"How I gave birth" stories are kind of like "big fish" tales. With each retelling, you get more hardcore. First time around, you gave birth drug-free. Second time? Drug-free with one arm tied behind your back. And so on. But did you give birth in absolute silence at home?
This one mom from Jerusalem kept quiet during the whole OMG, ouch labor and delivery process. And then, the woman who happens to practice the Jewish faith also managed to sit, quiet and patient, with her newborn still attached to her via the umbilical cord, until sundown! She didn't even get to coo over that sweet little pumpkin!
The new mom had taken a vow of silence for the Jewish Sabbath day, and she refused to give up ... even when her rabbi called the paramedics. According to a report in The Huffington Post, even the idea of a rabbinical tribunal to relieve her of her vow didn't make the mom budge.
Yikes!
I would have thought that the fact that the rabbi actually called upon the paramedics would have given this mom a break, but I'm not Jewish, and as such can't really comment on how these sort of rules of the faith work. I don't know why or how or any of it. So I'm not going there, OK? It's too easy to criticize when you aren't well versed in someone's culture.
I can comment on what it takes to be 100 percent silent during the birth of a baby and after. I'll tell you right now, I know I couldn't do it! And I don't know many women who could!
We don't scream when we're in labor because we're wusses (contrary to certain male opinions). We do it because it's in our nature: scientists have proven that there is actual pain relief to be had when we swear or shout.
I remember lying in the labor room (at that time my hospital moved you to another room for the actual delivery), listening to women up and down the hallway screaming their lungs out. I wasn't a screamer, but you can bet your sweet bippy that I was making some noises while I produced a human being. My version was repetition of a certain curse word muttered under my breath.
As for after the baby's born, all I wanted to do was talk to my daughter! I was cooing and telling her how beautiful she was, and I probably did not shut up for a good hour or so ...
How about you? How long could you take the silence?
Image via futureshape/Flickr
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Comments 47
I only screamed with my second. I am allergic to latex, and in teh rush to leave at shift change teh nurse used a latex cath, I was screaming not from labor pains, I was screaming to get the(insert bad words) cath out of me. My 3rd baby was born with in 8 min of being at the hospital, I was to emerced in a book and did not feel pain at all, We only went to the hospital because I hadnt felt her move in 4 hours. 4th baby I was induced, got the pitocin at 8, held off on the epi til 12:30, She was out at 1:53.
Baby 5( in 2014 when teh implanon is removed) I am doing a birthing center.
as on orthodox jew, I can say it: That is a very strange and unusual practice.
As an Orthodox Jew, I can tell you with certainty that her vow of silence, and then her refusal to speak upon receiving Rabbinic dispensation is an extreme of an extreme and NOT the norm by any stretch of the imagination.
Separate of that however is everyone's overreaction to the situation. Home birth is not a new and unusual thing and keeping the placenta attached to the baby is called LOTUS BIRTH and while not mainstream, is also not unheard of.
The articles never state if mother OR baby were in any kind of distress that warranted forced removal.
I've never heard of a silent vow on Shabbat. there are fanatics in every religion to each his own. I'm pretty sure that Scientologists do the same...
I was induced with my first child, so right after they broke my water, they gave me my epidural. I was in labor for 20 hours, and literally slept through it all except the last 3 hours. Which was bad because since I was laying down all that time it delayed my dialation and barely missed having a c-section. But, once I actually sat up, I went from 3cm to 10 in an hour. And with 3 pushes there was my beautiful daughter, I had no pain, so I was very quiet, I didn't even know she was out until they put her in my arms. The only pain I felt was the uterine infection I got after leaving the hospital. OUCH. I definately moaned & groaned through that.
I moaned a lot but never actually screamed. I think I cursed a few times when the contractions were peeking.
I was fortunate enough to have had to have a C-section. All you ladies are BRAVE! To this day (nearly 37 years later) I really feel like I dodged a bullet that day. Whew...