1999 LLLI
Conference Sessions:
Peggy O'Mara on Birth
By Carrie Ganz
Silver Spring MD USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 16 No. 5, September-October 1999, p. 166
Birth is our own personal
journey. It is like the adventure program "Outward Bound"
in that it calls us to test our limits and expand the boundaries of
what we thought possible. In her session, "Inward Bound: Top Ten
Ideas in Birth Preparation," author and publisher Peggy O'Mara
emphasized the importance of seeing birth as normal. The top ten ideas
can be summarized in one simple concept - that we are capable of giving
birth. It is normal. Even those of us who have experienced joyous and
wonderful births may have trouble truly accepting that it is a normal
process. O'Mara said that it wasn't until after the birth of her second
child that she fully understood this. How does giving birth relate to
breastfeeding? The way we birth may set a precedent for the way we approach
nursing our babies and even the way we mother. Peggy gave an example
of a friend of hers in labor. The friend's mother kept saying "Oh,
you poor thing." The friend replied, 'I'm not a poor thing. I'm
a warrior." This is a strong powerful image of a birthing woman.
This is a woman who is prepared to defend her baby like a lioness! A
birth like this one may give a mother more confidence in herself and
she may have more confidence in her ability to breastfeed.
O'Mara asked all of us why
we think some mothers experience the birth of their dreams and others
do not. She talked about birth as a medical process and the ways in
which we interfere with the natural process. Fear was a large factor.
Fear has an enormous impact on the way we birth. It creates changes
in our bodies that slow or even stop the normal progression of labor.
Fear is a distraction that holds us back.
O'Mara talked about the history
of birth in the US to help us understand where this fear comes from.
She also discussed the positive trends that give hope for the future,
such as the growth of midwifery and the rise of freestanding birth centers.
These changes are giving women more choices about where and how they
give birth. New movements are directing their energy toward making our
birthing environments more "mother friendly." However, the
increasing use of drugs in labor and the rise in the rate of cesarean
births are discouraging trends.
There was so much information
in this session. Peggy O'Mara inspired us with the breadth of her knowledge
and her continued commitment to change. She alluded to the Founders
of LLLI in reminding us that a small group of women really could change
the world. If we act together we can make hospitals more "mother
friendly" and offer more women the information they need to have
fulfilling and empowering births.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:32 UTC 2007.
