I wonder also if another contributing factor is that young women no longer experience physical discomfort. In previous generations women worked physically hard in their day to day activities (washing, scrubbing floors, carrying shopping, walking for transport, gardening etc), and were used to feeling their bodies work hard. Unless one engages in regular intense sports or athletics, women today are rarely physically uncomfortable, with all modern conveniences taking the effort out of day to day life, we don't even have to get off the couch to turn the television channel over. So when early labour begins and their bodies start to work, they are may not be used to feeling the activation of muscles and nerves and their bodies working?
Cheers
Tiffany Quinn
Registered Nurse/Midwife
Australia
> On 9 Jun 2015, at 2:47 am, Jenny Hall <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> In addition to this we have an 'instant access' generation of young women who expect everything to happen straight away... Putting up with pain, labour and everything else isn't part of this world view
> Jenny
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 8 Jun 2015, at 15:05, Louise Silverton <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
> Thanks Mary. Nice to know that The work of Margaret Mead is alive and well!
>
> Clearly there is a lot here about fear of the unknown and the need to control that uncertainty. This is tied in with a societal (Men and women) lack of acceptance of pain in almost any circumstance. I have noticed that some of today's mothers seem to find the pain of even early labour hard to tolerate. I don't think that this was my experience years ago. I suggest that young women manage dysmenorrhea by liberal use of analgesics and/or oral contraceptives. If early labour and even Braxton Hicks elicit negative responses how much harder is it to encourage a woman to take labour as it comes and to see how she responds.
>
> Louise
>
> Louise Silverton
> Director For Midwifery
> Royal College of Midwives
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On 8 Jun 2015, at 08:45, Stewart Mary <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
> This is, as Sheena pointed out, a great discussion!
>
> I have been struck by some of the comments about the need to address what seems to be some women’s deep-rooted fear of childbirth. I wonder whether the issue begins even earlier (i.e. pre-pregnancy). I’m conscious of the fact that there is increasing cultural and social pressure on young women to sanitise, control and, in some ways, infantilise their bodies i.e. the
|