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Normally, I would not write about the Church of Scientology or L. Ron Hubbard. I think they are a bit bizarre, but like all philosophies and religions, there are usually some tenets of truth in relation to humanity that are worth contemplating.
I recently received a press release from the Scientologists advocating “silent birth”. As I reached to click delete, seeing who the source of the email was, my curiosity was piqued.
WHAT IS SILENT BIRTH?
Silent birth is all about providing the best possible environment for the birthing mother and her new baby. Its origins can be found in L. Ron Hubbard’s [amazon_link id=”140314446X” target=”_blank” ]Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health[/amazon_link] and are firmly rooted in a fundamental and abiding principle that women, particularly expectant mothers, be given the utmost in care and respect.
A silent birth is labor and delivery done in a calm and loving environment and with no spoken words by anyone attending. Chatty doctors and nurses, shouts to “PUSH, PUSH” and loud or laughing remarks to “encourage” are the types of things that are meant to be avoided.
As L. Ron Hubbard wrote: “Everyone must learn to say nothing within the expectant mother’s hearing during labor and delivery. Particularly during birth, absolute silence must be maintained and the more gentle the delivery, the better.”The point of silent birth is NO WORDS. It does not mean a mother cannot make any sound during childbirth. It is doubtful that any woman could give birth without making any noise at all.
Mothers naturally want to give their baby the best start in life and thus keep the birth as quiet and peaceful as possible. That being said, a woman’s choice for her delivery is completely up to her and her doctor. There is no requirement to adhere to any specific routine. Just like care is taken in all other aspects of labor and birth, a woman and her doctor or midwife and any others present work out how to communicate without words.Doctors respect the right of a mother to choose her birthing experience. Silent birth is not a medical model but a religious and philosophical approach based on L. Ron Hubbard’s research into the mind and spirit.
After I delivered my first child (19 hours of natural childbirth), my mother said that I was awful quiet during labor. I wasn’t a screamer; I didn’t swear (as I think my mother expected or would have done herself:)). I probably moaned, but in all, I honestly didn’t have the energy to talk, whine, complain, shout, scream, etc. It just doesn’t suit my personality. It’s not how I relieve stress typically.
My midwives were very calm during both of my childbirth experiences. There was never any “’PUSH, PUSH’ and loud or laughing remarks to ‘encourage’”, although I was taught to push during contractions and suggestions were made for different positions to offer relief. I certainly didn’t have a silent birth ([amazon_link id=”B0002B163W” target=”_blank” ]Patsy Cline[/amazon_link] was singing during the first, the [amazon_link id=”B0037RBVH4″ target=”_blank” ]Grateful Dead[/amazon_link] during the second), but it was a very calm experience. I don’t think I could have handled enthusiastic participation from my partner, midwives, or mother. Then I probably would have yelled for them to “Shut the *#$%@ up!”
Please note, I am not advocating for any particular religion with this post; I am simply sharing another idea that fits well with natural birth, in my opinion. I think a silent birth would create a calm, sacred environment for childbirth.
What do you think? Could you have a silent birth?
I am very quiet by nature and I’m pretty sure I didn’t make any noise while in labour or during delivery.
I actually had to take my older son to the babysitter’s while in labour and she couldn’t believe how calm I was. I even carried him (3year old) up 3 flights of stairs to her apartment because it was 11pm.
2 hours later my daughter was born.
I also ignored everything the nurses told me and did what my body told me to do. I wanted a home birth but couldn’t afford it. It went smoothly and beautiful.
1st baby – 6 hours, 2nd baby 2.5 hours, 3rd baby? I hope that daddy can deliver lol.
It makes total sense to me.
Actually Hubbard’s advice doesn’t only cover birth, but any injured person.
I live in Japan and every hospital I’ve been to over here automatically has a TV blaring away and at least one kind of muzak.
Japanese hospitals could use this advice.
Personally, if I am feeling under the weather, the LAST thing I want in a hospital waiting room is a TV blaring away, fighting with “calming” muzak.
It makes complete sense to have peace and quiet at any time of stress.
I agree John. I find TVs in hospital waiting rooms so unnerving. It does not calm or distract, but adds a certain element of chaos.
Well, of course it makes sense to you John, you’ew one of the Scientologists who patrol the internet.
I’d think it’s make some sense to anyone who’s given birth or been around chatty, obnoxious doctors who don’t just let the mom labor in peace.
As is typical with Scientology, a particular practice that might seem reasonable on the surface is taken to a ridiculous extreme the more one researches Scientology’s teachings. In Hubbard’s “Dianetics” there are lengthy passages that go on about how unborn children can be given “engrams” (negative mental blocks) by their parents having sex during pregnancy.
Quiet birthing environments may have their advantages, but it doesn’t change the fact that Hubbard was a con-man and that Scientology is unscientific quackery masquerading as science to make a profit from the uninformed. Find out more here: xenu-directory(.)net
As well as being a bigot it’s obvious you are pretty ill informed on the subject of psychology, you obviously haven’t read up on prenatal psychology, probably don’t know that Sigmund Freud spoke extensively on the subject. Have you read any articles from the Association of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology? Apparently not, otherwise you wouldn’t be so quick to shoot your mouth off, its certainly rather obvious that you haven’t done your homework. Regardless of what Scientologists says, there’s a whole field of Psychology dealing with this subject… you call yourself informed???? lol.
As a Scientologist and a daddy who’s about to have his 2nd baby delivered in this way, I think it’s sort of sad how the media has tried its hardest to make what is factually a very normal practice into some sort of “outrageous” and alarming thing we should be all huffed about.
When I brought up to my midwife & my birthing assistants that we wanted to have a quiet birth with as little talking as possible, they actually thought it was sort of funny — seeing as they’re all Bradley Method trained, they’re already planning to do that anyhow. 🙂
This Questions & Answers page is a good addition to the data you quote above:
http://www.scientologyparent.com/silent-birth/silent-birth-questions-answers/
I have heard comments about silent birth from people who have no clue what it was or wanted to make negative comments about Scientology, of course they don’t know what they are talking about.
Good for posting this and making people see how simple silent birth really is.
There may be some who doubt the presence of the prenatal recordings that fetuses record. And some doubt that talking during birth has eny effect.
But when I got a free Dianetics session, and both those times of my life came up and were addressed with Dianetics, I almost completely got rid of my lifelong, chronic, nasty winter colds.
So I dismiss any and all negativity and doubters. I know first-hand that Dianetics works, and now so do several members of my family.
John Davis, Judy, and Tad are Scientology Office of Special Affairs agents who are here to “handle” this article.
Erhm….have a look at my photos…tell me if you think I look like some sort of secret agent out to “handle this article”. Seriously.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tadnkat/sets/72157622056888747/
Or I guess you can continue to live in a world where everyone who has a sensible, non-defamatory attitude towards Scientology is some “secret agent” out to get you. Whatever works for you.
Tad, you do a great job. I would have never guessed. What a convincing cover-story -wife, two kids, all that … but all this time you are really a secret agent.
I agree with Tadd above – it is a bit ridiculous. If you are going to rant and rave about something, by all means, go ahead. But ranting and raving about giving birth in a quiet environment always struck me as a bit odd.
I just seen the light.
I went to the CIA office and the Scientology Office of Special Affair , and I was like, “U can keep these cards, man. Stick them where the sun don’t shine.” I a free man. I say what I tink. All the negative posters got it right. They tellin it like what it is. and I seein it their way now. No more silent birth. Next time the old lady pops, I’m going to make it a nite to remember! THere going to be as many heavy metal bands as I can get in, we are have a massive firework display on the roof and Dutch clog dancing on every floor of the hospital. We might can have some waterboarding going on in the neighboring beds, just to keep things interesting. We antiScientologsits really know how to party!
Silent birth is out. NOISY BIRTH is in.
NOTE TO THE PARANOIDS
John Davis is not an agent for the Office of Special Affairs. He is an English teacher living in Japan. He is a scientologist, but he is not posting on this site at the suggestion of or order of anyone else. John agrees with L.Ron Hubbard because what he says makes sense.
“What you observe is what you observe. Look at things and life and others directly, not through any cloud of prejudice, curtain of fear or the interpretation of another.” L.Ron Hubbard
One reason I almost did not write this post on silent birth was I feared the reaction from scientologists and anti-scientologists alike. I’ve debated approving these comments, but I don’t want to limit anyone’s free speech.
wow, way to go CO$, you really jump at anything don’t you. This is a fringe article about birthing, and personal preferences. No one has said that you don’t have the right to birth as you choose. What you have said is that you have said is that no one has the right to have an opinion those choices. Opinions are what keep intelligent discussion going…as long as both parties respect each others (there’s that word again) opinions.
Ms. Lance, well done on a very even handed article. I think you wrote well and fairly, the way your board has been been used as propaganda is unfair.
Only person I seen jump is you, now I respect your right to have an opinion, and by all means keep it. But don’t use big words like propaganda when you yourself are not contributing anything meaningful to the subject. Now as the writer of this blog states herself, most subjects that people know little off seem bizarre to them at first. For instance, if you knew nothing of prenatal psychology, you might dismiss the article at once. However the association for prenatal and perinatal psychology and health has some very interesting published materials on this subject. Of course you can pooh, pooh this as well if you feel the need. However this is a subject that is taken seriously by mainstream psychology, which has various opinions and papers on the subject. In fact there schools of psychology which actively promote that one can teach prenatally. There have been lots of clinical studies that have shown that music played prenatally to the “baby” was recognized by the infant when born.
In closing, would like to hear you contribute some knowledge on this subject rather than simply nay-saying or pooh-pooing, thats easy, children use that psychological tactic all the time.
Noone was more paranoid than L Ron Hubbard, I don’t hook people up to lie detectors and give them “security checks”. I didn’t organize an Office of Special Affairs that was responsible for the largest infiltration of the US Governement in history.
Anyone can GoogleNews this story or the word “scientology” and find all the articles that mention this story, there are Scientologists commenting on every single one of them, sometimes using a few sock-puppets to drive the point home. Scientology patrols the internet to spam the typical Scientology “success stories” and attack critics, the only reason the author of this piece is not attacked is because they make Scientology sound benign.
Isn’t that strange, that scientologist comment on Scientology related articles…. Hey I last time I saw a Christian article, I saw a whole bunch of Christians pipe in… You think its a conspiracy? Oh and I vaguely recall an agricultural article and you know what the weirdest thing was? A few farmers had ventured to post their opinion… terrible isn’t it? Now aside from your disrelated rant on someone posting their opinion, I would be interested to hear your views on alternative birthing methods which is actually the subject of this post.
Nice, objective article. You’re a credit to what journalism should be, even with the personal opinions included. Thanks.
The most convincing aspect of all these posts is the reasoning tone of those who defend Scientology and Dianetics, versus the hateful and insulting tone of those who deride it.
Whom would I want as friends, employees, neighbors, teachers, cops or even a boss?
I’m sorry, haters, you discredit yourselves.
The other interesting aspect is the even-handedness with which Miss Lance covered the topic. Far too often, reporters on Scientology topics get their fuel from hate-sites on the Web.
This columnist probably read some of those, but took a road or objectivity, not one that would spread upset.
Hugs!
HR