A week ago, I taught the 10th grade at the San Francisco Waldorf High
School about birth and midwifery. Two students sent in their essays. Thank you to Isabel Dow and Madison Evans for contributing to this blog. And, by the way, Aubrey had her baby at home, yesterday! A girl!
Maria’s Classroom Visit
by Isabel Dow
I had been looking forward to
Maria’s visit for over a week, and was so excited when Maria found time to come
to our class. Last week she had to cancel to attend a birth. I was not
disappointed one bit by her visit, and loved feeling how passionate she was
about her midwifery. Two days before her visit, our Embryology teacher, Dr.
Burkett had led us through all the frightening details of birth, so I thought I
knew what I was in for, gritting my teeth in anticipation. While Maria was talking
to us and asking us for our input and opinions, my views on birth began to
shift. Through her loving, vivid descriptions of the birth process, I realized
that the pain of labor pales compared to the bright glowing joy that comes with
birth.
After a
short discussion, Maria showed a video of a water birth. In it, the mother
suffered through many intense contractions, which looked extremely painful.
When the baby finally came out, I watched as the mother, all pain and suffering
aside, lifted her child to her chest as pride and joy filled her whole being. I
laughed with happiness for her. That was the moment that I realized why mothers
are so willing to go through pregnancy and birth, for the sake of a new
miraculous birth.
After
recovering from watching the video, we put on gloves, and Maria showed us, and
let us feel, a real placenta and umbilical cord. Although my stomach heaved at
first, my curiosity allowed me to move passed that, and I experienced it
totally.
Next we
moved over to the couch, where a pregnant woman, her due date coming up any
day, lay smiling. She was so kind, letting us prod her tummy, feeling her
baby’s bum and hearing its heart beat. Sensing this was an amazing experience,
I couldn’t believe I was actually hearing and feeling the baby!
Having Maria visit changes my view of birth radically.
Before she came, birthing a baby seemed shockingly scary and horrible. However,
now I have realized how wonderful it must be to create and nurture a life
within ones own body. Although there is much pain involved, it is all definitely
worth the effort.
A Visit from the Midwife
by Madison Evans
I enjoyed and learned a lot from
the midwife’s visit. Seeing a video of a mother giving birth helped me realize
that birth is natural and amazing. Feeling the baby in its mother’s uterus and
hearing the heartbeat helped me realize the wonder that there is a real baby living inside the mother’s
womb. I thought touching the placenta was really interesting and cool because
it is rare that you can see and feel something that comes from inside our body.
After learning so much about the placenta through our class, it was really neat
to see it for myself. Learning about water birth was very interesting. I don’t
think water birth is for everyone but I do think it is important that the
mother at least knows the person who is going to help her give birth. Before Maria
came, I never thought about the baby having good or bad experiences during birth.
Now that I have thought about it, I do think it is important for a baby to be
born into a good environment with both of its parents there. I now have a new
appreciation for pregnant mothers and the birth process.
