gripey gripes on the topic of birth vocabulary
Midwives don't "perform births". Midwives assist (if needed) and attend (if they arrive on time).
And the term "delivery" or anything related to it with regard to birth should be stricken from our collective vocabulary.
optimystik did not "deliver" our son. I was the only one in the pool and he didn't have his hands in there at all. I BIRTHED my son and guided him into this world with my own hands. I didn't deliver my baby, I birthed him.
Even if I needed help and was in a particular position that meant I couldn't catch my baby as s/he came out of me, there is still no delivery. There is catching.
"Delivery" takes all the focus from the one person doing all the work and redirects it to a mostly passive bystander. What is wrong with our culture that we repeatedly fail to recognize the birthing woman and the role she has in, say, BIRTHING BABIES?
Delivery is for pizza and mythical storks, people. Birth is what really happens when babies appear. Grar.
/soapbox rant
And the term "delivery" or anything related to it with regard to birth should be stricken from our collective vocabulary.
optimystik did not "deliver" our son. I was the only one in the pool and he didn't have his hands in there at all. I BIRTHED my son and guided him into this world with my own hands. I didn't deliver my baby, I birthed him.
Even if I needed help and was in a particular position that meant I couldn't catch my baby as s/he came out of me, there is still no delivery. There is catching.
"Delivery" takes all the focus from the one person doing all the work and redirects it to a mostly passive bystander. What is wrong with our culture that we repeatedly fail to recognize the birthing woman and the role she has in, say, BIRTHING BABIES?
Delivery is for pizza and mythical storks, people. Birth is what really happens when babies appear. Grar.
/soapbox rant