Unconventional or Trendy Child Rearing/Birthing Techniques
Submitted by yvgeny on Sun, 10/09/2005 - 08:07
Tags:
- Birth at home aided by midwife.
- Water/pool birth.
- Sitting up birth.
- Silent* crazy Scientologist birth. (see below post clarifying what this is)
- Drug free birth.
- Potty training as an infant.
- Playing music or reading to a child in the womb.
- Flash cards for advanced math/vocabulary as toddlers.
- Breastfeeding until 3-5 years old.
- Weight training in elementary school.
- Putting babies to sleep on their stomachs despite the risk of SIDS.
- Helmet for misshapen baby heads.
- Sleeping in bed with parents rather than in a separate crib.
- Elective C-sections.
Far be it from me to spout opinions about rearing children, so I really have no opinion about most of the items on your list. However, how is a drug free birth unconventional or trendy? Women have done it since the beginning of our species, and I find it hard to believe that giving women drugs now is so dominant that drug-free is unconventional.
You're right, I have no numbers to support whether epidurals are used in the majority of births or not.
However, 'natural' childbirths were the convention in the past because there was no choice. Now that there is a choice, it seems only logical that anesthesic is the norm in light of the pain of labor. Usually, the choice to go drug free is a choice actively made by the parents for particular concerns rather than as a general rule rendering it a sort of opt-out choice rather than an opt-in. So, it can loosely be defined as unconventional or even trendy. There is some subjectivity there, others may disagree.
I mean, birthing at home used to happen all the time and is still not all that uncommon or strange either but I still see it as somewhat unconventional in the context of contemporary standard procedures.
Plus, I needed to pad the list a little.
Oh, okay. It's just that my impression was that you opt to have the drugs rather than opting out. Perhaps things are a bit different in Canada - I don't know. I have my own opinions about pain killing, but I'll take that elsewhere, as I don't feel qualified to argue that particular point regarding childbirth, given that I haven't had any children yet myself.
Oh, and yes. The silent Scientology birth is crazy.
Well, I think when it comes down to the mechanics of it, I'm sure the mother actually has to ask for the drugs rather than being injected by the doctor without a word. But I just meant that it is my understanding that the decision-making process probably assumes drugs will be involved in the labor process rather than drugs being used only by special request. Then again, I'm no expert and you bring up a valid point.
In the US, I believe drugs are the norm. I think I read that something like 80% of the births here are with an epidural. And for those of us who choose to have a natural birth, we have to really fight to have it at times. The hospital staff continually tries to push the drugs.
I do want to clarify something about Scientology birth practices. "Silent" birth means simply that no extra talking is done. We believe that words spoken during moments of pain can have an adverse (posthypnotic) effect on the person later in life.
This doesn't mean that the mother can't talk if she feels the need to, or groan, moan, scream, yell, etc.
I've been a Scientologist for many years, and have had 7 babies. I make a TON of noise during birth. I also listen to instrumental music as that calms me a great deal.
And, if I WANTED chatter in the labor room, no one would stop me! It's not like we get pregnant and anyone from our church tells us what to do! But for anyone who has read and used the techniques mentioned in "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health", we'll simply want to stay quiet during birth. It's a personal choice.
I have read the crazy stories in the media about Scientology birthing. I think they are all based on ONE story - that has been retold my lazy journalists who don't do their own research. And I think the original writer confused Scientology with Christian Science as well.
Scientologists give birth like everyone else - in the hospital, or a birthing center, or at home. With doctors or midwives. With epidurals or spinals or narcotics, or pain-killer free. The ONLY difference, is that we ask the doctors and nurses to refrain from talking, whenever possible, during moments when we are in pain. Period.
Gentle Birth
Interesting. Thanks for the info. I've tried to find out about Christian Science and childbirth but it seems they don't really have an official stand on it except just minimizing medical procedures where possible, I think.