There is no reasonable reason why not to learn how-to-birth skills, during pregnancy

Political debates control the conversation setting up opposition as to what is the best birth: natural versus medical, Doctor versus Midwife and home versus hospital. Each aspect is then broken down into more minor yet persistent debates such as constant foetal monitoring as standard practice or cesarean delivery for all breeches and twins. The political debate continues.

There's an imbalance in childbirth. For years the issues around childbirth have been put into political debates, things have changed, yet somehow stayed the same.

There could be a social, rather than political debate that has not come to the forefront. Debates could be much less about where a woman births or who birth provider is and more about what expectant parents need to do for themselves regardless of where or with whom they give birth.

Is there any good reason why expectant families shouldn’t have birth and coaching skills? Pregnancy is the only time to learn these task-appropriate skills. Yet, no one is even suggesting that should happen.

We give more emphasis on a social expectation that if you want a drivers’ license, you learn how to drive. We don’t accept any reasonable reason why not such as: ‘I’m working up to the day of my driver’s test’, or ‘I don’t have time’.

Unfortunately, for the past 40 years, women have become de-skilled based on a truth that pregnancy and birth are normal events in a woman’s life. However, connected to that truth is an accurate assumption which says because birth is natural therefore you don’t need skills. Being hungry is natural but we value people who know how-to cook. These are learned skills appropriate for the natural, physiological feeling of hunger and need to eat.

Unfortunately there is also a belief that other animals don’t need to be taught how to birth therefore humans don’t. This is a wild supposition that does not factor in what makes us different from other mammals, our neo-cortex.

The neo-cortex is the very special part of the brain humans share with other primates, whales and dolphins. We also share the limbic system of our brain with other mammals such as dogs and cats and all of us share the brain stem with any animal (no matter how primitive) that has a brain.

It’s our neo-cortex that gives humans the ability to create skills and more skills. Take a look at the great diversity of cultures and all the different skills learned by other human beings.

In fact, humans love to be skilled; we thrive on feeling competent to do the task with the appropriate skills. And we are all human beings regardless of all factors from personal lifestyles to cultural diversity; from opinions about birth to health factors; to availability of modern maternity care or droughts, wars and tsunamis.

However, along with all the assumptive beliefs in childbirth today, there is also a truth wrapped up with another inaccurate conclusion. The truth states there is no way to know what our birth will be like. The inaccurate assumption is that there is nothing we can do.

The future is always unknown, but it unfolds. Birth unfolds and it happens to every single pregnant woman in the world without fail, one way or the other.

Birth is an action word and the actions any birthing woman can take come from the skills she learns. Because all women are human beings and all men have essentially the same body this means there can be a set of shared, common knowledge skills.

Regardless of where or with whom a woman gives birth, she has to breathe and her body will be in some position. Skills such as: Directed Breathing, the Pelvic Clock or Deep Touch Relaxation, Kate’s Cat, Hip Lift and Sacral Manoeuvre are skills any woman can learn and then use, with the necessary care, assessments, monitoring and procedures that you do.

Whether a woman births alone in the bush, taxi or home she should prepare her pregnant body for birth, learn birth skills and use them to work with her baby’s efforts to be born. Her husband, partner, friend or relative should learn the same set of skills to help her go through this monumental task.

If the birth is going to be a cesarean delivery, pregnancy is still leading to the birth and families can enjoy taking time to prepare, learn the skills and use them during the surgery and recovery. Birth is always an action.

There is no reasonable reason why pregnancy and learning birth and coaching skills should continue to remain disconnected. We do a disservice to all, by just letting this amazing experience happen to us rather than know how to. Empowerment can come from even small accomplishments.

If you want to know more about Directed Breathing, the Pelvic Clock or Deep Touch Relaxation, Kate’s Cat, Hip Lift and Sacral Manoeuvre then visit http://www.birthingbetter.com.

Learn more about The Pink Kit Method For Birthing Better®, the only childbirth preparation course that focuses entirely on birth skills for mothers and fathers for ALL births.

Wintergreen is a Trustee to Common Knowledge Trust  http://www.commonknowledgetrust.com which produces The Pink Kit. She is a childbirth communicator and communicates on the societal benefits of growing a skilled birthing population.