My stand and campaign on birthing

Please take a few minutes to enlighten yourself:

Excerpts taken from:

http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=11875

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Excerpt 1
Another consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Ashar Abdullah, admits that placing a woman on the conventional labour bed is more for the medical staff’s convenience than for the mother’s comfort.

Excerpt 2
Choong says the practice of delivering in a supine or semi-sitting position spread worldwide as more and more doctors and midwives trained in the West. “Eventually, the natural event of birth became medicalised. We think all childbirth has the potential to be dangerous when the majority are very normal events,” Choong observes.

Excerpt 3
Both Choong and his wife began doing more research. Christine says active birthing gained momentum because women in the West started to rebel against the medical technology that took over the natural process of birthing.

Excerpt 4
Rather than being confined to a bed during labour, Choong and Christine tell women who choose active birthing to walk about, lean forward, kneel, squat, sit astride a chair, lie sideways, rock or circle their hips during labour.

Excerpt 5
“They can use their partner, pillows, bean bags, chairs, stools, birth balls, a birthing wheel or the wall for support,” Christine explains. She adds that she tells women to bring in their favourite music and scents, massage oils, a hot pack, and extra pillows for the birthing.

Excerpt 6
Choong explains that when a woman delivers without the aid of an epidural (a spine-administered anaesthetic), the body releases endorphins — natural painkillers — that ensures that the mother and baby are more alert and responsive to each other immediately after birth. “This may be an important link in mother-baby bonding and helps the baby take to breastfeeding faster,” Christine adds. It also ensures that women have more positive memories of giving birth.

Excerpt 7
Some medical staff are not supporters of active birthing because it is messier and they may have to get down on their hands and knees to observe the delivery.

Excerpt 8
Choong says that when he first started allowing active birthing, the nurses and midwives were not sympathetic. “But, gradually, they have become more supportive.”

Excerpt 9
“It’s about empowering the woman,” Ashar adds, “so that she can make a choice about how she wants to deliver.”

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My note:
Yes, I DO promote active @ natural @ gentle birthing ABOVE 'conventional methods' for mothers with low-risk pregnancies.

Hasn't history, in fact hasn't the Qur'an taught us how the acquisition of 'ilm elevates a human being above everything else EXCEPT ALLAH?

I DO NOT TRIVIALISE the medical profession and/or the medical field.

I still go for monthly antenatal check ups and regularly consult doctors. I respect and look up on doctors for their 'expertise'.

But you must agree that just like any other field of 'knowledge', it evolves; meaning sometimes some parts of it diminishes to be relevant, some parts are always relevant, some parts are discovered; etc.

That which always, always, remains as true, -and you know it- is that which comes from ALLAH. That, is the only absolute truth, remaining true and relevant all the time till the end of time.

YES, without a doubt when you need help with English, you ask for help from an English teacher. When you need to repair your car, air-conditioner, telephone, computer, etc, you call up those who can fix it.

And when you HAVE PROBLEMS with your pregnancy or birth, you see a obgyn. But before that, you'd have to KNOW that it is a problem, and not something normal which is happening.

If car mechanics and electricians are capable of deceiving you or over-charging you, then why not doctors? But a deceiving doctor is NOT the issue here.

The issue lies with, is pregnancy and birth a medical event? Do you know? What is so wrong with learning?

DOES NOT ALLAH AND RASULULLAH S.A.W ASK US TO LEARN?

What I am fighting for women and mothers to see is that the female body and infants has survived for millions of years before birthing was being made a 'medical event' at the hospital.

The factor of their survival is not indebted to the 'progress' of the medical field, at least not absolutely and not globally. Stop this blind ignorant adoration of the medical field, doctors and hospitals.

Such adoration is DUE AND BEFITTING only for ALLAH: The Creator, not His Creation(s) and such fallible / tangible aspects. In fact, that is what you believe in and preach.

I cannot stress enough about the importance about acquiring knowledge: don't you all believe that 'ilm is a VERY CRUCIAL ASPECT in the rasmul bayan ahamiyah syahadatain and mawani' ma'rifatullah?

Isn't it?

Isn't that what you preach to people? Isn't that what you invite people to? To knowledge and light?