RuthAnnHarnisch.com

Mothers Day

by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 06/21/10 at 8:21 am

Day 170

Yeah, I know what day it is. 

But the new baby came home from the hospital today, and I’m still in awe of the grace and fortitude of her mother.  So this is a salute to the physical and mental courage of every laboring mother who refuses the repeated entreaties of the hospital personnel to “make it easier” with intravenous medication for pain.

In the early 1970s, I became familiar with The Farm and its Midwifery Crew led by Ina May Gaskin.  The midwives encouraged women to ignore birth horror stories about how much pain is involved. They taught that with appropriate preparation, support from birth attendants, and with the right attitude,  a woman can have a very different experience of the sensations.   With encouragement and help from a partner, she can make it through just one more minute and another and maybe another.  Baby might be spared from sharing powerful drugs.

Ina May taught that a woman has very few opportunities to prove her love for her child in such a profound way, that she would endure discomfort and even excruciating moments of pain for the sake of her baby’s well-being.

I was moved to tears listening to Laura and her husband Rodney reliving the details of their baby’s birth yesterday.  The temptation to end the pain was great - it wasn’t clear to the pros if Laura would be in that situation for minutes or hours.  No way she could do another hour of that.  Could she do another few seconds? She credits her husband for helping her hold out, but hey, with all due respect, only one of them knew the price and paid it.

Ina May wrote that it was good for a father to see the mother of their child displaying such bravery and strength of character.  She said that mothers who were able to give their children the gift of a drug-free birth often came through the experience with an “If I could do that I can do ANYTHING” kind of confidence in their bodies and their spirits.

I know it’s Fathers Day, and I salute my son-in-law Rodney and all the other fathers who are being celebrated today.  I chose to write about mothers. There would be no fathers without them!