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)