Motherhood Pre-Motherhood/ The Birth
How exciting is that title?: 'The Birth'. This is instalment 3 of my motherhood-themed blog posts where I look at the experiences of a mother from the perspective of someone who isn't; myself.
It's baffling to me that the female body is able to grow and give a baby what it needs and then birth it. How crazy and wonderful and just mind-blowing! If you stop and look at the mother walking past you on the street, their body (may have: they may have gone a different route) has birthed a human.
Doesn't that make everyday people seem like superhumans?
At the same token, growing and birthing a human has always felt quite normal. It's all around and as I've grown up It's become more and more apparent. When I was younger I can recall thinking that It's something that will happen as opposed to making a proper sit down conscious decision beforehand. Now I see it as a choice- one that I haven't made or do I need to at the moment.
With every pregnancy and birth, I've got to know a little more about the experience from a different viewpoint of the individual telling their story. I can't say I've ever heard a negative birth story- not that I remember anyway, I'm sure I would have! I've met people who haven't enjoyed pregnancy, people that have and felt uncomfortable at times and people that have loved the whole thing. The main message I've picked up on is that the feeling of childbirth is forgotten but the memory that it hurt remains.
Today I'm going to talk about different births. I have never witnessed a birth first hand so I will be basing this on discussions I've had with people and research from reliable sources (listed below).
Labour stories range with each individual and so there is no set way I can explain the process.
The Gist:
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As I sit here writing this post I have just witnessed a birth on TV show One Born Every Minute and I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit squeamish after that. This whole exploring motherhood and pregnancy, I'm going to admit, is a little bit awkward at times. There has been hesitation to post these write-ups of what I've discovered but it's about normalising these kinds of things and breaking the barrier of taboo. I'm hoping to reach a pool of people who aren't parents, coming from someone who is not in the parenting community.  |
| Illustration by Buddy Summer- inspired by a water birth The Birth |
It's baffling to me that the female body is able to grow and give a baby what it needs and then birth it. How crazy and wonderful and just mind-blowing! If you stop and look at the mother walking past you on the street, their body (may have: they may have gone a different route) has birthed a human.
Doesn't that make everyday people seem like superhumans?
At the same token, growing and birthing a human has always felt quite normal. It's all around and as I've grown up It's become more and more apparent. When I was younger I can recall thinking that It's something that will happen as opposed to making a proper sit down conscious decision beforehand. Now I see it as a choice- one that I haven't made or do I need to at the moment.
With every pregnancy and birth, I've got to know a little more about the experience from a different viewpoint of the individual telling their story. I can't say I've ever heard a negative birth story- not that I remember anyway, I'm sure I would have! I've met people who haven't enjoyed pregnancy, people that have and felt uncomfortable at times and people that have loved the whole thing. The main message I've picked up on is that the feeling of childbirth is forgotten but the memory that it hurt remains.
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| Original GIF by Buddy Summer |
Today I'm going to talk about different births. I have never witnessed a birth first hand so I will be basing this on discussions I've had with people and research from reliable sources (listed below).
Labour stories range with each individual and so there is no set way I can explain the process.
The Gist:
- What usually isn't mentioned when discussing birth is the kick start of a Show; a mucus plug. As discussed in the first motherhood blog post (here: Introduction and the TMI Edition) this is when the seal to the womb releases.
- The expectant mother (or surrogate) will start to feel uncomfortable pains- usually around the baby; in the stomach or lower back. They feel a bit like period pains. This occurs when Baby is ready to be relieved from utero- they are fully cooked if you will.
- The aches can be noticeable but not yet painful at this stage. The feelings will build up over time and start to feel more noticeable. Contractions begin which is when the uterine muscles (the wall around the baby) provoke the cervix to thin and open which means that the baby can exit out the birth canal. The mother will feel these tense feelings in waves and over time they occur for longer and with less time in between; contractions have been described as painful or uncomfortable in every account I've heard.
- When the feelings get uncomfortable, It's typically when the parent-to-be phone the hospital. Again, it will be different but the hospital will inform the parents that they should come into the hospital when the time in between contractions gets to a certain number. An example is when they are 4 minutes apart and last for a minute.
- The mother can be induced: when they are given a tablet or gel that start contractions.
This can happen if Baby is still in the stomach after the due date, labour is taking a very long time after the waters have broken and progress is slow or if the parent or baby has a health problem. In the UK, its the choice of the pregnant individual to be induced or not.
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- Sunroof; aka a cesarean. This is when the stomach of the mother is cut so that the baby can be (for a lack of a better word) pulled out of the stomach. Sometimes this isn't planned but its what the mother needs to deliver the baby.
To my understanding, if you are opting for a cesarean, or c-section, you schedule it in which is typically two weeks before the due date. A cesarean is how I was born!
- Hypnobirthing: essentially this is breathing the baby out. Throughout the pregnancy, you will complete relaxing tasks which teach you how to remain calm and breath from the stomach as opposed to the chest (the latter is something we habitually do as we get older). This process is about relaxing the tools in your body which will cause less (but still some) pain.
- An epidural: essentially this is an injection given to the expectant mother during labour. It's used to numb the pain of childbirth. This is dependant on the individual and the progress of the labour.
The cry of a baby is the way they announce their arrival but also an important sound. The cry communicates that Baby is ok.
After the baby is born, Mum gives birth to the placenta which is an organ that grows during the pregnancy and helps to look after the baby. The body expels this once it's not needed. Interestingly, you can get your placenta made into tablets which you then eat- it has the appropriate nutrients for the individual. The idea is that the baby blues leave- again, never had a baby so I'm not sure how effective this is.
Some babies are born at home or in a birthing pool which I've always thought to be an interesting place because once a baby is born they can't breathe right? But it's obvious to me now that they're in a jelly cacoon for months without oxygen being accessible to them as we experience now. And they are brought to air as soon as their out.
A question I would like to ask any mums reading this is: have any of you found tea and toast to be the best you've ever had after birth? I am very interested to know if this is an old wives tale or fact.
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| Tea For One? - Illustration by Buddy Summer |
PS: The photographs that inspired my illustrations are from Birth Photographer Monet Nicole. Monet and her team take photographs and videos of births and they are incredibly real and emotional.
See Here for Monets website
As ever, Thank you very much for reading!
See Here for Monets website
As ever, Thank you very much for reading!
Love,
Buddy Summer
Previous Motherhood Pre-Motherhood posts:
Number 1. Motherhood Pre-Motherhood: Introduction and the TMI Edition
Number 2. Motherhood Pre-Motherhood: Road To Baby
Previous Motherhood Pre-Motherhood posts:
Number 1. Motherhood Pre-Motherhood: Introduction and the TMI Edition
Number 2. Motherhood Pre-Motherhood: Road To Baby
Bibliography
- William C. Shiel Jr., F. (n.d.). Definition of Uterine contraction. [online] MedicineNet. Available at: https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9923 [Accessed 19 Jun. 2019].
- nhs.uk. (2017). Inducing labour. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/induction-labour/ [Accessed 19 Jun. 2019].
- Fletcher, G. (2017). Happy mum, happy baby. Croydon: Hodder & Stoughton, p.All.
- BabyCentre UK. (n.d.). Epidural. [online] Available at: https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a542571/epidural [Accessed 20 Jun. 2019].
- Nicole, M. (2019). Cesarean birth. [image] Available at: https://www.monetnicole.com/stories/a-second-cesarean-birth-at-good-samaritan [Accessed 24 Jun. 2019].
