Mari meningkatkan iman: Birthing is a science (Revised)

Flora, Fauna, Our own body, Man-made inventions, and more: should make me and you closer to Allah

NOTE: This entry was originally published on October 19, 2010 and revised on August 23, 2011


Part One: The Science of it

Excerpts from Ustaz Ahmad Baei Jaafar's article in Solusi issue 20, titled 'Sains harus mendekatkan umat dengan tauhid':

Excerpt 1:

Siapa kita? Apakah yang anda tahu tentang diri anda? Ya, benarlah kalau anda belum mengenali diri anda yang sebenar, tidak mungkin anda boleh mengenali Allah.

My birthing note:
I agree. When we learn about the female anatomy and its amazing capabilities regarding birthing, we should feel amazed with Allah, The Greatest Designer. When we refuse to learn, we are (not just) ignorant, and we refuse to be amazed with Allah's Greatness. Wasn't reproduction a topic in Science, taught in sekolah menengah (secondary school)? In another issue of Solusi, Dr. Farhan Hadi explains scientists' amazement at how the female body does not reject and attack the foetus since it is in fact, an "alien" in a woman's body, just as a cancerous tissue or a virus is. He also explains how secure the womb is, and how this fact is mentioned in the Qur'an.

Therefore, it is beyond a shadow of a doubt that I highly encourage myself and my fellow friends to learn about birthing, the female anatomy, breastfeeding, etc as:
(1) learning is required of us Muslims,
(2) learning gives us so much credit/reward/merit (pahala)
(3) and learning makes us fear Allah and makes us closer to Allah (mentioned in Surah Al-Furqan).
(4)This is besides all the other benefits of learning, which among others is enabling us to make informed choices.

Excerpt Two:

Sesungguhnya manusia di ciptakan oleh Allah s.w.t, satu ciptaan yang paling sempurna berbanding dengan makhluk yang lain termasuk malaikat. Tetapi malangnya kita sendiri tidak tahu dan tidak kenal kehebatan diri sendiri.


My birthing note:
 IMPORTANT NOTE: I replace the word 'Pain' or 'Sakit' (Malay) with 'Sensation'. The reason I do this is as follows: In Islam, there is a hadeeth (saying of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) which says "Words are Du'a". Du'a is often translated as prayer or supplication. The simplest way to understand it is that a du'a is a request (made to God). As I was being trained to become a hypnobirthing childbirth educator, I learnt about using positive affirmations and "suggestions" and I believe that these methods and concepts are totally in line with Islamic teachings, i.e say only good things (also a hadeeth), be careful what you say (because words are du'a)


We know that only women can be pregnant and we know men cannot be. We know that birthing is challenging (due to "horror" birthing stories we are often bombarded with) And then we just stop there.


But some people who have given birth or is ignorant about Allah's great design (the female anatomy and internal/built-in software for birthing), will not stop scaring us into oblivion about the "horrors" of birthing

So women just get one really ugly, awful fact about birthing: It sucks.

No, friends. Birthing doesn't suck. It's NOT torture. Allah is NOT punishing you for your sins.

We are "conditioned into" believing that women suffer when they give birth. What we don't know is that unlike the alien, unbeneficial and unwanted cancerous cells and the effect that cancerous cells brings to our bodies, "the sensations of labor" and the whole challenging process of birthing is:
1.not abnormal,
2.not unbeneficial 
3.and the sweet 'produce' (read: baby) at the end of it is definitely not unwanted.

Before you start accusing me of saying that women should suffer the sensations of labor for some good reason, give me another 2 minutes and read on.


Part Two: Understanding the sensations

I said the advent of the uterus starting to aid the baby out needs to happen, it isn't an abnormality of the female anatomy, unlike a disease. Ofcourse it needs to happen. It's an abnormality when it doesn't happen (Absence of contractions is another topic altogether. Inductions are RARELY necessary. Do your homework: link) We need the contractions, to help baby get out. Did I say we? I meant you. You the pregnant woman in labor.

When you take pethidine, entonox, epidural or whatsoever drug which interferes with the communication between the nerves and your brain, the doctor or midwife feels your belly for a contraction and when it happens, asks you to imagine yourself trying to defecate. Nice.

But that's not all that happens. You're drugged and/or drowsy and so becomes your newborn, to a lesser or higher degree. Some moms and babies are still alert, some are a tad blur, while some are sleepy and some, totally pass out. It's a mere possibility, but that's the risk you open yourself and your newborn to.

Miraculously, the contractions of the uterus during labor has never killed any woman. Sometimes, women do die giving birth, but not because of the contractions!

Now I understand why Lamaze started a campaign to 'celebrate birth'. Shame on us Muslims for NOT celebrating the wonderfully taqwa-building event of birth.

And tell me which part of birthing is not a part of being Muslim? 

Is birthing not an ibadah? Yes, birthing is not a 'Fear Factor' contest, you don't get any medals for birthing without drugs as relievers BUT the "contractions" don't go on for hours without end; it comes and it goes. It starts off not very intense and gradually intensifies for a reason, for a purpose. The contractions, is part of a software for birthing, which Allah installed in your body!

Use this miraculous event to thank Allah for permitting the software to run/initiate/begin, and for providing relief when it goes away for a little while.


But when we:

• refuse to learn about it (for whatever reason)
• refuse to be amazed by the great design and plan,  
• refuse to perceive it in a positive way, 
• refuse to be humbled by it and grateful for it
•  thus it becomes nothing but an awful, horrifying ordeal to go through just in order to have a baby.

So another great event in our life will just pass us by without bringing much meaning (or taqwa building) except the memory of pain. :-(

To me this is a terrible, terrible loss for a Muslim.

We refuse to recognize the great design and plan of the Great Creator. We, either men or women, are capable of great things. Birthing is a great thing and women are thus capable of a great thing.

Disclaimer:
Before I get assaulted for making people feel guilty for taking pain relieving drugs during labor, I remind you that I am not writing to make people feel bad, I am writing to inspire people about what they are capable of due to Allah's Ingenuity in His Design of the female body.

Part Four: My labor sensations

Let's talk about "the sensations".

Birth of firstborn: I thanked Allah everytime He made my contraction subside (while it was still mild), and mentally repeated to myself: it's a positive sensation. (In fact I said it to myself loudly) And yes, I started vocalising when it intensified, but with my doctor's encouragement and instructions, I stopped and focused on pushing everytime my uterus contracted. (at that point, i didn't know i didn't have to push. Yup, we don't have to literally push like when we're constipating, NO need for that. Google 'breathing baby down' or 'birth breathing')

Yes, at first I became a bit 'blur' when the contractions intensified, but I was sober, my mind was still there. I remember feeling a little disappointed when they lowered my bed (I wanted to be in a semi-upright position instead of  horizontal), I remember them injecting something into my arm and thinking, "What's this? Nobody told me about this jab" and most importantly, I was able to gather myself between the contractions to listen to the doctor's instructions.

She told me, don't waste your energy vocalising, you need the energy to push the baby out (remember, you DON'T have to push!). When you feel it coming (uterus start to contract, tummy "hardens"), grit your teeth, push your chin onto your chest, and push! (This is what the doctor said, as a CBE in training, I would tell you to breathe, relax, breathe baby down and out)


Conclusion:
Birthing is a science. 
Birthing is a miraculous event. 
Birthing is a wonderful moment of security. 
Birthing is a chance to build taqwa, be thankful to Allah and feel closer to Allah. 

It's not torture. It's not a punishment.  
The most powerful anesthetic to help you with the sensation is, YOUR MIND.