Doula approach to birth

Foot massages and howling are just part of the art of birthing, writesKathryn Holmquist

Fathers need more support in the birthing room. Each father should have a "doula", according to a new birthing movement called Birthing From Within that has come from the US and is taking off in Cork.

"When a mother is in labour and looking for reassurance, the last thing she needs is to look into the eyes of a man who is anxious and scared," says former midwife Pam England, the American author of Birthing from Within (Partera Press).

England co-wrote the book with her husband, Rob Horowitz, a psychologist. The couple offer a refreshing, adventurous, spiritual and relaxed approach to birth.

Traditionally, the doula looked after the father, helping him to fulfil his role in providing a peaceful, safe place for the mother to give birth, says England. She believes that too much is expected of fathers who are asked to be present at the birth, to support their partner and even to negotiate medical strategy with medical personnel - all of which can be traumatic.

Many fathers feel overwhelmed and sometimes mothers are resentful afterwards if they feel that their partners haven't fulfilled what was expected of them. Marital problems can result.

"The father is holding the mother's hand while she's in labour and he's saying, 'everything's okay' and she's shouting at him "No it's not! How would you know?" says England.

Sound familiar? The mother, who has the really difficult job, needs a birth mentor at her side, England says. The father should be present too, alongside the doula, but the father should not be expected to coach his partner through the fear and agony of childbirth.

After all, how is a person who has never had a baby supposed to coach a woman through the experience? England, who was a childless midwife for seven years, used to believe that women in labour were cowards and that birth was no big deal, a "natural physical process". Her attitude changed when she experienced birth for herself.

Before going into labour the first time, she psyched herself into "thinking positively" and assumed all would be well. She was shocked when labour stalled and she had to undergo Caesarean section.

With that experience, England realised how wrong she had been. The reality was that labour was extremely painful and women in labour extraordinarily brave.

Moreover, women in childbirth were having a powerful spiritual experience that society was failing to recognise. Women needed recognition of birth as a rite of passage which forced them to delve into undiscovered personal resources.

The participants in England's workshops (mothers, fathers and midwives), which are taking place in Cork and London this month, learn to open themselves up to the experience of childbirth through creating birth art.

Fathers learn to give relaxing foot massages and mothers learn the art of coyote howling and other pain management techniques.

Birthing From Within is pro-medical establishment, teaching parents to work with medical personnel instead of threatening and challenging them. Parents learn that a Caesarean section can be as spiritual an experience as a "natural" birth and that the sound of a heart monitor is part of the beautiful birth environment, as important as birdsong outside the window.

There is no "wrong" sensation during birth, which is a Zen approach that many women find reassuring.

Midwives and obstetricians have women's best interests at heart, England is convinced, and are unjustly being put on the defensive by parents with "birth plans" who believe that they can somehow control the birthing process. This doesn't mean "giving in" to all kinds of unnecessary interventions, says England, but it does mean recognising that sometimes interventions are necessary for the health of mother and baby.

Medical staff shouldn't be expected to "give the warm fuzzies" because to do their job, they must remain efficient and detached.

The Birthing From Within movement has been described by Michel Odent (author of Birth Reborn) as "a landmark in the history of childbirth". England's book is in the Lamaze Top 10 selection of childbirth books. It's certainly a book that I wish I'd read before the births of my children because it offers the missing ingredient: our awareness that birth is "about opening up to have a baby" - and that this is more than just a physical thing.

Making room in the Irish labour ward for doulas and Birthing From Within mentors has become the mission of three Cork women, Beverly LaZar (a certified BFW mentor and doula), Claire Reardon (a midwife and certified mentor) and Anne Horgan (also a midwife and certified mentor). They can be contacted at 9 Aylsbury Court, Ballincollig, Co Cork.

To learn more about Birthing From Within, see www.birthpower.com