Birth Passion

Two Saturday's ago I had the privilege to attend the first get together at Oageng Baby Link Home Birthing Sanctuary for woman who are planning, expecting and who are mothers. Since I have been on my journey to become a Doula, I have had the opportunity to recognise how much I missed before, during and after my births, but also how uninformed I was to begin with.

We are all, every singe human being, connected to birth. We have to be born to be here, and we have to birth to continue the survival of our species. The topic however is Taboo in so many circles. 

Our society has become more comfortable with topics about sex than topics surrounding childbirth. It's a strange phenomenon how we are focused on gender equality and sexual preference, so much that we hardly noticed how birth has become mundane and uninteresting.

The culture is slowly changing with Medic al Schemes now becoming concerned about the C section rates in South Africa and with Birth Centres becoming the preferred place to deliver babies, for those who can afford it of course.

The reason why I discuss birth and birthing choices wherever I go, however, is because even with all these developements, the change is not happening where mothers have to rely on public care and information that is sometimes sketchy at best. These are the woman/young girls who actually require these talks/sessions the most. When a young girl goes into hospital to deliver a baby and has no idea that Cervical Checks mean that she has to allow the Midwife access to her vagina, I wonder what good we are really doing to support the ladies who might never have the means to attend a birth center.

Our generation suffers because of lack of parenting. Our lack of parenting was passed down to us from our elders who were not necessarily taught how to parent. Bonding was a taboo topic when our parents were children, so they never knew any better. But now that we do know better, and also know the benefits of bonding which help us parent better, why is this information being selfishly kept secret?

Its saddening walking around the area where I grew up, where young mothers don't understand the value of incubating, birthing and raising another human being.  Removing corporal punishment and droping the age that young girls are allowed to engage in sexual activity legally is our government trying to put a band aid over the problem because they simply cannot cope with the amount of damage is happening In these kids homes and communities.

The root however remains, and the truth is that if steps are not taken to change young people's ideas and thoughts on what it means to raise children, every generation that follows will suffer a little more than the former.

Mwah