You turn on the movie. The heroine is in , the birth scene comes and there is a 99 percent chance that she will be lying on her back. Apart from the rather fairytale treatment of the whole , this is how we imagine the whole process. And unfortunately, this is how it most often looks in real life. In reality, giving birth lying down and on your back is probably one of the most absurd ideas. And its origin is even more absurd.
Midwives used to know what the best position for giving birth was. That all changed in the 17th century.
In 1987, the American Journal of Public Health published an article by Lauren Dundes, now a professor of sociology at McDaniel College. She pointed out that until the 18th century, everything was “normal,” and women gave birth in a natural (for them) position, one that would allow them to feel the least pain and discomfort, and in which labor would proceed most easily, with the help of gravity.
They were performed kneeling, standing, squatting, and also on special birthing chairs. When a chair was out of the question, midwives (or other people helping with the birth) took care of maintaining a sitting position. Birthing chairs were known in ancient Egypt, in many places they are still a normal practice, and today modern versions can be found in hospitals. However, at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the custom changed.
Birth unsplash.com/Gabriel Tovar
Why do women give birth lying down? It’s all thanks to… the king of France
Louis XIV is responsible for the revolution that obstetricians are still fighting against today. The French king, as it turns out, had a rather unusual fetish for childbirth and how a woman’s body prepares and carries out the birthing process. He had no shortage of opportunities to observe, as he was the father of 22 children.
[Ludwik XIV – red.] He was frustrated by the lack of opportunity to observe births when they were performed on a birthing chair, so he began promoting the new position. He also insisted that male midwives assist in the birth
– writes Lauren Dundes. It also had a second meaning, in this way the monarch ensured that the child would not be switched and that nothing would happen to it. Is giving birth on the back and with the legs up really the fault of the King of France? The custom that he insisted on at court certainly had an impact on behavior outside it as well. The practices that he promoted soon became the norm. Today, obstetrics are trying to return to the old and natural methods. Women in labor are increasingly encouraged to change positions, move, use various accessories, and be active during labor.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
