Today I Gave Birth

23 July 2008

Twenty-five years ago I gave birth to my son. My daughter was born 12 years earlier so I've been part of the enormous changes in childbirth.

I didn't know The Pink Kit skills when I gave birth to my daughter in 1970s. Between then and 1892 when I gave birth to my son, these skills developed.

I didn't plan for my son to be born 8 weeks early. I didn't plan to be far from home and in a strange town. I didn't plan on having to arrive at a strange hospital at 3:30 in the morning in labour.

However, I did have my skills!

This permitted me to work with staff and the doctor through their concerns that my child could be very premature in size. Because I behaved myself (terrible word but one that helps others see that you are coping and managing some event well) they were less concerned.

Basically, they watched as I birthed him myself. Every single moment of the labour I used one or more of my Pink Kit skills.

Between contractions (although they didn't want me to get off the bed) I went around my Pelvic Clock, softening every single place inside my pelvis. As a contraction started, I knelt at the end of the bed and kept my pelvis open and soft.

I used my Directed Breathing at each inhale and exhalation. I also went around my cervix using the Cervical Relaxation and made certain that my sacrum was mobile.

As each contraction ended, I then went back into my most relaxed position so I could once again go around my Pelvic Clock.

Whenever my contractions notched up a peg, I checked myself. The doctor then wanted to check me as well and that was fine. Yes, I had to lie on my back for those few moments but I didn't have any difficulty staying in control of myself and immediately got into the position I wanted to given that I had to remain on the bed. But it didn't matter whether I was on the bed or floor, it's all in the mind and body how we perceive of ourselves.

Anyway, within an hour and half I could feel I was almost dilated. They wanted to take me to theatre to birth so they moved me on a rolling table and put me in the middle of bright lights with everyone dressed in greens.

Although not my preference, none of that mattered. I was fine doing my work and frankly it didn't matter what was going on around me.

I needed some lubricant while I massaged my vagina between each contraction. During each pushing contraction, I kept my hand on my baby's head just to guide him. I had four contractions and he was born.

Actually he flew out ... and grew up to be a pilot! They whipped him off to the intensive care while I birthed the afterbirth.

No, I would have preferred something different but I had what I had and I wasn't going to waste one moment of MY experience!

The doctor asked me to remain in bed for 4 hours before I went to see him. He was fine. Five pounds and 8 weeks early. He needed a wee bit of oxygen but within 12 hours he was fine.

I took him home the next day. The doctor would have preferred he stay longer but we agreed that I would come back every few days and of course, if there were any problems I'd call.

This is the bottom line .... because I behaved myself, the doctor trusted me to not be stupid and ideological. Do you know what I mean?

Having Pink Kit skills keeps you focused on what's important ... doing your own work. It might not be the perfect birth ... but boy it sure was. I'm incredibly proud, 25 years later, about my personal experience in how I birthed my son.

Since I've traveled extensively in traditional communities, I know that I live in a privilege country where medical care is available, we're not a war, there is no disease threatening us, there's no drought, plenty of food, no flood or earthquake.

Birthing in hospital is a privilege to millions of women worldwide. But that didn't mean I couldn't do the birth I wanted. What I wanted was to do the birth where ever I gave birth AND I DID.

Now I share with millions of others the skills they need to know to do their birth. Take charge of yourself, get on with it and no matter what type of birth you have you can do just what I and hundreds of thousands of women and men have done since my son was born ... give birth!