Kanisa George
The magic of extracting a teeny, tiny human being or sometimes a ten-pound miracle from the depths of a woman. Everyone talks about the joys of birth, the joy of bringing new life into the world. Skin against skin and tears in the midst of screams culminate months of waiting, never-ending nerves and weird cravings.
Every birth story is different, and in each chapter, there is often a paragraph or two that speaks to pain, morning sickness and labour that went on for far too long. The unexpected aside, the birthing process, though scary, can be a stress/incident-free environment that caters to the needs of nervous mothers and their bundles of joy. Though this should be the golden standard, a number of celebrities, first-time mothers and women from all walks of life share their harrowing birthing experiences in what could only be regarded as draconian, inhuman and degrading.
For much of history, before the invention of modern medicine, expectant mothers were attended to by a group of women, usually relatives and midwives, who supported them during delivery and offered remedies for pain relief. Midwives would usually create a private, sterile environment, position the woman for birth, check the baby's position, and use oiled hands to help stretch the woman's tissues before delivery.
While these practices are still very present in modern-day birthing, there has been an upward trend of women confessing that they felt voiceless and invisible during the birthing process. Some even allege that they were mistreated by nursing staff while giving birth with incidents of abuse being reported.
How could what some regard as the most magical moment in a woman's life be underscored by insults, abuse and complete mistrust? In 2019, the results of research conducted in four counties by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that more than one-third of women experience mistreatment during childbirth in health facilities. According to the WHO, this study built on the results from a mixed-methods systematic review conducted in 2015, which developed a typology of what constitutes mistreatment of women during childbirth based on 65 studies conducted in 34 countries.
The review found that not only do women have to cope with indescribable birthing pains, fear, and the overwhelming feelings associated with showing your lady parts to all and sundry, women are abused both physically and emotionally. Slapping, pinching and in rare cases, sexual assault are just a few examples of the ills women face while giving birth.
Women are not only shouted at and berated; they are also discriminated against because of their age, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. One common trend amongst healthcare practitioners is the use of harsh or rude language. This results in the poor rapport between women and providers, and lack of supportive care, leading to women being treated like hypochondriacs.
Saraswathi Vedam, a midwife and professor at the University of British Columbia and author of a study on mistreat
