You are in the last months of pregnancy or have just become a mother. You are overwhelmed with a variety of emotions: from delight, tenderness and joy to fears and fears. The last thing you want to do is take an exam and prove to others that you had (or will have) a “correct birth”. Sociologist Elizabeth McClintock talks about how society pressures young mothers.
Views on how to “correctly” give birth and breastfeed have changed radically more than once:
…Until the beginning of the 90th century, XNUMX% of births took place at home.
…in the 1920s, the era of «twilight sleep» began in the United States: most births took place under anesthesia using morphine. This practice was stopped only after 20 years.
…in the 1940s, babies were taken from mothers immediately after birth to prevent outbreaks of infection. Women in labor remained in maternity hospitals for up to ten days, and they were forbidden to get out of bed.
…in the 1950s, most women in Europe and the US practically did not breastfeed their babies, as formula was considered a more nutritious and healthier alternative.
…in the 1990s, one in three children in developed countries was born by caesarean section.
The doctrine of proper motherhood makes women believe in the ritual of ideal childbirth, which they must perform competently.
A lot has changed since then, but moms-to-be still feel a lot of pressure from society. There is still a heated debate about breastfeeding: some experts still say that the expediency, usefulness and morality of breastfeeding is doubtful.
The doctrine of proper motherhood makes women believe in the ritual of an ideal birth, which they must perform competently for the good of the child. On the one hand, supporters of natural childbirth advocate a minimum of medical intervention, including the use of epidural anesthesia. They believe that a woman should independently control the process of childbirth and get the right experience of having a baby.
On the other hand, without contacting doctors, it is impossible to identify problems in a timely manner and reduce risks. Those who refer to the experience of «birth in the field» («Our great-grandmothers gave birth — and nothing!»), forget about the catastrophic mortality rates among mothers and babies in those days.
Constant observation by a gynecologist and childbirth in a hospital are increasingly associated with a loss of control and independence, especially for mothers who strive to be closer to nature. Doctors, on the other hand, believe that doulas (assistant childbirth. — Approx. ed.) And adherents of natural childbirth romanticize them and, for the sake of their illusions, deliberately endanger the health of the mother and child.
No one has the right to judge our choices and make predictions about how they will affect us and our children.
And the movement in favor of natural childbirth, and the «horror stories» of doctors put pressure on a woman so that she cannot form her own opinion.
In the end, we just can’t take the pressure. We agree to natural childbirth as a special test and endure hellish pain in order to prove our dedication and readiness to become a mother. And if something does not go according to plan, we are tormented by feelings of guilt and our own failure.
The point is not about which of the theories is right, but that a woman who has given birth wants to feel respected and independent in any circumstances. She gave birth herself or not, with or without anesthesia, it does not matter. It is important that we do not feel like a failure by agreeing to an epidural or a caesarean section. No one has the right to judge our choices and make predictions about how it will affect us and our children.
About the Expert: Elizabeth McClintock is a professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame, USA.