I read a book called "Birthing From Within", and in it there was one page that stuck with me clearly. It was a page with decorative pictures and sketches of birth and was very attractive to my deep desire to experience birth. I was pregnant with my first child and looking forward to my birthing experience!

Perphas I will have permission to post the page here at a later date. In the meantime, the page I am referring to is Page 121, Figure 21.1.

It decipts a naked woman resting back against her partner with a newborn babe in her arms. They are peaceful, serene, fulfilled - they are complete. Now all around them, there are miscallenous pictures, a dog howling at the moon, hands, aromatherapy stuff, a bottle of oil, a bathtub of water, music playing on a record player, a blooming flower, a glass of water, a clock crossed out, a rocking chair, baby clothes on a line, a cat in a cage, a fertility goddess statue, a hen, champagne glasses, a meal waiting to be eaten.

The heading has; Labour is Hard Work - It Hurts - And You Can Do It
The other words on the page; labour project, close your mind, drink 4oz/hr, labor has its own clock, open like a flower, birth from within, deep sacral pressure, massage, relax - breathe - DoNothingExtra

What jumped out at me? "Labour is Hard Work".

What crept into the back of my mind? A lot of things designed to "support" labour and birthing, measures such as aromatherapy, labour projects, oil, rags, water, bendy straws, cups, towels, food, chairs, music, setting a tone for "working hard".

Labour is hard, complicated work, requiring support and outside factors.

Then I read the page opposite to it, page 120. On it, there is a small quote:

"There are three things that are givens about labour; It's hard work, it hurts a lot, and you can do it. That's the bottom line. All the rest you learn about is icing on the cake" Suzanne Stalls, Albuquerque midwife.

Instantly, it was easy to disagree about the "hurts a lot" part because I simply did not, and refused to believe that pain was a given in childbirth. And I was steadfast on that one.

However, for some reason the hard work and complexity of the hard work sunk in along with the word "labour". I didn't really question it until after I gave birth and realised that I had that constant thought all throughout my pregnancy and never questioned it.

That one thought occured so often and without contest from me, that it became a firm part of my belief structure.

Click here to go back to the article on belief structures.