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 Frozen II is a tale of Power, of Leadership and of Change.
There are many layers to Frozen II. Elsa’s journey of self discovery weaves through a tale of transformation for each of the main characters. The story throws the spotlight on the destructiveness of the patriarchy, showing us the differences between Authoritative Dictatorship (familiar to us all) and Peaceful Leadership (a pipe dream, perhaps only seen in New Zealand?). Frozen II is about Journeys and Love. In this article, I look at the journeys of Ana and Kristoff as an analogy to the birth journey. If you have yet to experience Frozen II, this article may be a spoiler.  This aspect of birth is often left out of the stories (read Think Birth's article, which includes a water birth video). When creating a birth plan, it is often the overlooked part of preparations. Most birth plans focus on contraction management (first stage), some will extend to the birth itself (second stage), but few will continue onto the birth of the placenta.
Leaving this out of preparation can take a wonderful labour and birth, and turn it into a less than wonderful experience. The moments of meeting your baby interrupted by the standard protocols of birthing the placenta. (see this peer reviewed article about women's experiences birthing the placenta)  There is an unspoken reality lurking in the undertones of maternity care.
It is sinister and unconscious, a toxic unawareness that seeps into all communications and puts the weight of responsibility and expectation onto The Woman. I will call this The Game of Birth. I was talking to someone about 'birth disappointment' the other day, and was told "women should not have such high expectations! Honestly women these days are just so fragile". I took a deep breath before responding. If a healthy woman is expecting a 'normal birth' that is not a high expectation. That is a reasonable and minimal expectation. It is not 'fragile' to be disappointed by a birth that does not met this expectation. For women to lower their expectations of birth, to the reality of the current birth climate, would set a new (horribly) low benchmark. Along with "all that matters is a healthy baby" these comments tell us that women do not matter. First Class Maternity Care - it's a political choice (first class care should be the MINIMUM we expect!).
You see...this birth disappointment may just be putting new mothers at greater risk of Post Natal Anxiety and Depression (1). They begin their mothering journey full of self-doubt, and uncertainty. This can then be compounded by a mothering reality that does not meet their expectations.
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Selected Articles by Catherine around the web:
bellabirth.wordpress.com | evolutionary parenting | pregnancy.com.au | | birth without fear | newborn mothers | PBBMedia | Bellablog Topics
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