From Midwifery Today

August 13th 1999

Volume 1 Issue 33

I was interested in the article by Valerie El Halta titled, "Not Among Strangers" [Issue 29] and her comment that if "the woman is confronted with an unfamiliar and therefore 'not safe place,' a survival mechanism will kick in. She will protect her baby by preventing it from being born by ceasing to contract, keeping her cervix closed and in general 'failing to progress.'"

I have been posting my observations concerning failure to progress and suggestions for mitigating or eliminating pain and distress during labor for the last twenty-five years. So far, I have received only confirming and favourable comments from midwives, doulas and physicians confirming my observations. However, I am also looking for comments, criticisms, objections, to further clarify my observations and to make sure that what I have said is correct. I am also interested in whether anyone is going to replicate the solution I have suggested in reducing pain and distress in labor.

The main question I would like to see debated is: Where there is pain, there is pathology. So where is the pathology in a normal birth, with a prepared and healthy mother?

I have been suggesting to mothers, midwifes, doulas and physicians that greater awareness of this survival mechanism is called for and remedies for mitigating or avoiding it are needed. I believe a great deal of intervention and trauma could be avoided if this problem is given the attention it deserves.

I think the frequency and the power of that survival mechanism, the fight or flight syndrome, has been severely underestimated. It has been my experience that birthing mothers are very sensitive to the presence of others in the birthing environment. Even close family members can precipitate this unconscious response if there are unresolved issues between a family member or birthing attendant and the mother. As it is an unconscious mechanism designed to protect the mother and emerging infant from predators, it is not always easily detected. Neither is it usually responsive to conscious attempts to mitigate its severity and power to inhibit birth and cause extreme pain and distress.

Solutions: Either help the mother discharge the adrenaline when aroused by beating on pillows strenuously for 20 minutes or so, or evade the fight or flight syndrome with absolute privacy coupled with safety. Private birthing rooms in hospitals or home birthing environments could be provided with video monitoring by midwifes, thereby ensuring a benign birth coupled with the security of qualified help if needed.

If you would like to read further articles on benign birthing by me, go to Google and type in rayner garner labor labour you will see them If you type in both the UK and US spelling you can access most of them.