Childbirth Is An Act Of Love: Birth According To Michel Odent

There is no pain more intense than that of childbirth, no feeling as deep as that of the mother when she sees her baby. Childbirth is an act of love. How to ruin this moment so magical and exceptional? It’s a sacrilege, but it happens.

We are not just talking about the need to enjoy a respectful birth. We also refer to many other factors that tend to extinguish a little the initial spark that triggers this bond which, according to many experts, is fundamental. We also refer to those relatives who sometimes come to pick up the baby before the mother herself.

There are many, many details that can affect this act of love. Most of them are due to medical procedures, aseptic environments, standardized rituals such as cutting the umbilical cord or bathing the newborn as soon as possible.

Interesting studies suggest that we see this process in another way. Medical assistance must be present at all times, there is no doubt about this. But  there is a need for a new sensitivity, for another perspective of which the relatives of the pregnant woman must also become part.

Childbirth is an act of love, not an instrumental procedure

Michel Odent, a French doctor and obstetrician, is one of the world’s leading experts in this field.

Thanks to him we have really interesting works that support the idea of ​​rethinking the parts to make them more sensitive, more affectionate. Dr. Odent argues that childbirth is an act of total love between two beings, and must not be violated. 

According to him, we have long since crossed the boundaries of what is allowed. Today we have access to a “humanized” birth in which, however, the human aspect is set aside. And childbirth becomes exploited. Synthetic oxytocin is used, couches and, above all, the abuse of caesareans.

The purpose of all this is first of all to ensure the safety of the mother and child. It’s a good thing, there’s no doubt about it. However, it is something else that we oppose: that women give birth under stress, in fear, in an uncomfortable way.  For his part, the child certainly does not love all those hands that handle him, that turn him over, that wash him, unaware of where his mother is.

During childbirth we must apply the model of protection

Dr. Odent at 87 years of age continues to advocate the need to put the “paradigm of protection” into practice. It is based on the following points:

• Think about the physical and emotional well-being of the mother and baby.

• The mother must feel protected, respected and comfortable. This means that it is his right to choose how to give birth. The cot is not always the preferred option for women. Many feel safer to give birth standing.

• Hair removal, induction of childbirth with oxytocin or an epidural are options that a woman should be able to choose after consulting with her doctor.

• The baby does not need to be washed right away. In reality, the white substance that covers it is a kind of natural film that protects the epidermis. Nothing happens to him if it is not removed immediately, in the first moments of skin-to-skin contact with the mother.

• The umbilical cord needs to be cut when it stops throbbing. Until then, in fact, he offers the baby a vaccine against diseases such as neonatal tetanus , according to Michel Odent.

• Dr. Odent is also the author of the first written work on the need to initiate breastfeeding in the hour following childbirth.

Communication with the mother during childbirth

This data is curious. The model advocated by Dr. Odent speaks of the need not to shout at the mother, not to repeat phrases such as “push” sometimes loudly, nor to address her in an insistent way.

During childbirth, the woman’s neocortex (our rational brain) slows down its activity to focus on the instinctive and purely emotional area. In this sense, verbal orders and even words from the surrounding environment only raise stress levels. 

It is necessary to remember what we said at the beginning: childbirth is a delicate act of love, and it must take place as such.

Relatives, do not disturb new parents

After the mother has given birth, she only needs calm, silence, her baby and her partner.  There will be time to get to know the new born. A whole life, in fact. The birth and the following hours belong only to the new family.