I was reading this post after it appeared in my facebook feed, and it got me thinking. It is absolutely correct in that there are innumerable ways for women to labour and birth, and finding what suits you is as individual as your fingerprint. It then goes on to talk about women feeling that they have to be quiet once in the hospital birthing room - and whether we as birth professionals perpetuate this.
I have seen it in my own practice - women can and do feel self-conscious about the sounds they make. I am often asked if the room is soundproofed, to which I usually reply "no, but if people don't like it they don't have to listen" or something to that effect. Social conditioning is difficult to overcome, even when our body is giving signals that we can't ignore. Some women get into "the zone" and are quiet, others are moderately noisy, and others will bellow and howl and shake the walls with their noise. And they are ALL fine!
Women do best if they can let go of their conscious self during labour, and allow their instincts to take over. Some women are better at this than others. The worry about screaming and yelling is all part of our decorous self not easily giving in to our primal self. We see the "animal" part of us during labour, and it isn't always what we expect or want from ourselves. But it is there and is an essential part of who we are.
Partners and support people also find vocalisations difficult to bear. They can see that their loved one is in pain, or struggling to cope, or ready to give up - but feel powerless. I have seen many women try to cover up their instinctual reactions for the benefit of their support people. It's in the nature of many women to do this.
So for me as a midwife, all I can say is this: SCREAM IF YOU WANT TO! Let it all out. Labour is about YOU and nobody else, so do what you need to do.
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