Sarah writes:
"I really wish that epidural anesthesia risks/benefits could be covered
in childbirth classes or at least realistically discussed during
prenatal visits, because I often end up spending a huge amount of time
trying to explain everything and answering questions for patients.
Not that I mind doing this (and I have been told that I am far too
sympathetic to these moms because of my own pregnancy), but I
frequently feel very pressed for time. "

I think Sarah has given us some really valuable insight. It is clear that she is kind and compassionate, 
but many things about the situation she describes disturb me. I was thinking about her comments 
and went back to reread this part. Sarah finds that she is being criticized for being too sympathetic!!!
How are we to appropriately treat laboring women and their babies?  While there are certainly kind and 
loving human beings working on maternity units, the atmosphere is not the one into which new human 
beings should enter the world, nor in which women should become mothers. How women are treated 
in labor has at least as much to do with our shameful birth outcomes in the US as does anything else. 
The idea that there can be too much compassion, too much love, too much support, too much honor 
and respect at a birth is certainly a compelling one. How are a mother and baby to feel safe to be in their
hearts and bodies, to surrender to trusting and loving one another when even sympathy (a lesser emotion
 than any mother even deserves) is held in short supply?

The only hope I hold is that I believe that once a person (or collective people) hit bottom, there is great
opportunity for awakening and rebirth. I have to believe that these atrocities must be necessary for us to 
wake up and become conscious beings. 

Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network LLC


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