Childbirth - Natural Childbirth and Childbirth Stories

It's A Miracle

Pregnancy and childbirth have changed dramatically over the years, yet much about both experiences hasn't changed at all. In her childbirth history book, "Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank", Dr. Randi Hutter Epstein says, "A burst of human life from two half sets of genetic material is nothing short of a miracle." And we couldn't agree more. The miracle of the creation of a life within a woman's uterus continues to leave us breathless. From rapidly multiplying cells to a fetus that weighs seven pounds, a human being with all its faculties and physically complete, the process of the creation of a life is amazing.

Childbirth History - Some Things Just Never Change

Childbirth history is replete with the intuitive sense of woman and the ignorance of man as both are involved in the process of procreation. Women have always known how to birth a baby, but for centuries, the care of women during pregnancy and the process of childbirth were handed over to men who wrote the guidebooks on childbirth - many of whom had never seen a baby being born. There was the idea that in order to have a happy baby, you had to have good sex. Good sex created good pregnancies and good births. Thinking happy thoughts meant a happy baby. The woman's abdomen was a hollow space into which the man poured his life force and it was woman's job to take that force and turn it into a baby. Pretty powerful stuff!

Today the basic ideas are still the same. Women are desirous of having their babies without a lot of interference, trusting their own instincts and bodies, and men want to tell them how to do it. Women are still hit with advice from a variety of sources, some of which contradicts itself as well as her own sense. Another thing that has been consistent throughout the centuries is the idea that we want to control things that are ultimately outside of our control. Even if we do everything exactly right, things may turn out opposite to our expectations. We have a hard time just letting things be.

The Experience of Childbirth - Live and In Person

Perhaps one of the most moving and exquisite experiences to watch is childbirth. Childbirth stories abound, and childbirth videos that accompany these stories are incredible to watch. You are now able to view, from the sidelines, natural childbirth as it takes place, thanks to women who released the childbirth photos and videos of their own natural childbirth movies and posted them to the internet.

Several years ago there were some childbirth movies created and were available for viewing through video rental. They were considered to be, at the time, quite avante guard. However, today it is easy to search for childbirth movies or childbirth videos on the internet and choose from any type of delivery you may be interested in. There are educational videos and DVDs available to help a woman and her partner learn about birth, what to expect, and how things happen. Questions and concerns can be addressed through viewing these either on the net or by obtaining them from birth education centers. You can watch a labor right through to the birth of the baby - whether in hospital or at home. Hydro births, where the baby is born in a pool or tub of water, and hypnobirthing, where the mother shows little if any sign of stress or pain during the labor and delivery, are there for the viewing.

These movies, pictures, and videos are all captivating and touch the heart of those who watch. There is nothing to compare to the sight of a baby making its entrance into this world. It defies explanation and it continues to leave us to wonder at the complexity and miracle of the creation of a human baby.