I am a Scientologist, and I've read many of the crazy stories in the
media lately. I would really
like the opportunity to clear up some lies the media has been spreading
about my religion. Really, the only way to promote tolerance and
understanding is through communication, so I'm going to communicate
about this!
I've been a Scientologist for 16 years. I've given birth 7 times now,
and Scientology birthing practices look NOTHING like what the media has
been saying. I actually think the stories are based on ONE story written
by ONE misinformed journalist - then rehashed, over and over and over
again, by writers who either don't know how to research or who are too
lazy to do it. And I think this journalist had a confusion between the
Church of Scientology and Christian Science, as well.
Scientologists birth like anyone else - meaning, some of us use
midwives, some use doctors. Some (probably most) are in the hospital,
some are at birthing centers, some are at home. Some have epidurals,
planned c-sections, narcotics, or no painkillers at all. Some have
husbands present, some have children present, some have family present,
some use a doula...
You get the picture.
I had 6 babies born in the hospital. The last was a homebirth. I have
had an epidural with one birth (it failed and tore a hole in my spinal
membrane, which wasn't patchable, so I ended up with a 10-day spinal
headache.) I used a narcotic and had a sleeping pill with the first (my
midwife thought I wouldn't birth for another whole day - an hour after
getting the drugs the baby was born - not a good situation as he was
pretty drugged up and had trouble at first.) So for me, personally, I
have chosen to birth without pain killers for the other 5 babies. I did
elect to have pitocin with 3 of them, as the pit helps the pain for
me.
I couldn't do this with the last baby, though, since he was born at
home.
I make TONS of noise. Moan, groan, cry, and the last time I even
screamed a little (baby's head was VERY big - you'd think after 6
previous births he'd just slide right out, but that wasn't the case...!)
No one at my church has ever - EVER - asked me how I plan to birth.
It's up to the individual woman and her doctor or midwife.
However, anyone who has read "Dianetics: The Modern Science of
Mental Health" and used the techniques in there is likely to apply
what we call preventive Dianetics. We believe that anything said in a
person's vicinity while that person is in pain - or unconscious - can
have a posthypnotic effect on the person. So we don't use words ANYTIME
someone in our vicinity is injured. When my child falls down and skins
his knee, I don't talk, and neither do any of our kids, unless it's
necessary. We will comfort the child - but no words, not for a few
moments.
Scientologists who follow preventive Dianetics principles (and this
is personal choice, not a demand placed on us by our church) simply ask
our doctors and nurses to refrain from unnecessary chitchat when we are
in pain. I ask doctors not to talk while giving me a shot, too. I ask
dentists not to talk when they do something that might hurt. It's not a
huge deal.
In fact, the last hospital where I gave birth to 4 babies, had
absolutely no problem with this. It actually falls in line with the
Bradley method, which we use, anyway. (Keep the birthing room quiet.)
They only ever broke the silence request when necessary - for instance,
when I had the epidural and the baby's blood pressure dropped and they
had to call for a surgery room to be prepared (that ended up being not
needed, I'm happy to say.)
If the mother needs to communicate something, she can, of course. We
can make as much noise as we need. We simply ask the doctors and nurses
to refrain from lots of chatter, and to only speak when necessary.
I remember waking up after an appendectomy, in the recovery room, in
terrible pain. I wasn't a Scientologist - I was only 14, and had never
even heard of Dianetics. The nurses were chitchatting about their
boyfriends. On and on and on. I begged them to let me go back to my room
- I couldn't stand their noise. I was in terrible pain, and they were
talking, talking, talking, talking. I wanted to ask them to stop, but
was too shy to request it. THAT is the kind of thing that Scientologists
want to avoid in the delivery room. It's unnecessary, you know?
And, far from being "weird" or "cruel", I've had
nurses - many of them - tell me what a beautiful thing my birth was to
witness. One of my doctors even brought her 12 year old daughter to the
hospital to meet me the next day. My assistant at this last birth told
me she is expecting another child, and was very happy to have assisted
at my birth - because she found our family inspirational, and she
thought this birth was a wonderful thing, and she liked seeing how our
large family interacted.
I have never - NEVER - had a doctor, midwife, nurse, or hospital
administration personnel tell me that they felt my birthing without
words in the birthing room was dangerous, cruel, unhealthy, or weird.
And I've birthed in 4 hospitals, with a total of 3 different midwives
and 3 different doctors (the doctors were with the same practice), and
many different nurses.
Actually, it really is in accordance with the Bradley Method. He
simply observed that animals (farm animals, pets, and wild animals) will
all stop labor if the environment is noisy, and they'll go somewhere
quiet. So why is it so strange for humans to want to keep chitchat and
unnecessary noise out of the birthing room?
And, as for noise, after one of my babies, the nurse told me - with
great admiration - that I sounded like a mother lion during birth, and
they could hear me throughout the entire maternity ward. (I was very
embarrassed that she told me this, but I remembered it this time, when I
warned my neighbors before the baby was born - since it was a home
birth, the last thing I wanted was for some concerned neighbor to call
the cops while I was giving birth!) And my 9-year-old daughter, who
witnessed the birth, told me, "Mom, you were really loud. It hurt
my ears!"
So, for us, not talking while a birthing mother is in pain is
natural. But NO ONE would tell a mother to stop making noise while she's
giving birth. And NO ONE would tell a birthing mother to not TALK
either. The MOTHER may decide to not talk - but no one would tell her
not to.
Any story you read that says differently is probably written by a
journalist who never read a book on the subject, or even bothered to ask
a Scientologist, but simply "researched" the subject on the
internet and re-wrote what some other misinformed journalist wrote.
For a better understanding of
how Scientologists approach birth, you can go straight to the
source and read "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental
Health" which is the only place that I know of that L.
Ron Hubbard gave recommendations on birthing. (And, again - he
NEVER said women couldn't make noise or talk during birth. He said the
DOCTORS and NURSES should keep as quiet as possible.)
These stories in the media have contained other falsehoods, and I
have no idea where those ideas even come from, but I suspect some of
them are a confusion with Christian Science practices. I am happy to
answer any questions, so feel free to email me:
janeinla@yahoo.com
-Jane
Also, take a look at: Scientology Silent Birth
