My concern is and always has been that any therapy asserted as being the answer to what women need for a 'good' birth confines the needs and experiecnes of women. Do women really need to have a hypno birth use acupuncture, aromatherapy or epiducral? Maybe where women are at the time of their lives impacts on the effectiveness of any therapy used . This is the journey of birth it is not just the actual experience of birth although that is important, but the transition through pregnancy and life are just as essential and women need support and freedom to explore their own needs not what their carer is into at the time. Birthing in a space that enables a sense of freedom, stregth and security while being cared for is in my experience the most essential aspect for a 'good' birth. Many women in this atmosphere do find a head space to 'hypnobirth'. However my concern is that so many alternate therapies still give the idea that women need something to enable them to birth well. Thsi is not a great deal dsifferent to medical doctors who believe that epidurals enable women more control over pain. Grantly Dick-read although with the best intentions was still confining woimen into a type of behaviour to deal with birth. Pain- In my study (PhD) so far womens fears are not all about pain, in fact even though all the women strt with well of course its the pain - but - and then go on to discuss everything they fear which is not about pain. So to me arguments about women not viewing birth as pain excludes many women who instantly think well of course its painful, as i found. However that is not to say it was soemthign I couldnt manage or that was bad in any way. I still found birth incredible and fantastic and yeah painful oin a very unique way. And there is a lot more head work going on that women themselves need to deal with. I am not saying alternate therapys are not good, they can be fantastic however they cannot be postulated to being something that would benefit all women or that women should try them. I am here for all women and aim not to exclude thsoe who's head is in a place I am not. Dont get me wrong, anything is better than drugs (in general ) in my opinion, but its not about my prersonal belief, and it would be fantastic if women could be aware of and offered access to alternate therapires if they choose them. Just some of my jumbled thoiughts, Belinda
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