Difficult Births

[Bonzo 2000]

When procreation is so essential to the continuation of our species, why has evolution not sorted out the problem of childbirth still being so difficult and potentially life-threatening for both mother and baby?

[Hgrove]

I came across this in a course on social psychology I did years ago.  I think there was a theory called "red queen" or something like that.  It basically means that we have reached a critical moment in our evolution.  Our brains & bodies have evolved to maximise our brain power and possibilities of physical survival.  Hence we stand on two legs etc. (better for us but makes the woman's body less suited to giving birth) and we have more brain power (bigger heads make birthing riskier).  It is a finely tuned balance.  Cats have easy births but can't write or make things with their hands...

[stoo_pid]

I would have thought that if we hadn't developed medicine to the levels we have then eventually evolution would have sorted out the problem.  Evolution doesn't change us, it merely means that those most suited to the conditions are more likely to survive.

 

[woofgang]

because evolution doesn't "want" to "defend" changes that don't improve the chances of the organism's survival. Evolution is a tool of species survival. It could be argued that evolution "wants" childbirth to be difficult and dangerous so that only the best specimens survive

[nrmatth]

every burth is potentialy life threatening to any animal.  but the process of pushing and contractions actually help expell fluid from the baby's lungs so they can breath once their out, and the episiotamy site can actually be cut into without pain relievers when the head crowns because of a natural pain reliever released at that time.  plus the transition period which is the most painful time of labor and also where a lot women begin to lose control, is the shortest time of labor but also a time when our bodies tend to help us forget the intensity of it.  kind of like waking from a crazy dream but not fully remembering it.  honestly considering the whole process of bringing life into the world, i find it amazing we have as many natural defenses as we do.  and also remember natures greatest law is survival of the fittest.  the fittest mothers can have many babies and heal quickly to be able to continue to contribute to the "group".  and the fittest babies survive to pass on strong genes.  sounds pretty barbaric, but deep down that is still a very important factor in our evolutionary process.

[zgma]

Good question Bonzo!  Partly it has to do with biology (all the reasons stated above) and partly it's cultural.  We expect it to be very difficult, we hear horror stories of how difficult it is, and we aren't taught proper attitudes about going into it. 

 

We go into it with fear, and therefore, we spend hours focusing on pain and fear, rather than focusing on more helpful things like managing our pain. When I gave birth it was definitely difficult, but much less than it could have been if I had been in there the whole time saying to myself "I can't do this, I'll never get through it, etc" - and I think the cultural norm is for women to think about birth in that unhelpful way.

[zgma]

I also think part of the reason we see births as being so incredibly difficult is because they have been so medicalized, and the medical establishment has really based its protocols on what's convenient for the doctor, rather than what makes the most sense for the woman.  Yes, yes, I know - labor pains, etc. etc.  Birth is really difficult, but it's especially difficult if a woman is lying on her back (think about it - in that position, the baby has to fight gravity to get out, and the pelvis is squished so that the head has a harder time getting through..... why do it?  Because that's the easiest position for the doctor to deliver the baby).   Another example - when you get to the hospital, they strap you into an external monitor to keep track of the baby's heart rate.  Which means you can't get up and move around, which makes labor easier.  Yeah, keeping track of the heart rate is important, but if it's fine, it is more important to help labor progress by letting the woman move around or get into any position that is most comfortable... and that's not the Western hospital birthing protocol.

[BUNNY]

I think the biblical explanation is the God decided to make childbirth a nightmare in order to punish Eve and all future women for her sin of being persuaded by the devil to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.Or something like that.

[dahnajeen]

I think some of the people who answered this question are definitely men . . . or women who have never had a baby.