insights from "Baby Catcher" parte três

I swirled the last drops of water in my glass and set it back down onto the table. My phone sat on my lap and I lazily typed a text message to my brother "Lets leave, Antonio. I'm tired!". I peered over to the table where he stood, flirting with a girl. Momentarily, he pulled the phone out of his pocket, saw what I typed, glanced toward where I was sitting, and ignored the text completely.  Getting frustrated and impatient I texted again, "I'll mess it up for you" but this time he didn't even care to look over the text.  He just set his phone back in his pocket. I stood up and began to march in their direction, determined to interrupt their conversation so that we could leave this boring cocktail party. Too focused on my brother and the girl I didn't notice the little elderly lady in front of me and bumped into her, spilling her drink. "Oh my god, I'm so sorr-" Her face grew tense, but quickly morphed from a frown into a smile.  As she began to dry the drink from her blouse I spurted out...

"I apologize for that, I wasn't watching where I was walking."
She shook her head, "Not your fault its okay."
"I'm so sorry...You know, you look really familiar." I said. "Is your name Patty?"
"No, I'm sorry, I think you've confused me with someone else? Have a good night."

As she walked away, I began to mumble, "No! Not Patty.... Peg, umm, Peggy?" She turned her head toward me indicating that I had the right name. "Peggy! Wow! Sorry, my name is Naima, I'm a high school senior and in my social studies class we just finished our unit on birth! I'm on my spring break now... wait, your name is Peggy Vincent?" She nodded, overwhelmed with the rush of words flowing through my mouth. "Yeah! I just finished reading your book umm... Baby Catcher!"

"And you said you're a senior, in high school?" I nodded my head quickly, excitement bubbling over. "I didn't know they provided my book to readers that young.." She mumbled. "What did you think?"

 Wow, where to begin! I thought. "Well, umm, I really think that your book was special, and I appreciate you writing Baby Catcher. The stories you told of the women and their births really impressed upon me the need for women to take control of the birthing process. The idea of empowering women so that they are not passive during birth was so compelling to me, even though I've never had a child of my own.

"Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?"

"Well, in the last third of the book you focused on how your midwifery experiences led you to feel empowered and how you treasured each experience with your patients. I was so moved by the tragedy that occurred with your patient whose baby struggled during labor to the point that when it was born with a prolapsed umbilical cord it became clear that he was badly damaged - deaf, blind and paralyzed.  This traumatic incident resulted in you being sued, even though it wasn't your fault, and you were held liable. I felt horrible when you lost your insurance because I understood that being a midwife was your passion. I also knew that when you were forced to return to the hospital practices that you knew that it wasn't the way women should be treated. You made the analogy that it was like working on an assembly line, and I thought how inhumane! Women shouldn't be treated that way. In this placement back under the supervision of doctors, your writing reflected your feelings of being dis-empowered. This part of your experience further developed the main idea of your story - the importance of allowing women to take control during the birthing process.  You were able to contrast how doctors in the hospital often felt entitled and took control while women had little ability to exert their opinions (including midwives).

She blinked twice as I spoke.  "Wow, I'm surprised that you actually enjoyed my book. You're in high school?" I nodded. "And you haven't given birth?" She asked. I shook my head no. "Please, tell me more about what you took from the book."

"Should I be more specific?" She tilted her head as if to say 'Sure'.  I took a deep breath and continued, "Well, I noticed that you often brought up the principle that motivated your work -  'Childbirth is normal until proven otherwise' (page 327).  You contrasted your perspective to that taken by most doctors ideology who held the view that 'Normal birth is a retrospective diagnosis. All births are complicated until proven otherwise'(page 311).  This struck me as so important because we live in a society where people view doctors as masters of health and we give up our freedom when we turn ourselves over to their care.

You also stated that many doctors (most that you've encountered, with few exceptions) approach childbirth by thinking about whats in their best interest rather than the woman.  (page 327)  This is really an extension of the previous point but its important to me because it further illustrates how women become dis-empowered.   When doctors decide how to handle a birth, they are more likely to call for a cesarian, to use pain killers and other invasive procedures, and to treat the woman having the child as if she was incidental to the process.  This seems so unjust and inhumane to me."

Peggy smiled at me with a look of simple wisdom and recognition.  "I can see that you got a lot out of my book. That makes me proud".

But I blurted out more. " I was struck by what you said about the diversity of births you participated in.  You wrote 'Women react with perfect freedom in the comfort of their own homes, and I learned long ago not to try predicting who would be quiet or noisy, stoical or dramatic.' (page 315)  You also described so many different ways in which women and their families went through the birthing process, ways that reflected their particular needs, desires and culture.  This struck me as the way it should be."

I paused, waiting for a response, "I really appreciate everything that you've taken into consideration." She smiled, "Honestly, what could I have done to improve this book or? Or to more effectively fulfill its purpose?"

I took my time in responding to this question because I knew that I couldn't keep her any longer. This was, after all, a cocktail party and not a lecture, "'Baby Catcher' sought to provide intimate narratives form the perspectives of a midwife to allow people to better understand pregnancy and birth in our culture. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I have to offer would be to provide a more honest and humbling perspective of the women who decide (or think of as their only option) to go to a hospital for birth."

Peggy's eyebrows lifted, and she looked worried. I put my hand across my chest, "Please don't feel as though I'm criticizing! I appreciate the work that you've devoted to this important issue and for making me think about the birthing process and my future in terms of pregnancy and birth. You made being a midwife a desirable career for me! I always knew that I would have a home birth, but now I've thought more critically as to why I would chose that path" I said.

"Thanks! Talking to you was wonderful. I really appreciate everything you've said." Peggy said.

I smiled awkwardly, thanked her and stood up. Looking around the room, I couldn't find my brother. I looked down at my phone to five unread messages, all from Antonio. I finally spotted him, alone and asleep, with his mouth wide open.

"Have a good night, Peggy. Its been amazing speaking with you.



(On a side note, I've never been happier to finish a book...)

insights from "Baby Catcher" parte dois

Vincent, Peggy. Baby Catcher. New York: Scribner, 2002. Print.

Baby Catcher is a book written about the incredible experiences and growth of Peggy Vincent. Her role as a birthing assistant began as a student delivery room nurse, childbirth teacher and has now (my current position in the story) transitioned to a midwife. Each story that Vincent tells provides substantial insights into her personal experience and leaves me longing to share the stories I've just been so moved by.

After having watched "The Business of Being Born" (http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/) almost a complete second time around, I've realized that the film didn't have as much influence on me as the book. Whereas Baby Catcher narrows in on the intimate details of one woman's story, "The Business of Being Born" often leaves the viewer feeling disconnected from the women in the film because it focuses more on the critique of the health care system rather than the personal stories of women. 

"As I knelt to catch each woman's baby, I paid homage to a miracle. Not just to the wonder of new life, but also to a woman's transformation from girl to woman to mother- and, for a moment, to goddess."

This captures the authors recognition of the wonder of birth in a way that a technical or medical explanation could not. Even from my own limited experience from seeing births on film, reading about them and hearing women speak about them, I find myself in awe of the process that women go through. In describing  woman as a goddess Vincent is conveying the miracle of transformation that women go through at the moment of birth.  By speaking of this as an evolution, Vincent reminds her readers that ordinary women are able to accomplish an extraordinary feat. The fact that millions of women have done this throughout history does not make this any less magical or awesome.

Below are five aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in Baby Catcher that I believe deserve wider attention:

• A control issue exists among birthing assistants including doctors AND midwives. Women need to be able to reassert control. (page 100) 
• The beauty and strength required to experience a natural birth (page 26)
• The need for men to find a role that is supportive but not controlling  (page 97)
• The importance of having a midwife who has experienced her own birth and has wisdom and maturity as a result  (page 41)
• Its important to create an environment that's accepting, loving and comfortable for the mother and the new baby  (page 85)

#27 comments

 Thinking/Writing groups

For Eloise:
"Eloise,

I believe that your writing is in many ways informative. Your post had a lot of information from both Ryan's and Bill's interview that I forgot to add which shows me that you were able to listen well and jot down the notes at the same time- which is great! (I'm not so good at multi-tasking)

I also noticed that your writing is extremely straight forward which is good- it gets to the point.

I think that my favorite lines were when you explained WHY something was the way it was. It showed that the interviewer gave off one of their "bubbles" and you expanded off of them into real, thoughtful, thinking, which is great. I think that was my favorite line:

'This symbolized for me the ultimate women’s empowerment her being the center of attention because of her struggle in her most animal form naively being, not restricted by the pressures of society, with as many people as she desired supporting her.'

I thought it was powerful, thought- provoking and insightful.

Although your writing was informative, I found it overwhelming to read simply because there was a lack of space within the actual format. I find that when you space out your writing into more paragraphs grouped together, its much easier to read and flows much better."


For Devin:
 "Devin,

Your narrative flowed very beautifully together. You were able to tie pieces that hadn't seemed connected and wove them nicely into the story.

I also appreciated the way you brought emotional factors into your writing. In particular, my favorite piece was:

"She and my mother would take turns lunch with one another, and even though they live next door it was hard to get past all the piles of snow and ice. She felt like a prisoner especially knowing that it was summer in Brazil."

I too would like to know why you think its better for women to have children at a (to me, considered) later age- 30. To improve your writing, I think you could develop the depths of your perspective- how you feel about certain "norms" of child birth."


From Eloise:


From Devin:
"You interviewed three different young women, and it's interesting that they all have different views about having a baby. I think the most powerful line is this one from Beinda:"I want to have kids because I feel like it’s a struggle that I have to face that will make me stronger. Every woman in my family has been an independent mother, and I feel like I will too. Its not what I want, its just a pattern I've noticed." This response sounds so depressing to me. You said that using the term "independent" parent instead of "single" parent might indicate a "more empowered sense of the possiblities of single parenthood." I think that raising a child is a two - person job and that having two parents usually makes life easier. The fact that Belinda calls having kids a struggle she has to face and that she thinks she will probably have to do alone because that seems to be the way it happens in her family is too bad. It sounds fatalistic, and I hope she'll be the one to break the one - parent cycle. You said yourself that you wished you had prepared some different questions. I think it might have been interesting if you had asked them about what they wanted to do with their lives before having children."



Mentor/Protege

From Joaquin:
"I appreciate the experiences shared through the stories that you present. Birthing a child truly is an incredible event and witnessing a birth is, literally, life-changing, for many. Like death, everyone will have a taste of birth, even if they don't remember it. It is one of the mysteries of life and another example of our powers, of the magic, we human possess.

I appreciated the first story and the stories Bill told most in your writing. The perspective of a woman that has had 3 children is invaluable, especially considering how much she was willing to share. Bill sounds like an entertaining character and being present for his story was spellbinding, I'm sure. You're so good at presenting the characters of your writing/interviews in a way that allows the reader to feel like they met the person. This, as I've said before, is a treat for any reader because it is clear, descriptive, and allows for a vivid image of the scene in the reader's imagination.

My suggestions would be to include a link to the movie you referenced (even if it's only for the trailer because the movie is on topic and interesting), don't assume the reader knows all of the terms you use (like dulla), so explain in your writing what it is, and always reread your work before you consider it complete.

Thanks bebe. Nice work. Love you.

Joaquin "


From Emma:
"Naima,
Once again, I think this post illustrates how well you are able to articulate and express yourself. Your personality and voice really shines through your writing. I loved all of the interviews, but I think Bill's story was particularly powerful and the way you described him really created a clear image. I like the line, "With raised eyebrows, the participants questioned his 'loneliness' in the birth, considering his wife pushed the baby out" because it really conveys the different perspectives regarding birth and how Bill's perspective is truly unique.
Overall, your piece got me to really think about how I want to have my own birth. I've always thought I wanted a natural birth, but I'm also such a big baby when it comes to pain. However, your piece helped me realize that natural births are really the best way of connecting to your child and having a meaningful and beautiful birth."

interviews under the shade structure

We live in a society where birthing is treated as a medical process where the doctors are in control. In fact, women are encouraged to turn over all responsibility for birthing to their doctors as though birthing were in illness. This is one of the reasons why so many women end up having cesarean births. Doctors are often impatient and rather than allowing the birthing process to run its course naturally, they cut a woman open. This approach also encourages fear in women, which is why so many want pain killers to numb themselves from the pain they experience during child birth. It is ironic that we've come to see birth in this way when for most of human existence, birth was not handled in this way. Birth was a natural part of life and women had their babies with the support of other women in the most natural ways possible.

The two people I decided to interviewed understand that birth is a natural process and this is how they've come to approach it.

"I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Ryan, I'm 29 years old and I'm a mother of three children." I met Ryan in the beginning of the summer through her work at Our School at Blair Grocery in New Orleans. Ryan and I decided to speak underneath the shade structure when we began our interview. I started by asking her if she could share the stories of the births of her three children. It seemed as though she was comfortable sharing and as though she had told these stories many times before. "I was married for almost two years before Leah was born. We were in the hospital and I had an epidural." (an epidural is a local pain killer that is frequently administered to women during labor). Ryan explained that during her first birth she "freaked out mentally" because she didn't feel like she was in control of the birth. Continuing with her story, she squinted, "Jonah was born 19 months later." She told me that Jonah's birth was induced with petocine and that he came very quickly. Her third child, Miles, was an all natural birth that she also had in the hospital with the help of a dullah and a midwife. She told me that through each birth, she was able to learn more about herself. Before Miles was born, her husband, Kyle, showed her "The Business of Being Born" which helped her make a decision about how to have her third child. After she watched the film she became a little wiser and less afraid.

She said that birth of her three children was the most influential and positive things that had occurred in her life. Her husband and family were present during each birth with the exception of her last child Miles. She and her husband decided that they wanted to have him on their own in a more private setting. Ryan told me that with her first child Leah, she felt anticipation and fear of the unknown. With Jonah her second, she felt excitement and slightly less anxious because she had been through it before. With Miles she felt relaxed even though she experienced more pain. It probably helped that she had the support of a dulla and a midwife who was nurturing. As she reflected on her three births, she realized that some of the fears that arose during child birth came from just being in the hospital. "Birth is something very natural and they put fear in the women instead of educating them and helping them to feel less anxious... People don't realize that they have options." The hospital didn't allow her to eat during first two births which made her feel weak and a lack of energy. Ryan also told me that giving birth to children was expensive. Each birth was costly, but the first birth was the most expensive - Leah: $13,000, Jonah: $10,000, Miles- $5,000. Aside from taking control of the birthing process, doctors create the image that they know what their doing and that the women don't. Toward the end of our conversation, Ryan told me that she felt good about her decision to have her last baby naturally.


Bill raised his "camel unfiltered cigarette" to his mouth and released the smoke through his nostrils. "I was at the Woodstock festival in 1969 living in-" and that was about as far as he could get before the rest of the participants listening could cut him off. "WOODSTOCK?!?" everyone mouthed. He laughed his toothless grin and continued his story, "I was living in New York at the time and we were driving up to the festival. Two girls on our trip were pregnant at the time but I didn't know they were pregnant enough to have babies." Bill Hill was 19 years old when he first midwifed two babies in one night. He had delivered cows and dogs before so he felt he had a bit of experience and "knew the way it worked". "The situation was really scary." Another drag from the cigarette. " Because we were out in the country and their ain't no sanitary stuff out there. Ya know? I didn't know how to cut the umbilical cords for the two women." He mentioned that since there had been a lot of marijuana smoking at the concert, there were tons of roach clips laying around which he used to clip the cords. "It don't take no rocket scientist to have a baby."

"I delivered my girls in my home, on the kitchen table, by myself." With raised eyebrows, the participants questioned his 'loneliness' in the birth, considering his wife pushed the baby out. "Well, she couldn't do much. She pushed it out, but I did most of the work" He said pointing his finger into his chest. " I had the harder job." We let him continue, despite our differences in opinions. Bill believed that the process after the birth is more difficult than the actual birth. "You have to take care of the placenta, you have to make sure the baby's clean, make sure there's no bleeding." Bill and his wife dealt with a lot of issues before and after the birth and when the second daughter was 3 weeks old, "my wife didn't want to be a mom anymore, and decided to leave. I didn't know what to do but I knew that my neighbor had recently had a child and was breastfeeding. I rang on her doorbell and asked her to breast feed my child because I didn't want to put her on formula," and his neighbor agreed.

All in all, Bill claimed to have supported seven women throughout their births which struck me as remarkable. "Birth is the most invigorating thing I've seen. Seeing the baby come out, cleaning it, its amazing. You know it?" I shook my head no. "Life is just a buncha cycles, and its just amazing that your getting to learn about it in school."

The last person I interviewed was my friend Sam. I couldn't find anyone else I might be able to interview, so I told Sam to create a fictional story in one minute and here's what he came up with: " I was in South Africa with my uncle Jimmy. We were on this crazy natural reserve with all these mosquitoes and animals. Out of nowhere we saw a giraffe running for its life! And a lion was chasing it! The giraffe was sprinting and then a baby giraffe fell out and started running from the lion as well!" Here, I interrupted: "Was there any blood?" I asked. "No blood, just a bunch of this nasty goo. The baby was covered in slime and started running. It slipped a couple of times because of the slime, but luckily, the lion got tired of running and stopped the chase." When I asked Sam what he learned from this experience, he responded by saying "I've just got a new found respect for giraffes."

As you can see from this story, many young men have no clue what a birth is really like- but someone like Sam is not alone. Even women like Ryan was afraid before she had her first child because the birthing process has been so medicalized and removed from its natural state.

I would like to learn more about the role and the history of midwives. Particularly, I'm interested in learning about how it came to be that midwives who once delivered most of the babies in the United States have now become so marginal and some states even outlawed.