One. The Births.
I was a spontaneously practicing Christian Scientist during the years of my childrens’ births. My hubby was a 4th gen CS, and I followed his practices, plus I read S&H cover to cover. I had them all at home with the company of some unafraid women (and my husband), one of whom was the designated midwife.
For my first child, I certainly was not afraid. I knew at least a million years of ancestors gave birth successfully so there was no reason I shouldn’t also. I read about the La Maze method in a book and realized it was based on breathing through the contractions. Wow. That is something I knew a bit about. I was a Graham trained dancer. Meaning Martha Graham, through the legacy of my teacher and mentor, Ethel Butler. Graham technique is based on contract, release, breathe out, breathe in. I had practiced it for about 6-7 years at that point. I knew how to contract about any muscle group in my body and release it, though of course the curved back contraction that takes place in the gut and lower back, is the one Graham technique emphasizes. I had what has become popularly known fairly recently as a “strong core”. Childbirth? Easy. I felt thoroughly prepared.
I was able to practice the breathing through the earliest contractions and by the time the intensity started, I was totally in the rhythm of excluding the rest of my body from the contraction and release action going on the gut. I think I may have hyperventilated once or twice, but each passed in a wave of extra oxygen.
When the intensity started, my husband began to read the Chapter on Creation. I actually listened to it and got really high on the ideas of a spiritual basis to the universe. It was not an LSD flashback, but LSD had prepared me to yield to the intensity and go with the flow, etc. I also realized it was a super-cosmic occasion, and really psychedelic, because I had had them previously on LSD trips. LSD had taught me there were cosmic events and we were all interconnected to them. I thought I knew what Mary Baker Eddy was talking about with a spiritual basis for creation.
My first, a daughter was born in seven and a half hours. Everything WAS perfect. We let the cord drain before it was cut. There were jokes about me eating the placenta. Ha.Ha.
The birth of my son was a little more complicated because he was breech from the earliest days. I actually went to a medical practice that did home births when I realized that, but they told me the baby was breech and therefore a cesarean was called for. I told them I was sorry they did not want to participate in the birth and left. (This visit later became the proof I was pregnant when I applied for a birth certificate, so it did have its value.)
Anyway, My third gen CS Mother-in Law had given me a book called “Midwifery”, published in England where home births were still acceptable, during my first pregnancy, but I hardly looked at it then. I looked up breech births in it when I got home and saw how the English midwives did it. Later, I found a Police Emergency Booklet that told a policeman how to deliver a breech birth. The advice was get on the knees with support under the upper body and deliver from that position. It was an explanation without fear with specific instructions. Perfect. This is what we did.
The birth was kind of spectacular. He broke my bag of water and came through foot first. (Later called his first karate kick) My “midwife” (same as for the daughter) helped the other leg out and the baby slid out up to his forehead with a bit of help with the arms. My sister said at that point. “Oh. Just. Push”. So I did, and later discovered he was a ten pound baby and if he had presented the full diameter of his head, I probably would have torn. As it was he slipped out like the reverse of putting a shirt on a baby and I stretched less than for my first birth. Of course no pain, I knew how to breathe. That labor took four and a half hours and was in time for the super bowl game at hubby’s request.
My third pregnancy, I was actually a member of the church. I had a practitioner on the job, who basically thought I should go to a hospital, and I actually hired a midwife. Everything went well and when I went into labor, the practitioner and the midwife were called. The baby was born in 2.5 hours, also weighing in at 10 pounds. A girl. There was one point where I wanted to get into some position and the midwife said no. Well, my sister and friends argued with her and I got my way. I was mildly disappointed in the midwife. She didn’t do anything my friends and family hadn’t done in the other births, except boss me around. I realized her only function had been to block other peoples’ fear of my audacity to trust my athletic body and perfect health to perform exactly as nature intended. I had gotten SO MUCH fear and negative feedback about the first two births, if people found out how I had my first two, I did it within expectations the third time, but it wasn’t as much fun.
I also must say that when I joined the mother church, all the cosmic left and the mundane began. I always thought I was a better example of Christian Science before I joined the Mother Church and found out how Christian Scientists act out their beliefs. The culture of the church caused me to contract and sink down into mundane expressions of spirituality. I lost interest in CS and reading the lesson with its repetitive quotes, and quit attending the branch church. After a while I quit it. They really did not care. But the Mother Church did. I had to get quite firm in multiple letters to quit that one.
Next time. The story of how we got our kids vaccinated. and their health throughout childhood.
Understanding Mortal Mind 