Birth Is An Act Of Love Between Two Creatures

Birth is an act of love. There is no more intense pain than a birth. There is no love as deep as the one felt by a mother when she sees the baby she has carried around for the first time in nine months.

How dare we break this magical, unique moment after a birth ? It’s a sacred moment, it’s an act of love , but it’s over now.

We are not just talking about the need to have a respectful birth. But also about many other factors which tend to reduce the vividness at the beginning of the band, which experts still call essential. We also allude to those family members who on certain occasions pick up the newborn baby before the mother does, as they do not understand that birth is an act of love.

There are details that can disrupt this moment of love. Most of them are related to medical protocols. Aseptic environments and standardized rituals where the umbilical cord is cut too quickly and the baby is bathed as quickly as possible.

There are interesting approaches that encourage us to see this process in a new light. There is no doubt that we should have medical attention all the time.

But we need new sensitivity, a new perspective where the woman’s family members should also be involved in the process. 

We will now explain this concept.

Birth is an act of love, not an instrumental protocol

We would like to tell you about a very special person and maybe you already know him. Michel Odent is a French obstetrician who is a world reference in this field.

• Thanks to him, we have been presented with interesting ideas for reforming the birth process. So we can make it more sensitive and loving. Doctor Odent defends the idea that birth is an act of love between two beings and it should not be violated.

• According to him, we have long exceeded the limits of what should be allowed. Today, we seem to have “humanized” births, which in effect set aside the human element to “instrumentalize” the process.
• They use synthetic oxytocin, cramps, edema and above all an abuse of cesarean section.

All these methods try to guarantee the safety of the mother and the baby. This is undoubtedly positive. We protest against other things: we end up having women giving birth under stress. Women who are scared and uncomfortable.

The baby feels frightened by all the different hands that touch him, turn him around and wash him, without him even knowing who his mother is.

No one should violate this moment.

We should use the paradigm of protection during childbirth

Dr. Odent, now 83 years old, continues to defend the need to launch the “paradigm of protection”. This concept is based on these points:

• The emotional well-being of the mother and child must be taken care of.
• The mother must feel protected, respected and comfortable. This means that they must have the opportunity to choose how they give birth. Some women feel more secure about getting up and giving birth.
• Shaving, induced birth with oxytocin and the use of epidural are things that women should be able to choose on the advice of their doctor.
• The baby does not need to be washed right away. In fact, the white layer they are covered with is a form of natural protection for the skin. They may have skin-to-skin contact with their mother for a few minutes before washing.

• The umbilical cord should only be cut when it stops beating. Until then, and according to Michel Odent, it turns out to be a useful vaccine against diseases such as “neonatal tetanus”.
• Dr. Odent is the author of the first written document on the need for breastfeeding during the first hour after birth.

Communication with the mother during childbirth

This is interesting information. Within this paradigm, which Dr. Odent defends, there is no need to shout at the mother or repeat sentences such as “pressure” repeatedly.

• During childbirth, the woman’s neocortex (our rational brain) lowers its activity, while the instinctive and completely emotional part of the brain increases activity. In this environment , verbal orders only increase a woman’s stress.

• It is important to keep this in mind. It is necessary to remember what we said in the beginning. A birth is an act of love and it should be treated that way.

Family should not bother new parents

When the mother gives birth, there is a need for peace and quiet. Parents need time to get to know their newborn baby.

Family members have the rest of their lives to get to know them. The first moments after birth should belong exclusively to the new parents.

Cheers to the new family!