HW 50 - First Third of The American Way of Death Revisited

Performance is key to marketing. Even in the realm of “selling” the after life it is important to stay in character. By expressing empathy your customer is more likely to confide in you and eventually hire you. In the business of caring for the dead you have to play all the right cards. Using the right tone, the right wording and the right prices for the individual customer. By doing so you trick them into believing you truly care about their loved one, their mother etc. When in reality it’s all just a business deal.

• “Secondly, there is a myth that the American public is only being given what it wants – an opportunity to keep up with the Joneses to the end. “In keeping with our high standard of living, there should be an equally high standard of dying.”” (Page Sixteen)
• “In the funeral home, the man of prudence is completely at sea, without a recognizable landmark or bearing to guide him.” (Page Twenty-Five)
• “A funeral service is a social function at which the deceased is the guest of honor and the center of attraction…A poorly prepared body in a beautiful casket is just as incongruous as a young lady appearing at a party in a costly gown with her hair in curlers.” (Strub & Frederick – Page Fifty-Four)
• “Embalming serves no useful purpose in preventing the transmission of communicable disease.” (Page Sixty-Three)
• “We can make cheaper caskets, certainly. You can make them and so can I. However, each one helps underwrite the failure of funeral directors. Too many “cheapies” will ruin the funeral directors completely.” (Page Seventy-Two)
• “Marketing, as always, is probably one of the touchiest areas in funeral service – given the volatility of the topic and, often, the vulnerability of the client…” (Page One Hundred)

I have only been to one funeral home but after reading the first third of The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford has certainly opened my eyes up to see the peculiar way people in this country handle death. Looking back on my Grandmother’s wake I realized how set up the whole thing was. The two funeral directors both wore black and carried around tissue boxes. Since my Grandmother was catholic there was a prayer said at her wake and the funeral directors led this. Their faces were subtly endearing, they seemed as though they truly cared. Yet now it seems as though they both were putting on one big act. Considering my Grandmother was in her eighties when she passed away she had a lot of older friends, friends who came to her wake and witnessed the way the funeral directors were interacting with everyone. It makes me wonder if this technique of putting on a sad face was just a marketing tool. Although Mitford tied together how the whole process goes down, from the casket picking to the wake to the funeral service and to the burial there wasn’t really any mention of an alternative. It makes me wonder if there is or if we are all stuck in this trapped situation. I began to also wonder about how the funeral directors must feel, are they immune to death? I know personally I would not feel comfortable handling dead bodies and I would also feel so guilty about ripping innocent people off. How can we avoid this part of life?

HW 48 - Family Perspectives on the Care of the Dead

Both of my parents would like to be cremated. My mother emphasized that she didn’t want to take up space on the earth for her remains. Both of them didn’t feel as though religion played a role into their deaths. Watching their parents cared for after they died didn’t raise any red flags or questions as to why they decided to pursue a certain ceremony. It was what they wanted and so how they thought it should have played out wasn’t going to make a difference. My father at first was hesitant to talk about the subject of how he wanted to be cared for; he didn’t want to think about it. This made me wonder why there is such a strong desire to plan out the moments after we are no longer breathing. Shouldn’t we trust the ones we are close to, to bring together something we would of liked? Why does the ceremony make such a difference to us, considering we are the guest who is not really invited?

After experiencing a number of deaths in the past year, I have come to understand the cliché of life after death. It involves a structure of religion, and a cemetery. My mother on the other hand wants nothing of that matter. “I don’t think I am going to plan for a ceremony, maybe a circle in the park. I don’t want anything crazy or big.” She didn’t even seem to worry about the subject at all; she went on to talk about how if people who knew her wanted to come they would be more than welcome, yet she didn’t want people to feel obligated. She talked about how her friend’s friend had just passed away and how there was a huge mass with hundreds of people. Although she felt as though that was a way of honoring the woman who had passed she didn’t find the crowd to be necessary. I began to wonder if the reason why religion is such a common trend in death is merely because people find comfort in it. They feel as though if they listen to g** then everything will work its way out. How can we be so sure?

Yet with practically so many religious holidays there is a catch, the Easter bunny, Santa Clause. What do either of those symbols have to do with the core of what the holiday is actually celebrating? When it comes down to it, nothing. My father began to discuss how death has a money sign on it that is pretty hard to avoid. “There is a whole culture of how people are cared for, everything from the commercialization of it to how it’s a big business, unfortunately. Yet also the ritual aspects and how they have developed, however, in this country it has become a business that is not always an honest business.” This made me wonder about those that are involved in the business of death. Is it something they have dreamed about since they were little? When in kindergarten when everyone else wanted to be an astronaut or the president, they were saying I want to care for the dead! Are they playing their cards safe, knowing that the business will never suffer?

Neither of my parents felt as though their parent’s deaths had inspired them to want to be cremated. My father said, “I think I wanted to be cremated before my parents had even died. I think it’s a more natural way to be buried, rather than have a body be put into a box and lowered into the ground. I would rather have a ceremony of joy and appreciation.” This made me wonder if being put into a box is like trapping the soul and the body. There is something about cremation that has an almost poetic meaning, one is truly moving on verse being stuck and still. Instead of no movement the ashes of a person continue moving through a different form. Hopefully the movement becomes parallel to something that brought joy to the person while they were alive and maybe through this movement, the soul will never truly die. I think people maybe feel as though if they decide to be cremated a part of them will be lost and that people will forget about them, since there is no stone with their name carved. Yet maybe becoming part of something bigger and greater than any person makes their memory even more lucid, and instead of becoming forgotten they will truly never leave the motion of all of the living creatures.

HW 47 - Peer Perspectives on the Care of the Dead

A lost his sister ten months ago. She wasn’t sick, she wasn’t old, she was quite the opposite very healthy and full of life. Her death came both as a surprise and I think to many a wake up call about how sacred the gift of life truly is. A said it was so hard sitting on the plane to New Zealand, not knowing what was going to happen and having absolutely no control over the outcome. He sat by her side in the hospital and yet the girl that was in front of him hardly looked like the sister he had known. She was hooked up to life support and her body was bruised, but amidst all of her injuries he said she had never looked so beautiful. A said speaking at her funeral wasn’t as hard as he had anticipated because he felt her energy all around the room, through her friends, family and even those who only knew her briefly, she was there, somewhere. He knew the hardest part was going to be missing her, and not ever facing her again. Everyday he thinks of his sister, she is everywhere he says, and so even though physically he may not be able to see her, spiritually he knows her soul hasn’t died. A ended by saying, caring for the dead doesn’t stop when the funeral is over, she will always remain apart of me and the world that surrounds me.

B lost her grandfather four years ago. He was diagnosed with cancer and ten days after being diagnosed he died in the hospital. She said that it literally happened so quickly that it took weeks for it to truly sink in. B didn’t recognize her grandfather at his wake, he didn’t look like the man she knew and loved, the emotions of sadness and pain took over her body. However, she found the funeral home to be quite nice due to the fact that she had been there before, so there was a great sense of familiarity. The words her own father recited at her grandfather’s funeral made her feel depressed, she couldn’t control her tears and felt a deep sense of emptiness. Before her grandfather had died he had asked to be buried along side of his wife, of her grandmother. B remembers driving to her grandfathers hometown, to this graveyard and watching her grandfathers casket be lowered into the ground so he could be next to the women he loved. B ironically visited her grandfathers and grandmothers gravestone yesterday. She said that she visits as much as she can because she finds it nice being able to be close to part of her grandparents. She ended by saying she will always care for them as she continues to live her own life.

C hasn’t lost anyone. She however knows exactly what she wants to happen once she is gone. She doesn’t want her funeral to be all sadness, she wants people to have their emotions but when it comes down to it she wants people to celebrate her life. Although she is only sixteen she knows at this point that she would like to be cremated. She said that being under the ground creeps her out and would prevent her from continuing her motion. She thinks that when someone is under the ground they are trapped and have no opportunity to wander around the world. However she thinks if someone is cremated parts of them are floating all over, with the wind, through the ocean and circling all those who still remain alive. She isn’t sure what to expect exactly when someone she knows will die. She imagines that the way the media interprets it isn’t completely on line with what actually happens. She hopes though that when it does happen she will be able to be strong and not feel as though her very own life is ending.

D lost his grandmother five years ago. She was sick with cancer and after a long fight passed away. D lives in France; his grandmother had a funeral and then was buried. He said he had never seen a funeral take place in the United States but he imagines that for the most part they are pretty much the same. Surprisingly he didn’t know what a wake was, and after explaining to him the basic idea of it, he then responded very freaked out and didn't know why people would want to come look at a body no longer breathing. He doesn’t think the care of the dead stops when the funeral is over; he thinks that in many ways the care becomes even greater. He thought his grandmother’s funeral was completely appropriate and wouldn’t have changed it in the least bit. However, he personally doesn’t want to be buried in a cemetery, he isn’t sure where he wants his ashes to be spread but knows that over his lifetime he will find a place.

E lost her uncle two years ago. He had a heart attack in his sleep it was unexpected and shocking. She felt over all emotions distressed. Her uncle had a wake but didn’t have a funeral. Then she told me he was actually cremated. She wouldn’t explain why this was the case but it seemed very unusual. She said when her family spread his ashes she felt as though he was being set free. She wouldn’t have changed the way her family approached his death, she thinks it’s what he would of wanted. However, she thinks that the USA should alter how as a country death is approached; she said it’s very expensive and financially straining for most Americans. She said loosing someone is hard enough, why is it so expensive? Unlike all of the other interviews she was the only one who said that the care of the dead stops at the funeral. The care of the family may not stop but she feels as though there is a lack of respect towards cemeteries.

Generally I think all of the teens I interviewed had similar ideas on the care of the dead. At this point in time most of us have not had too much exposure to death, and for those who have it makes things even more confusing. I think most people feel as though caring for the dead is a process much longer than people paying their respects, sitting through the funeral and watching this body that once used to be alive turn into almost a symbol. I think there is a strong similarity between how most teens approach death, they understand that it is going to have an impact on ones life and that the best thing you can do is to have your emotions and know the feeling of complete sadness won't last forever. I think most people in the United States have very similar death stories, this country has a very established cliche of how death should be handled. There are automatic places that people go to when someone has passed away, funeral homes, religious places of gathering, cemeteries and the place where ones ashes were spread. This caring seems to be a connection or even a tie that brings people together, and I think at the end of the day most people can agree that death isn't pleasant. However I agree with interviewee E it is very expensive and most of the costs are so unnecessary, I think the steps most people take when approaching death are fine but I think the price tag needs to be as high as it is. So i'll end with this, do people pay such large amounts of money to continue to show that they care? Or are they really just following the "normal" steps that everyone else around them is doing?

HW 46 - Initial Thoughts on the Care of the Dead

It was hot. The hieroglyphics that resided on the wall were still intact as though they were carved and painted yesterday. I felt myself panting as I furthered my way down this tunnel. I entered a room, filled with huge images on all of the surrounding walls. All of the images were painted facing the direction of outwards, towards the light. Then right before my eyes rested the tombstone, in a room of its own. Hundreds and thousands of years later, still resting in exactly the same position that it was placed in. Although not every person from Ancient Egypt was given this amount of care after they died, it is unbelievable that so many were. For those that took on the position of being a Pharaoh, even after they were gone, their entire life was transferred into their pyramid, giving them the opportunity for eternal life.

It was cold and rainy, as I walked to the funeral home. The movies are accurate when it comes to the external image of death. A book sat on a stand for every person who payed their respects to sign. There was something so gloomy about the room, and then I saw her. Surrounded by flower after flower. Her casket was closed, an image of her from her twenties with my grandfather rested on top. I walked over slowly yet my heart was pounding. How could my grandmother be inside of that box? I waned to open it so badly; I didn’t believe that she was truly “resting” inside. I placed my hand on the mahogany and started to cry. One moment ago I was laughing and talking to her, and now she was still in the same room as I but neither of those actions were taking place.

Different cultures handle death differently, however I believe that no one ever wants to truly let someone go. Whether it’s in a pyramid where all of the person’s valuables still surround them, or if they are in the dirt below the grass of the ground. Of course people have to continue moving and continue going about their normal routines, however there are places that they can go to revisit these people who used to exist along side them. I don’t know if this is a good thing, or if it truly delays the process of grieving, and makes those who still breathe stuck in moment after moment, not having the ability to say goodbye. Something to consider though, is most of the rituals around death are prepared by the people who have died. As if to say that even though they may believe there really is something after this life, they don't want to let go of what they had, or whom they shared their life with. They don't want to be forgotten or become just a memory, and by creating this sense of eternal life it probably gives them courage that they will always remain apart of this world.

1. Why is religion practically always associated with death?

2. Why do wakes exist?

3. In the United States were most people always buried?

4. How do buddhists care for the dead?

5. When did cremation first start?

6. Why do people spend so much money on death?

HW 45

Megumi,

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog! I am glad that you found it clear and organized, I think when it comes to history that is a huge factor in truly understanding the concepts. I am happy that you appreciated the story of the woman who gave birth in both Central Africa and in the United States. I found the story to be a great example of a true contrast between how differently our country handles birth. I am also glad that you saw the connection between all of the events in the past one hundred years bringing us to the situation we found ourselves in now. If you have anymore questions or things you found confusing, please be sure to let me know!

Mom,

Thank you for your long and thoughtful comment. Although I was a c-section baby it must of been interesting for you to learn more about the history of why the norm has shifted into this procedure. I found it interesting though that even though you had a c-section you still felt joy after I was born, I think that many people probably assume there is a sense of emptiness or feeling robbed. I wonder though if the doctors really felt as though it was necessary or if they really just wanted you to move the process along. I am glad that you realized why my project is so important, I think more women my age and older need to be educated about the history behind birth before going through with pregnancy. Thanks for reading my blog.

Rebecca,

Thank you for reading my blog!! I am also was surprised with the information gathered from my interview. The class that I am taking (Normal is Weird) often focuses on a very one sided idea and yet this midwife seemed very in the middle. Although she is trained in a field that isn't the dominant discourse she still believes that sometimes it is truly necessary. I am glad that you found the information discussed in my post useful because you know now you want to be a mom someday. Thanks again!

Casey,

Thank you for reading my blog! I found your one sentence summary right on target with the point I was trying to make. As a woman I find it significantly important to be informed on a topic such as this. Although we are all more educated about the circumstances today, not all of us know too much about what has happened in the past. I agree with your point that birth in this country is treated like a medical procedure. After reading about the woman who gave birth on two different continents, I am very inclined to go to Central Africa when I have children! I am glad that you feel more informed because of my project and that you will use it in the future. Thanks again for reading my blog!

HW 44 - Commenting on Other People's Projects

To Lina:

Your post focused on how if celebrities such as Angelina Jolie were to have home births, then more Americans would follow the trend.

I valued that you took a different approach to your exploration, by this I mean that most people focused on subjects that we already had quite a bit of information about.

This project matters to me because I think if celebrities were to use their ability to influence the nation in a positive way, it would take attention off of who is dating who, and who is wearing what.

I think you have great ideas and I want to hear more, next time try to go into more depth in regards to your topic. I was also a bit confused because your presentation and your blogpost were about different ideas, however I found this to be interesting, good job.

To Megumi:

Megumi,

You focused on c-sections in the United States, specifically how they have dominated the nations birthing process.

One aspect that I appreciated was how although you were revealing information that is not so great, you carried a very calm yet firm tone throughout your blog post. I found it interesting that you wove your own ideas into your piece while still incorporating the general statistics.

Your project matters to me because I was a c-section baby, and the more I hear about the procedure the more I question how I was brought into this world. While I also know at this point that some day I would like to have children and it is good to be informed of this information before you even have to think about a decision.

The only thing I would suggest working on is a better tie between each of your paragraphs. Although each paragraph was strong on it's own, there seemed to lack a strong connection between all of your points. However, I was very impressed with your blog post, keep up the good work!

To Beatrice:

Beatrice,

Your post focused on the importance of having Planned Parenthood and how people our own age can make a difference in their communities.

I absolutely positively loved your video. It really inspired me and made me realize how simple making a huge difference can be. Although your video was about birth & pregnancy it still posed as art with purpose.

Your project matters to me because before reading your blog post I didn't know very much about the situation involving Planned Parenthood. It is important to be informed especially with an issue that affects our generation specifically.

Overall I am so proud of you!! This was actually so so amazing and I think a passion has sparked because of this project. Congr@tS!

love slew

To Casey:

Your post took literally an inside, up close and personal look into hospital births.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed your blog post and applaud you for being able to handle watching something so extreme, right before your eyes. I can't believe you got to help and participate in delivering babies, most 16/17/18 year olds cannot say that!

Your project matters to me because you made me realize how normal giving birth is. I really feel as though the media stresses and exaggerates tremendously on the scariness of the process, when in reality it is something quite beautiful. I think your post showed that this beauty really does exist and it also gives me comfort that there is no reason to be scared. Great work!!

________________________________________________________________

From Megumi:

Your post focuses on the history of birth and how things have drastically changed just within 100 years. Over time, birth has moved from home to hospital.

I really liked how organized and clear your post is, and your use of specific research to show the huge change in the history of birth. I especially enjoyed reading the story of the mother who gave birth in Central Africa and America and found it suprising how different it was.

This project matter to me because I have to agree that history helps us understand a topic a lot better. Reading this project has helped me give a better sense of how the history of birth has lead to this situation where most women in the U.S give birth in hospitals.

From Mom (mentor) :

"One must never forget, however, pregnancy and birth is always dangerous for women. Many things can go wrong. Just look in any old cemetery and see all the young women who died giving birth. The trick is knowing when you must intervene." (Sarah Lewis’s blog)

Commenting on this blog is a bit overwhelming since you are covering a huge topic which spans a very long period of time. In your blog you have made lots of sweeping statements and generalizations.

I found some of your assertions infuriating…mostly because I prepared myself very thoroughly for your birth. I was healthy (although considered at high risk because I was over 35), exercised regularly, kept a vegetarian diet, didn’t smoke or drink or use drugs. I also participated in a pre-natal exercise class, took Lamaze classes with Elisabeth Bing, who brought the Lamaze method to the USA.

(http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2009/04/lamaze-childbirth-preparation-method-elisabeth-bing)

Natural childbirth was my goal and my desire. However when one is about to deliver a child and there are complications I remembered my friend’s advice, who was a neonatal nurse… Get the baby out safely…that should be your only thought in the delivery room.

I didn’t want to die or lose you during delivery. I was disappointed when I had a C-section but that disappointment turned to joy when I held you. I did not feel empty.

This is a great topic to research and I hope you delve into it more deeply and really read lots more about it and perhaps even do a survey of women. Information is power. This project does matter...for all the young women who are about to embark on this journey.

We may think we know what we will do in any given situation but until we are faced with an actual choice (not a theoretical one) we will not know. Keeping an open mind is always a good idea.

xoxo, Mom

From Rebecca (Younger):

Your post was about the history of birth in the last 100 years.

I was surprised the midwife wasn't more pro-natural birth, it seemed as though from your interview she came off as sort of neutral.

Your project matters to me because I want to be a mom someday and I was unaware of all of this information. Good Job.

From Rebecca

From Casey:

Sarah,
You did a lovely job of summarizing the processes around childbirth over the past 100 years. You paused to analyze the practices in light of physiological inclings of women external effects of society on women.
I particularly valued your story of the woman who experienced birth in both Africa and the US, because it was a very relevant example of how the US treats birth like other countries don't: a medical procedure.
Your project matters to me because it provides a an explanation of the relationship between birth and society over the past century in a way that I have not yet seen. I can use your project as a frame of reference when writing about or analyzing birth over time.

HW 42

Looking Back on the Past One-Hundred Years of Childbirth

There are certainly many aspects of society which at first glance don't seem unusual. However, the closer one looks, the more they realize just how unusual most things are. Specifically, birth. In a world where everyone is constantly trying to stand out birth is the one thing where literally every person experienced some form more or less of a similar entrance. The only thing that separates people is exactly the technique that was used to bring them into this galaxy. Through this distinction one begins to realize how "normal" has shifted quite a bit, and through this discovery one begins to question what they consider to be normal.

The turn of the 20^th century brought on a tremendous change in the way the United States approached birth. Just six years before 1900 in 1894 the first cesarean section was performed in Boston. The change of birth seemed to be parallel to many industrial and transportation changes as well. Since cars and better roads were in progress it was much easier for people to get to the hospital. By 1900 physicians were participating in nearly half of the countries births, mainly women of middle and upper class. Surprisingly enough only five percent of women actually gave birth in a hospital, yet there was a huge pull for a hospital birth since the pain seemed to decrease in this environment verses having a home birth. For a women of lower class a midwife oversaw her birth instead of a doctor. It wasn’t until 1914 that twilight sleep was brought into hospitals in the United States, yet in just five years (1921) the rate of hospital births rose to thirty to fifty percent for the entire country. By 1938 the twilight sleep had taken over all of the deliveries and just one year later in 1939 nearly seventy-five percent of births occurred in hospitals. By the 1950’s eighty-eight percent of births occurred in the hospitals and ten years later in 1960, ninety-seven percent of births occurred in hospitals. By 2006 the cesarean section had become the most regularly performed surgery in the hospital. Today more than one in five births are induced and nearly 32% of births are cesarean sections. Shocking how in just a little over one hundred years so much “progress” could be made to a key component of life that was doing fine before all of the alterations. (Adapted from The History of Midwifery and Childbirth - A Time Line)

It appears as though the hospital is one big gimmick. When looking at different structures one often feels a certain emotion, looking at a restaurant makes one hungry, or looking at a funeral home makes one scared or sad but the sound of sirens or the structure of a hospital doesn’t normally make one feel robbed, nervous or angry. When most think of hospitals of course there is a sense of unknown but most of the time it is a sense of hope or relief that the people within this structure will do whatever it takes to keep a person alive and well. So it becomes quite complicated and even a bit confusing when a different side of the hospital is shown, a side that is not normally shown or even talked about because this sense of emotion isn’t wonderful or something to celebrate, it becomes a situation where the best thing to do is, “get the hell out of the hospital.” The problem with birth in the United States is that very few doctors have ever actually witnessed a “normal” birth, in their mind a “normal” birth probably involves some pitocin, an epidural and a cesarean section. It is safe to say that “normal” has shifted into something so unnatural and so meaningless. Strangely enough the United States has the second worst newborn rate in the WORLD. Sure the doctors are relieving the pain of the mothers for a moment or two but the pain of the unborn child is sacrificed, and “No pain-no game” is completely contradicted in the delivery room for the doctor ends up playing the game more so then the mother. Her moment of pure ecstasy is pushed right out of her as the drugs get pushed into her, and instead of “giving into the pain” she is forced to avoid it. The question of why this has to happen is then asked, is it because cesarean sections are doctor friendly, or because “…it’s done, it’s surgery… one, two, three.”? The strong sensations a woman feels while delivering don’t have to be interpreted as pain and this sense of fear is based truly around the fact that women are convinced they don’t know how to give birth. In consolation though these emotions are expected considering how birth has changed, the sense of beauty and sacredness is gone, and now all that is felt is emptiness. (The Business of Being Born)

Yet maybe women truly are in so much pain that they would rather get through it with the help of a needle or a knife, and could care less for the ecstasy…“As Dorothy Thomashower, a New Yorker who gave birth unnaturally in the early 1950s put it, “Practically all of us got some anesthesia. It depended on how hysterical you were. It was based on the personality of the woman. It wasn’t until women were burning their bras and letting their hair grow under their arms that they really all went for natural childbirth. Why? For one thing, anger is a powerful motivator. Women in the 1950s were not rebelling. If they wanted to tweak the medical routine-say, be coherent during delivery-they did so with their doctor’s blessing. That would all change in the 1970s, when their daughters were marching for civil rights, joining feminist rallies, and demanding a patients bill of rights.” (127-128) This however brings the question that even with all of the fighting against the system why the statistics of the birth world today are even higher than they were in 1950. One would think that this fight would lower them dramatically; curiosity of this sparks the idea that this group of fighters was too small to make a significant change yet amongst them though the change was large. “Birthing guru Dr. Grantly Dick-Read once effused: “Happy childbirth is the most vital factor for building a progressive, purposeful and considerate world. Let us help them to realize birth should be natural…and we will have healthier children with controlled nervous and mental function.”” (Page 111) It almost seems as though if the vast majority of society were to participate in a truly natural birth a world of utopia would be born as well. If babies are coming into the world on drugs and with the mindset of anxiety then that would explain the reasoning behind the amount of people who use drugs and are mentally unstable. (Get Me Out: a History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank)

It seems so bizarre that an act a woman’s body is made for is so questionable and worried about. When a woman has a successful natural birth she is praised for her efforts and individuality. When in reality most woman should and could have the same experience since all woman are made up of the same parts…

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Even fifty years ago society was still in awe that someone could undergo this type of experience and come out alive. This state of awe has practically stayed at the same level today, a women who decides to participate in a natural birth without intervention of drugs is looked at as so unordinary when really she is just going by what nature expects. Nature has become something that humans are constantly trying to defy and go against because there is a sense that everything could be done better. It makes one wonder though about all of the other animals that also give birth successfully, how do they avoid the criticism of the rest of their tribe. Considering humans find themselves superior to all of the other species residing along side them maybe when it comes to birth humans are way behind every other creature that recreates… (Bornfree! Laura Shanley's Unassisted Childbirth Page)

Something to consider is the constant need for the United States to be ahead of the game, the faster the babies get out the sooner they will be working and paying taxes to the government. Yet the side affects of this fast moving pace will most certainly have consequences and the ones paying the price are all of the Americans who choose to live by these standards. A woman who gave birth once in Malawai (Central Africa) and once in the United States had smooth pregnancies in both countries, however the way she was treated during and after was significantly different. “In 1969, I gave birth to my first baby in Malawi, Central Africa…My son was born without complication in a small hospital with very minimal intervention. My American doctor had told me to get help if I needed to use the toilet, and I ran for the nurse after a short while. When she arrived, she asked if I were okay, and then I said I was but that I was supposed to get assistance, she said, “All you did was have a baby.” Perhaps this sounds rude, but it was of course true…An hour later, my hospitals roommate’s family arrived with a big platter of hot curry, and I sat on her bed and shared it with her. The whole atmosphere was very joyous…we were both delighted with our achievements…Two years later, I was in New York State…I ended up in a Maternity Hospital, run by woman doctors. I had to do a bit of lying during my labor. I didn’t want my pubic hair shaved, so I told one nurse that the doctor said I didn’t have to, and I had to fight not to have an episiotomy…The relaxed attitude was gone; even in my case it was clearly a medical procedure, although nothing like what woman go through now in America.” (1-2) There is a change in her tone where she makes almost a complete turn into cruelty, it’s as if she is coming in to be beaten verses in Africa where she was coming into the hospital for a experience that she had control over. In Africa there was no sense of unequal power or fighting, just a simplistic day full of natural ways. (Childbirth across Cultures: Ideas and Practices of Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Postpartum)

In contrast however a midwife gave her ideas on the state the United States is in now, in terms of the birth world. “The hospital's view is that they want a healthy baby and mom emerging from the birth process. The hospital wants to avoid lawsuits as they are very expensive to settle or to take to court (which rarely occurs due to the vast expense)… As long as medical studies come out saying that outcomes are improved when labor follows a timely curve, I don't see practice in the hospital changing much. Most women, if left to their own devices can have a natural birth. However, we do live in a society where we expect easy, fast results. Labor hurts a lot and many women in today's world can't take the pain. They then get interventions such as early epidurals, etc. that immobilizes them into the bed, leading to other interventions that eventually can lead to having operative delivery. One must never forget, however, pregnancy and birth is always dangerous for women. Many things can go wrong. Just look in any old cemetery and see all the young women who died given birth. The trick is knowing when you must intervene. Frequently, they are the one's saying "Cut me!" At least in the population I serve--poor and working class immigrant women. Of course, I always reassure them that they can do it.” One would anticipate and expect her to be very anti-hospital considering the position she serves. However, she seemed very neutral and in no way had the urge to bash the hospital. She was honest that birth is going to be painful and some women can with stand the pain while others need the man made techniques of relief. Yet she is true to making sure that whatever the women truly needs she will get and she isn’t going to suggest anything unnecessary just to get things to move a bit faster.

As Foucault said, "I would like to write the history of this prison, with all the political investments of the body that it gathers together in its closed architecture. Why? Simply because I am interested in the past? No, if one means by that writing a history of the past in terms of the present. Yes, if one means writing the history of the present." History is crucial to a better understanding of a subject, if one takes information of the past it will allow them to make better choices for the future. By examining the many aspects of birth, as a country there is a better shot of changing the way birth is treated. Although not everyone will decide to throw the drugs away and be firm about saying NO to cesarean sections there is hope that some will, and with that hope comes the courage that the joy and the ecstasy will become a reality for the vast majority.

Citations:

1. Feldhusen, Adrian E. "The History of Midwifery and Childbirth - A Time Line."Midwifery Today - Pregnancy, Birth, Homebirth and Midwife Information. 2000. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

2. The Business of Being Born. Dir. Abby Epstein. 2008. Film.

3. Epstein, Randi Hutter. Get Me Out: a History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank. New York: Norton, 2010. Print.

4. "Unassisted Childbirth in the 1950's." Bornfree! Laura Shanley's Unassisted Childbirth Page. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

Selin, Helaine, and Pamela Kendall. Stone. Childbirth across Cultures: Ideas and Practices of Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Postpartum. Dordrecht: Springer Verlag, 2009. Print.

5. Foucault, Michel. Discipline & Punish - The Birth of the Prison. New York, 1979. Print.