Recently, a Wall Street Journal opinion piece connected the comments of Anthony Fauci during the Covid-19 pandemic to the explosion of NASA’s Challenger in 1986. …, reminding us that the decisions made and advice offered by so-called experts should be taken with a grain of salt. Nature will have the final say. Famed physicist Richard Feynman alluded to this with his words: “Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts.”
How does this relate to your story as a birthing person?
Most pregnant people consult with a doctor or midwife through their journey of pregnancy, labor, and birth. After 8 years of post-secondary education, an additional 4 years in residency, plus however many extra years of practice your doctor has had, it only seems natural to call your obstetrician an expert in pregnancy and birth.
Here is what they are not an expert in, however: YOU.
YOU are the ultimate expert in your birth, because you are the expert in yourself.
Moreover, even though there will be much acquainting to do with your baby after his or her arrival, you are for now their expert (or the closest thing to an expert) too. Sonograms, tape measuring, and palpation can lead only to educated guesses about your baby’s size and position. Fetoscopes, dopplers, and electronic fetal monitors can help us know only a single overanalyzed metric — fetal heart rate. As the one who is holding your child 24 hours a day for months on end, you are the one who can best attune to their needs even when you may not be able to articulate exactly what may be happening for your baby in utero.
Case in point: a client several years ago who was planning a natural birth and checking all the boxes for a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy suddenly knew her plans needed to change at 36 weeks. There was nothing her doctor noted at the appointment the previous day that suggested she would be disqualified from a spontaneous physiological labor, but the mother could tell in her core that somehow her baby needed to be born right away. The only identifiable symptom was an itch that had suddenly developed. When she reached the hospital and had further testing done, it was understood why: she had choleostasis of pregnancy, a rare but dangerous condition.
Another case: “On the next push, try just breathing or try a different sound than screaming.” Those words were spoken by a local obstetrician to a client I worked with earlier this year. She was screaming her way through her final contractions, and it was an awesome thing to behold! For this mom, screams helped her release tension, cope without anesthesia, and find her power. But as we are conditioned to comply with the recommendations of “experts”, my client gave up her powerful screams to for the next pushes. The results were humbling to the well intentioned OB. She saw that actually, this particular mother pushed much more effectively when screaming than when quiet. “Nevermind, you can go back to screaming,” the doctor added afterwards. My clients’ baby boy was born perfectly healthy within about 10 minutes after the mom started screaming again.
From these two stories and the stories of many other moms, including Serena Williams locally, we can see that actually, listening to the mom and centering her care around her expressed needs, interests, and desires would make for better outcomes.
So next time you hear someone refer to an obstetrician, midwife, or even a doula as a birth expert…
pause
take a deep breath
and remember:
YOU are the expert.
You will make the best decisions for yourself and your baby.
No other person can birth your baby out except for you.
No one knows your baby better than you.
Your instincts are trustworthy. You can take heart whenever you feel any instincts — for the good or the bad. Instincts are a sign of body intelligence. You are brilliant. Your body is brilliant. And your baby is brilliant too!
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Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, West Palm Beach, FL 