Why is it "brave" to plan for a completely natural birth?

[BellyBelly]

I think its a multitude of things:

* You're brave because we live a sedentary lifestyle and are not used to 'pushing' ourselves like we used to
* You're brave because you're likely birthing in a place (and time) where normal physiological birth is not embraced, commonplace or celebrated
* You're brave because you're birthing in an environment that is not mother/baby friendly and you're going to have to try and cope with that without relief or confidence
* You're brave because there is not enough (appropriate) physical support and care for women in labour - hospitals seem to have lost the way with what women really need giving birth hence the rise of the doula
* You're brave because at your most vulnerable, weakest moments, many (especially in private hospitals) carers are not going to support you to keep going, just, 'why suffer?' Pain = pain relief mentality
* You're brave because you are up against so many emotional, physical and un-birth-friendly hurdles that it takes you a will of steel and carefully thought out plans to have the best chance of it working beautifully - or you could rely on luck.
* You're brave because in quite a few hospital based birth classes, you will be left unprepared to birth naturally. As one midwife in a Melbourne private hospital told me, 'We just teach them about epidurals because thats all they want to know about." A client of mine: "They showed us a video where the woman was saying she wanted to shoot herself. I'm reconsidering my ability to do this without pain relief."
* You're brave because you hear the horror stories of those gone before you in the same system with the same care, with all of the above unfriendly issues.

[LionsandBears]

I think it's a combination of a couple of things:

1) People are generally ignorant about birth, apart from what they see on TV. It's not like we live in communities where we see/hear a woman labouring regularly, so our information comes from "entertainment" sources. Mostly American rubbish too.

2) People love drama and seeing others suffer. Just look at the casting for reality TV shows - they combine people who will generally be nasty to each other and provide entertainment to the viewers, who can then feel smug and superior for an hour or so. So if we expect people to suffer, we generally feel ripped off if they don't. That probably doubles for those who have suffered through birth - they dont want to hear about an alternative. It threatens them.

From what I can see, the whole birth and parenting industry is generally geared to make women compete and put each other down. Anything that rocks that status quo is a threat that must be squished into the ground before civilisation collapses.

Stop being so bloody radical, lie back, take the drugs and do what you're told! *sarcasm*

[BellyBelly]

LOL L&B!!! Sad, but true.

[little_O]

I have wondered this too.

I had an ob and birthed in a hospital for dd and I plan the same system this time, but I had a fantastic birth.
I felt in control, empowered and so proud of the birth.

I went in saying I didn't want an epi. I wanted to be active and move. Everyone said to me "you don't have to be a hero, you'll see what it's like when you're in labour!"

Thing is after when I told them it was great I would get the line "oh but that's just you".

I really do not understand this need to play the martyr. Like I had to worst birthing experience, I thought I was going to die, I won't be able to do it, just knock me out...etc etc. I fully accept that some women have traumatic horrible births and my heart goes out to them. But when they are held up as the standard of birth, how can anyone look forward to birthing?

It's like in Australia in particular we have this soft spot for "battlers" and so society feels the need to glorify extremely bad births. Instead of people focusing on bad birth treatments and healthcare, "childbirth" is the issue.


Drives me nuts.