Mammals move in labour.
Mammals move in labour.⠀
Mammals also make sounds in labour.⠀
This is normal.⠀ ⠀
Mammals also move away from other mammals to give birth in privacy and safety. All except dolphins and elephants who swim or move around the birthing mother to protect her.⠀ ⠀
In one culture there is a birthing tree. A large hollowed out baobab tree where the mother moves into to birth.⠀
Darkness, privacy, emotional safety.⠀ ⠀
Now obviously I’m not advocating for NHS or hospital sponsored baobab trees! But what I’d like you to understand and mull over is that if EVERY OTHER mammal moves during birth, makes noise during birth and seeks out privacy and safety during birth why don’t we?⠀ ⠀
Why has our system become a zone of bright lights, beds, women being too embarrassed to vocalise their feelings with sounds or groans, birthing to an audience and intervention followed by intervention... followed by intervention?⠀ ⠀
When we call out the patriarchy in birth this isn’t complaining about men, it is about pulling apart a system in play which is not beneficial to a woman's experience of birth. A system that hopes to support but only on its terms, not ours.⠀ ⠀
Perhaps we can blame the Victorians or belief systems over time that have expected women to be polite, quiet, non-assuming, feminine? These echoes travel along through time to spiteful women’s magazines which complain about those who do well, or badly, or wear this, or look like that and into sport where in tennis the male players can make as much noise as they like, but the ladies who play are expected to be silent. Physical power seen as non-feminine.⠀
It’s bullshit of course but these beliefs spread and dis-empower women from both exertion of physicality or spirit. ⠀ ⠀
So I repeat:
Mammals move in labour.
Mammals also make sounds in labour.
This is normal.
Birth wherever you feel comfortable and not exposed. Make sounds, roar, shriek, laugh, revel in your own power and strength…. Or just hum Christmas Carols if you prefer. The ball is entirely in your court.