dick-Read was my mother's copy from the '30s and while I could see it as the backbone, if you will, of the natural childbirth movement, I didn't quite think he came up with the term "hypnobirthing" either, though as you say can see how it evolved from it. marilyn ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dierdre Bowman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 12:20 AM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Hypnobirthing > All the talk about hypno birthing is very interesting. My understanding was > that only copies of Dick-Reads book childbirth without fear written prior to > 1939 were actually written exclusively by him and since then has been > modified by many others. I own this book and while I can imagine how > someone came up with a term like hypno birthing I didn't feel that's what > Dick-Read was saying. I saw what he says as meaning that women had to relax > and to go within in order to let the natural pain killers we have work so > well. I'm amazed that people always find ways to make money of others with > some new method for helping women birth better or easier. I agree with > Marilyn to some extent. I don't think we need to learn how to birth but I > do believe that natural birth has become so surpressed in our society that > the inate knowledge of women to birth their babies is being stiffled. Women > need to be encouraged that it is within them, the need to be told that they > can do it and that with good relaxation pain can be reduced. Many of us > know that pain can be caused physiologically through fear, not just of pain > but of many other things. And by the way, women should be informed that > having a baby is not something we control, I tell my clients to take their > logical brain and put it up on a shelf because the body needs to work > uninterupted by the logic we place such high value on. > > Dierdre > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
