Let's Play Waterbirth

I grew up believing in motherhood. My mom always made her children a priority. Whenever I asked her about childbirth though, her recollections were vague. I don’t know if years of motherhood, pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing had taken its toll on her memory, or if she was just trying to spare me some of the more uncomfortable details. I’m sure it did have something to do with being the seventh of those nine children.  I don’t remember her exact words, but whatever she told me about childbirth, taught me that it was a rite of passage, an opportunity for a woman to be challenged beyond her perceived limits and discover her potential power. She also told me that giving birth to her nine children was like walking through the “valley of the shadow of death.” It painted an interesting picture in my head, but lacked the details I wanted as I approached the birth of our first child. 

I want to pass on all of these same beliefs to my children, and add to it some more practical detail about the physical and emotional process of childbirth.  I don’t want birth to be mysterious or scary. I want them to respect the miracle of participating in the creation of life while at the same time being confident and comfortable with the process of childbirth. I want them to know that birthing is normal and not a medical emergency.

So far my children think of birth as a pretty normal topic to talk about and apparently to make believe about.  Today my 10 yr old (A) “married” my six yr old (O) and four year old (C).  After suitably settling down, (O) and (C) then announced to me that they were having a baby. Two minutes later, “O” walked past me wearing a T-shirt and underwear. She had a baby doll stuff up under her T-shirt. “A” explained to me that “O” was nearing the end of her labor, and heading for the birthing tub-the large tub in the master bathroom.  A few minutes later, “O” emerged with the doll wrapped in a sling and told me she was nursing her new baby. I couldn’t help but chuckle. I’m sure we’ll have many more discussions in the future, but for now, I’m glad they can say: “Let’s play waterbirth.”