Did I tell you that I think that labour lasts as long as you need to learn all the lessons required for this particular child? There’s perhaps a little extra time added to work through some particularly tricky past life experiences. The baby’s personality has a lot to do with this...
One of the family doctors I know, said that all three of her boys had labours to fit their personalities. One came flying so fast that his cord broke. And that’s how he goes through life - flying headlong into things (both physically and emotionally). Another son takes his time, considers all his options, then considers them some more. As a result, his labour took a long, long time.
My daughter is strong, powerful, never wanting to follow the crowd. When I was in labour, her head was trying to forge a new, totally different path - out my hip. Later, her high school math teacher said that she would pound away at a problem for a long time, only to later discover that if she just turned the equation around, the answer was there - and simple. That sounded just like her labour, since she eventually tilted her head, and came easily.
It’s interesting, but my clients who have the quickest births often have the hardest time adjusting to parenthood. They often tell me that they just can’t figure out their baby. In a 15-minute labour, there’s not much time to learn the lessons that you need to parent this child.
So, be thankful if you have a long, gradual labour. There are many benefits to the lessons learned during this time - lessons that you will draw upon for a lifetime. You might even begin to understand that labour and birth is something that’s out of your hands, and that's okay. When things are slow, it's not "your fault." It might just be your baby speaking to you through your body...
So, listen. - Jacquie Munro, Vancouver Doula
1 comment:
Great post! My daughter was breech, but they didn't know it until I was in labor and dilated to 4. She is a little trickster and marches to the beat of her own drum.
VBACAdventure
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