AWOB VS. NWOB

During the unit on the American way of birth we discussed many ideas of: Patterns of how birth is seen or done in America, more about the fact during a women giving labor, and why people have babies in the first place? We set on the ideas that people mainly have babies because of few reasons: people want a child for a sort of comfort, people want babies because it's whats expected, they want a babie to raise them and have a mini version of themselves, and most importantly that was brought up was that people mainly have babies because people like sex, the result from sex is the mistake of a baby. Today in class we first discuss about whether the government should be able to interfere with a family and how many children produced within a family. Personally in my own opinion yes, for one reason if we keep having babies at the rate that we do we'll become even more over populated then we already are in the world. Secondly because most of the time people have big families because of all the wrong reasons, I mean what real logical reason is there for someone to have like 20 kids, some of which usually can't afford to have one kid at all, this mainly effects the child the most. Secondly we discussed the topic of the American way of Birth vs. the Natural way of birth. In the American way of birth women are usually lying on there back in labor, there are many machines and monitors hooked up to the women, it involves cutting and many instruments, the women is advised to not move a lot, there are bright lights, strange people, photography, many drugs to alleviate pains of labor, a schedule that is set, and is expensive. In contrast the Natural way of birth involve the women squatting during labor, hanging on things to stay up, pain is part of the process and must be tolerated, there are usually many women helping, the women is advised to eat and drink, they give birth in a relaxing place, and is a lot more cheap. So why is it that the way of birth has change so drastically? One argument is that the process of birth has been so mechanical is because women over the years have become more fearful and cowardly to take the painful process of natural birth. Although I agree with this, that the natural way of birth has become so alienated because of fear of pain I don't necessarily find this a bad thing or I'd be a hypocrite. Yes it is a bad way of labor, drugs that can effect the baby, its uncomfortably awkward, there many cutting that can cause infections, etc. and can be extremely more expensive that natural birth I would most likely do it if I was pregnant one day. In class, when a fellow student (Margaux) was asked about this topic she responded with "Its not natural but its normal". Its seen as as a normal process in America and its common and more relieving for the women them selves since its the women who goes through all the pain not a man so a man's perspective should really be as significant as a woman's who is actually giving birth. I think later in the future they are going to come up with more ways then just nerve blocking, epidurals, etc. to make birthing processes even more expensive and less painful and will be seen as great. Less pain more great. And if we were to compare and contrast to the American way of birth there isn't really a right or wrong answer in my opinion, its all based on experience. I personally have obviously never been through labor so I myself can't really say whether a women should go through natural better or American way of birth but if i were to choose i would most likely do what is common and what is less painful.