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In this week’s instalment of what-the-actual-fuck, we found out the real reason why women give birth on their backs. And, trust me, it’s enough to make your blood bfad.
In film and TV, we see it all the time. Woman on back, legs akimbo, with some kind of modesty blanket placed over their lower third and dewy beads of sweat sprinkled across their forehead. But this idealised view of birth hasn’t always been the case.
This allowed the body to create more space in the pelvis for the baby to be born.
Conversely, lying flat on your back while giving birth restricts this movement, which means the baby has to fight and push its way out uphill and against gravity.
To find the culprit we have to go back a few centuries, way back to the ruling time of the King of France.
Male doctors wanted to be able to interfere with birth, so they made women lie on their backs which actually tears the woman terribly and makes birth way worse. Most animals use gravity to help with birth. They'll stand, lie down on their sides, kneel, etc. I know of no creature that lies on their back legs spread pointing to the sky when they give birth. That's what roaches do when they die.
I really wonder why in the medical science community, they're willing to ignore the defining features of chromosomes because it's "outdated," yet for some reason this practice is still in use despite how dangerous it is.... How odd...
Jk, I know why; it's because ignoring the chromos is profitable for big pharma and the plastic surgery industry. Putting women into positions where they're more likely to be injured during birth is also more $$$ for the hospitals because they now have to stay longer for recovery.
This is an ancient Egyptian depiction of childbirth from the temple of Hathor in Denderah. It shows a woman giving birth while being supported by two godesses:
The natural position to give birth in ancient Egypt was squatting on bricks painted with magical scenes meant to protect the mother and the child. The godess of the birth bricks was Meskhenet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meskhenet See her fun headdress? It's a uterus and ovaries.
Even the hieroglyph for "giving birth" shows a squatting women with a baby coming out of her: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Woman_giving_birth_(hieroglyph)
In fact, in medical papyri it is specifically recommended NOT to let the women lie down on her back but to let her walk around for as long as she can and squat.
But hey, what do they know...
The medical field massively prioritises men's health.
Positive news: for what it's worth, most women give birth in normal birthing positions these days (on all fours, squatting, etc) ... at least in the States, which is where I'm based. I was present when my sisters gave birth several times and two friends. All fours and squatting positions seemed to be the most common and most encouraged positions for the actual delivery, while numerous other positions were encouraged prior to that during labor. When I gave birth last year, the doctor/main nurse were encouraging me to try a bunch of positions (I ultimately needed a C-section). We all lied on our backs at points of labor but not for delivery unless the doctors needed to go down there. During ob/gyn visits in the months leading up to giving birth, the doctor clearly explained it won't be anything like in the movies. Mine even drew diagrams to explain how gravity is the best midwife.
Hate that guy he was such a predator.
In ancient Minoan culture (when women were in charge and Goddess was the primary deity), women assisted each other in birthing, as shown in these clay figures. Definitely not on their backs.
Where I lived in rural Kenya, women sat up during birth and assisted each other using a wide strap around the laboring woman's back (the women faced each other). The strap helped relieve the lower back pain of contractions while also supporting the woman in labor. Sometimes three women were together if the birth was difficult: one woman behind helping hold her up, one in front with the strap, and the laboring woman.
Giving birth is no f*cking joke. And I think women are each others' best support for it. My sister helped me with my 2nd baby and it was a beautiful bonding experience for us. I couldn't have done it without her. ❤️
The coccyx in the male pelvis is projected inwards and immovable while a female pelvis has a flexible and straighter coccyx. Lying on the back BLOCKS THAT FLEXIBILITY. Have you ever seen zebra, cow or elephant giving birth lying o their backs? No. Because it's not natural or safe.
I gave birth to my now 18 year old daughter on my back.
I almost think that squatting would relieve some of the labor aches and discomfort. Gravity would also help push the baby out, I would assume with less pain and struggle for Mama and Baby.
🙂💖💯
Men are predators by nature