Tuesday, September 15, 2009

My image of birth: before

Here is the mental image of childbirth I held until I was a graduate student.

The birth film in 8th grade health class didn't help.

What do I remember most about that film?

1) The woman saying "I am never doing this again."
2) The woman's crotch was bright orange and no one explained why. For many years afterward, I figured that it was a side effect of pregnancy.

9 comments:

  1. lol..ohh dear! it is terrible isnt it? i try and reducate everywhere/evertime i can. why orange? iodine?

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  2. I was guessing iodine too.

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  3. Pretty sure it was Betadine/iodine.

    I tell you, it's pretty frightening thinking your crotch will turn orange when you get pregnant.

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  4. Hi Rixa,
    I love this! I've been reading your blog for a while; I am actually writing a dissertation about this very thing -- about how our culture prepares us to be terrified of birth so that we all run screaming to the hospital, begging for epidurals. Unless we come in contact with other stories (and images!) of course, which is why I enjoy your blog so much. Thanks for your continued thought-provoking posts!

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  5. The workshop I attended this past weekend had an element of before/after belief systems.

    It is amazing how it all changes after our eyes and hearts open to the alternatives!

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  6. I was going to add this to the Today Show discussion - but more in line here - I think we should promote the "spa" idea for birth - Change the "before" perception to one of a woman preparing to go through a deeply spiritual/physical experience, a rite of passage, ultimately empowering. And more power to us if we have a relaxing environment that we can exert control over for birth! The spa is not the threatening idea - the empowerment of women by making them thing birth is actually about them is the "trouble" for the system in place.

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  7. Hilarious and of course tragic, too. Great post!

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  8. Love your images...and wow...orange crotch...scary!

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