anyone reading this probably already knows this stuff, but...
as yet another wonderful outgrowth of xtianity, we subconsciously accept that ALL WOMEN will suffer in childbirth because prototype female (ie, eve) made an oopsie at the alleged beginning of time.*
"Because of this interpretation, billions of people throughout the course of history have stated, affirmed, believed and acted upon the notion that pain and difficulty must accompany labor** as a result of the curse given to the first woman, Eve. Another explanation is that because major religions had such a powerful impact on society as a whole the idea of the woman having to have pain in labor permeated and anchored itself to birthing in our minds.
This influence affected and continues to affect how birthing is generally portrayed in movies, TV shows, magazines, books etc. The validation of this historical event through religious figures and the media causes it to become ingrained in the consciousness of society as a whole and that affects you.
Why, you ask? Because when we are exposed to certain ideas as children we just accept them without question. If the majority of society says that there must be pain in birthing, people believe that there must be pain."
your subconscious mind is incredibly powerful in influencing your experience of life. imagine, centuries of painful births as a direct consequence of it being easier to believe someone else's truth than to seek one's own.
[enter the radical, highly challenging, and rebellious side of rhiannon's brain]
to the billions of women throughout history who have had painful childbirth experiences: i am sorry to tell you this, but you were tricked. coerced. brainwashed.
it didn't have to be that way, but unfortunately you were in a battle for your own experience without ever realizing it. society, your parents, your friends, your TV, and your doctors all told you "what birth is like" and your subconscious ate up their teachings and made them real, creating your experience (which then conveniently validated everything you were previously told).
and while i feel for you, and hate the system that made you suffer, i have learned from your ordeals. thanks to you, i know better. my experience will not be like yours--it will be mine.
so forgive me when i shut my ears to your recounting of the 20-hour agonizing, episiotomied, labor... when i gaze vacantly in response to your reassurances that i will "beg for an epidural"... and when maybe, one day, i tell you to be quiet because i don't want to hear about it anymore. you will not make me suffer the way you did. (and while i know that is not your intent, it is a consequence of the re-telling: perpetual reinforcement of any idea tends it towards widespread truth.)
i can't hear you when you try to scare me. i know that you were duped and i refuse to be. your truth is not my truth... i will find my own, thank you very much.
i am going to find more books like this.
*alternate reading of the story (my philosophical version): perhaps it was more complex than we are lead to believe. eve*** ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and as a result became more "mental" (knowledge) and less in tune with her own inner truth... thus she was willing to believe it when god suggested she should suffer in birth. the curse/gift of the fruit of knowledge is to become gullible and convinceable--to be doubtful of our own truth in favor of external pressure--not to have the apparently random punishment of labor pains. as Goethe said, "We know accurately only when we know little; with knowledge doubt increases." we doubt, and that is the double-edged sword of the gift of knowledge.
**also can we just address the use of the word LABOR (or better yet, 'hard labor') to describe birth?! how's that for subtlely conjuring physico-emotional associations?
***the more i look at the word "eve" the more it looks like a vagina squished between two boobs. weird.
as yet another wonderful outgrowth of xtianity, we subconsciously accept that ALL WOMEN will suffer in childbirth because prototype female (ie, eve) made an oopsie at the alleged beginning of time.*
"Because of this interpretation, billions of people throughout the course of history have stated, affirmed, believed and acted upon the notion that pain and difficulty must accompany labor** as a result of the curse given to the first woman, Eve. Another explanation is that because major religions had such a powerful impact on society as a whole the idea of the woman having to have pain in labor permeated and anchored itself to birthing in our minds.
This influence affected and continues to affect how birthing is generally portrayed in movies, TV shows, magazines, books etc. The validation of this historical event through religious figures and the media causes it to become ingrained in the consciousness of society as a whole and that affects you.
Why, you ask? Because when we are exposed to certain ideas as children we just accept them without question. If the majority of society says that there must be pain in birthing, people believe that there must be pain."
your subconscious mind is incredibly powerful in influencing your experience of life. imagine, centuries of painful births as a direct consequence of it being easier to believe someone else's truth than to seek one's own.
[enter the radical, highly challenging, and rebellious side of rhiannon's brain]
to the billions of women throughout history who have had painful childbirth experiences: i am sorry to tell you this, but you were tricked. coerced. brainwashed.
it didn't have to be that way, but unfortunately you were in a battle for your own experience without ever realizing it. society, your parents, your friends, your TV, and your doctors all told you "what birth is like" and your subconscious ate up their teachings and made them real, creating your experience (which then conveniently validated everything you were previously told).
and while i feel for you, and hate the system that made you suffer, i have learned from your ordeals. thanks to you, i know better. my experience will not be like yours--it will be mine.
so forgive me when i shut my ears to your recounting of the 20-hour agonizing, episiotomied, labor... when i gaze vacantly in response to your reassurances that i will "beg for an epidural"... and when maybe, one day, i tell you to be quiet because i don't want to hear about it anymore. you will not make me suffer the way you did. (and while i know that is not your intent, it is a consequence of the re-telling: perpetual reinforcement of any idea tends it towards widespread truth.)
i can't hear you when you try to scare me. i know that you were duped and i refuse to be. your truth is not my truth... i will find my own, thank you very much.
i am going to find more books like this.
*alternate reading of the story (my philosophical version): perhaps it was more complex than we are lead to believe. eve*** ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and as a result became more "mental" (knowledge) and less in tune with her own inner truth... thus she was willing to believe it when god suggested she should suffer in birth. the curse/gift of the fruit of knowledge is to become gullible and convinceable--to be doubtful of our own truth in favor of external pressure--not to have the apparently random punishment of labor pains. as Goethe said, "We know accurately only when we know little; with knowledge doubt increases." we doubt, and that is the double-edged sword of the gift of knowledge.
**also can we just address the use of the word LABOR (or better yet, 'hard labor') to describe birth?! how's that for subtlely conjuring physico-emotional associations?
***the more i look at the word "eve" the more it looks like a vagina squished between two boobs. weird.
Posts
October 13, 2008 at 5:44 PM
Eventually, I plan on writing my birth story down. It is natural (although conventional in the sense I was at a hospital, unfortunately. The next birth will be at home and perhaps in water.)I feel it is a pretty positive story overall. If you want I will send it to you...
I became completely obsessed with reading natural birth stories toward the end of my pregnancy, but had no desire to in the beginning. I think the approach of listening to your body is definitely the way to go and am glad you are choosing to go that route early so others will hopefully not inundate you with fear. A good friend of mine was really encouraging with the natural pregnancy approach and that coupled with many books written by doulas and other natural health practitioners completely calmed my early fears.
Good luck with everything!