If we look at the political spectrum we have Liberal Democrats to one side and Conservative Republicans to the other. Liberals generally believe in the effective role of government in what we do. Added government support and increased government involvement in regulation, taxes, etc, is the means to success.
Conservatives, of course, are the opposite. Laissez Faire is the way to go. Small government, less intervention, let the free market economy run itself.
Childbirth options in healthcare are the same. There is a liberal side that believes in more intervention by practitioners, prescription drugs, and medical services. The conservative side believes that Mother Nature gave a woman everything that she needs to deliver a child and the focus should be made on allowing a woman to channel her inner strength for the well-being of the baby.
The “liberals” in childbirth are the surgeons, doctors, nurses, and traditional Healthcare employees. They believe in, and preach, “MORE Intervention.” When in doubt, get the drugs. Use the best that medical science has to offer, get the spinal tap, numb your nerves, and wake up a happy mom with a baby in your lap.
On the conservative, “Less Intervention” side is the Dulas. Light some candles, burn some incense, listen to soothing music, breathe easy, find your Zen place and baby will arrive. If we need to we will put you in the bath tub so that you may reach your true buoyancy with the help of water and the baby will move to a lower pressure space. Relax and focus.
Midwives are sort of your intermediate Liberal/Democrat but more towards the middle. You can find them at your hospital, but they have a steady supply of Swiss Balls, breathing techniques, and relaxation ideas. Midwives are also licensed to actually help deliver children, which is an important consideration.
As a husband I was thinking the same thing that every husband does: JUST TELL ME WHAT THE HELL I AM SUPPOSED TO DO.
So, in this wonderful spectrum of choices, of course my beautiful wife decides that we need all three. Which I guess makes sense.
I always said: learning how to breathe and find your Zen place is wonderful, but if the shit hits the fan, I don’t want to be calling an ambulance to come to our house and rush you to the nearest hospital. Especially when the nearest hospital may not be worth a damn in terms of delivering children.
The irony of my “Childbirth as Politics” model is that the actual political affiliation of the people involved is probably directly opposite to the scale itself!
I figure that most dulas are probably raging liberal Democrats. Right? Save the whales, a woman’s right to choose, support gay marriage, and damn the rich people who find tax loopholes.
Doctors on the other hand seem more likely to be hard -core conservatives. “Get the hell away from my money Uncle Sam, I am doing fine on my own. And if you increase taxes for the wealthy one more time I’m gonna euthanize your ass.”
So, what did we do, during the birth of our children, you’re wondering?
We took our dula prepared, Zen breathing, downward facing dog child birthing selves to the hospital and had our experience there–after my wife labored at home for 17 hours.