Holistic Rituals Bring Humanity to Modern Childbirth

Throughout the ages women have given birth using a holistic model of birth. They have been attended by wise women who themselves have given birth and/or have worked along side other wise women as they assisted women in birth. These women would understand the range of emotions that the birthing mother may be experiencing and could offer comfort measures, ranging from physical and emotional support, to herbal preparations. Using all of their senses to assess and assist the birthing woman, these wise women understood the mysteries of birth and valued the body's instinctive knowledge of the birthing process. This holistic model of birth appreciates the woman's need to feel secure and unhurried during the time of labor. It understands the uniqueness of each individual labor and values the wisdom in allowing time for the labor to progress in it's own rhythm.

The modern advances in technology have brought with them a technocratic view of birth and the labor process. Modern doctors, rather than viewing birth as the transforming journey a woman works through as she becomes a mother, choose to see pregnancy and labor as a series of medical events and procedures done to a woman. The technocratic model of birth tends to view anatomy and physiology separate from the emotional and psychological aspects of birth. By separating the various aspects of birth, the technocratic model does not take into account the effects that medical interventions may have on the birth process as a whole. The process of pregnancy and labor are charted on an average time line of what is considered normal. Any deviation from that time frame or the considered "norms" is cause for medical intervention in the process.