There is a current trend in online social networking sites that cater to birthing women to broadcast empowering quotes about birth. Many of these quotes are wonderful reminders of the power and strength of women’s bodies and minds. Many quotes are testimonies to the transformative power of birth. But a few of them are easily misinterpreted, and can – when taken out of context – increase the misunderstanding and confusion that surround traumatic birth. Some quotes, if misread, serve to place birth as a competitive act, pitting women against each other. Others appear to point the finger at the woman herself as being to blame for a less-than-great birth, even though that interpretation is unlikely intended by either the author, or those who post the quote online. We are concerned about the impact of these quotes on women recovering from a traumatic birth, and also on women in general, as they perpetuate myths that potentially prevent women from supporting each other in the early mothering phase.
Our article below focuses on one of these quotes, in an effort to explain our concerns, and place the quotes within a context that enables women to better understand their birth experiences, without feeling blamed or like a failure.
There is a secret in our culture
There is a well-known quote about birth that receives a lot of airplay within the birthing community, and is used a great deal on natural birth blogs, websites and in chat forum signatures . The quote, by Laura Stavoe Harm, reads : “There is a secret in our culture and it is not that birth is painful but that women are strong”.
The intent of this quote might appear as an acknowledgement of women’s power and determination, and a direct counterattack on our culture’s approach to birth. It could be seen as refuting the notion that ‘birth is painful and something to be feared’. But this quote actually has the potential to continue the myths that abound about birth, and especially traumatic birth.
