What's Wrong with Silence and Birth?
With the birth of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' baby girl, Suri, it's worth taking a look at the controversy about their intention to have a "silent birth." According to their religion, the birth and the immediate postpartum period should be conducted as silently as possible in order to provide the "best possible environment for the birthing mother and her new baby." I'm not sure why this upset anyone. That sounds like noble intent, to me.
I am not very familiar with Scientology and its tenets, but I do know that the idea of welcoming a newborn into the world in a calm, quiet, peaceful environment seems intuitively appropriate to me. I'm familiar with similar practices employed by my patients over the years, like the "Leboyer Method," which was popularized by the French obstetrician Frederick Leboyer in his classic Birth Without Violence. The practice of "gentle birth" appeals to many segments of the world's population without regard to religious practices.
It appears there's a misconception that's been spread in the media that women are discouraged from making a sound during birth, and that's understandably produced an uproar among womens' advocates and birth experts. But, all the accounts I've read of "silent" births indicate that womens' choices are supported in the process including birth location, position, provider / birth attendant choice, anesthesia options, and even noise-making! And, I don't think that Tom's appropriately paternalistic intentions to support his idea of a nurturing environment for his beloved newborn necessarily infringe upon Katie's birth choice and experience...
So, I ask, "what's wrong with a little silence?" Surely no one would argue that silence might be more welcoming to a newborn's acute senses than a blaring TV or Nintendo - whether it has long-lasting effects or not. I don't think it takes medical research to make that case. And, to put it in perspective: why not cut Tom and Katie a little slack, if this is the experience they wanted for themselves and their family? This is, after all, America: the land of "Cesarean Birth on Maternal Demand" and elective newborn circumcision - neither of which is supported by sound medical research.
RW, MD
Related Topics: Elective C-Section Under Spotlight, Few Would Choose Their Babies' Sex
Technorati Tags: silent birth, tom cruise, katie holmes
I am not very familiar with Scientology and its tenets, but I do know that the idea of welcoming a newborn into the world in a calm, quiet, peaceful environment seems intuitively appropriate to me. I'm familiar with similar practices employed by my patients over the years, like the "Leboyer Method," which was popularized by the French obstetrician Frederick Leboyer in his classic Birth Without Violence. The practice of "gentle birth" appeals to many segments of the world's population without regard to religious practices.
It appears there's a misconception that's been spread in the media that women are discouraged from making a sound during birth, and that's understandably produced an uproar among womens' advocates and birth experts. But, all the accounts I've read of "silent" births indicate that womens' choices are supported in the process including birth location, position, provider / birth attendant choice, anesthesia options, and even noise-making! And, I don't think that Tom's appropriately paternalistic intentions to support his idea of a nurturing environment for his beloved newborn necessarily infringe upon Katie's birth choice and experience...
So, I ask, "what's wrong with a little silence?" Surely no one would argue that silence might be more welcoming to a newborn's acute senses than a blaring TV or Nintendo - whether it has long-lasting effects or not. I don't think it takes medical research to make that case. And, to put it in perspective: why not cut Tom and Katie a little slack, if this is the experience they wanted for themselves and their family? This is, after all, America: the land of "Cesarean Birth on Maternal Demand" and elective newborn circumcision - neither of which is supported by sound medical research.
RW, MD
Related Topics: Elective C-Section Under Spotlight, Few Would Choose Their Babies' Sex
Technorati Tags: silent birth, tom cruise, katie holmes
23 Comments:
No problem with their choices, it's just that he's such a FREAK.
As a mom of 7 children (3 home births), I think quiet is great. I do know, however, that hearing the moms voice quietly speaking to her newborn can be both stimulating and comforting to the newborn.
It's a parent's choice...I prefer "quiet" to "silent". Back in 1955 when our son was born, it was quiet in the delivery room, but not intentionally. But the minute he was in my arms, I talked to him a lot and loudly told my husband we got our boy.
Calm and quiet is fine -- but babies in utero hear their parents (and siblings, if any) voices filtered through flesh, so hearing voices after birth might actually be reassuring. Additionally, my understanding of the scientology position is that the baby 'might be affected (permanently ie into adulthood) by negative words;' this is foolish, because while a newborn could possibly be distressed by angry *tones* of voice, they certainly cannot understand any individual *words.*
I think that it is stupid as the baby has been listening to normal sounds all the time and to take them away when baby is born would be frightening for the new born to be suddenly cut off from familar sounds.This I feel would be trumatic for the infant.Dumb dumb dumb!!
Doc you are right. I little peace and quite is good for the mother also. I am glad I am not a tom having every one tell you good this bad that or dumb,dumb,dumb.
She could have straddled a dung pit in the out back, or strapped her leg's together until a full moon. : ) Denny Crane no it's
Danny Gale, Anonymous
ithink a quiet and peaceful atmosphere is very calming to mom and baby think about how if your relaxed and calm it releifs alot of anxiety
I agree in general with the majority of the above commentary including the doc's thoughts on the subject however, I wanted to point out one potential incorrectness in his analysis regarding pain meds. I am no "TomKat" expert, but from what I have read, anesthesia is actually not recommended by Scientologists, despite the strict views about silence in birth. In fact, Tom and Katie were considering a home birth. It is also rumored that Tom's first two adopted children were born in this same fashion, presumably without pain meds as well.
That most certainly ups the ante, in my opinion.
Furthermore, what constitues silence or noise anyhow? Grunting to some may be considered noise while others may only attribute yelling or screaming as sound-worthy.
One last point - all women are wired differently AND every birth is different. Despite our best attempts to remain silent, noises will often occur, despite calmness - ALSO a woman who is very much not calm, may not be making a lot of noise. Therefore, it is important not to always attribute silence to peace.
"Z" (parent of 2: one at home and one in hospital)
Quiet I understand, but not silent.
Like others have mentioned, the infant has been hearing voices the whole time in the tummy. I know with my daughter, the second day she was alive I called her by her birth certificate name and she didn't react, but when I said "Peanut" (we didn't know what we were having so called the baby Peanut in my tummy) she looked right at me.
I don't think loud noises are good for mommy (baby has all ready been in a subway station its whole existance anyways), but I don't think she should be restricted from speaking to her daughter. I know speaking softly to my Peanut has ALWAYS calmed her, as does her dads voice, the first few weeks ONLY our voices would calm her.
So long as the silence thing is a suggestion to Katie and she doesn't feel depressed at it, she can do whatever she wants, but I hope if she feels the need in her heart to say "I love you" to her daughter she will not hold back.
It's interesting to note that most of the comments in the media I've seen from doctors and Scientologists are from MEN. For all the advice and "expertise" they expound on, I wish they could experience all the things women go through.
I'm all for quiet...but why is this being "dictated" by a "religion?" I'm Catholic and quiet....but not because my religion told me to do it!
The thing I find interesting is that people are referring to Scientology as a religion and not a cult. I suppose that star power has that effect, giving credibility to a belief system that is a little hard to believe.
No one has mentioned that Cruise was intending to eat the placenta and the umbilical cord. Sounds pretty disgusting to me...
Tom was only JOKING about eating the afterbirth.
I think quiet is great. I've had 5 children and never made a sound. I'm not a scientologist either. All the yelling and screaming is just drama anyway.
I think peaceful is nice too...but besides the very well stated fact that he's a FREAK....
Try to imagine being in the middle of a contraction and the people around you are doing HAND SIGNALS to keep the 'quiet'!! When I had contractions, I tended to close my eyes and get through it. If I opened my eyes and they were at the end of a 'hand signal' conversation...I would go batty! My focus would go all off trying to figure out what everyone was 'saying'.....
Oh, and how delicious is it that she had an epidural??? Maybe he ok'd it to keep her 'quiet'...lol
Lastly...there was no screaming in either of my childbirths...I think that's mostly for TV...or a reeallly bad labor!!
When I'm in labor, I'll be blessed if anyone is going to tell me to be quiet if I don't want to.
With my second child, I gave birth without pain meds, and while I was mostly quiet, I did yell as I pushed the baby out. Thing is, though, it wasn't really me doing the yelling, it was my body doing it. I was pretty much just sitting in my head watching the whole thing unfold while my body did everything else without my conscious participation. So if anyone had expected quiet out of me, there is no way they would have gotten it even if I'd agreed with them. You might as well tell someone not to sneeze, or to stop hiccuping.
I guess it's the choice between the family. As for me, I was very loud and not the nicest person in the world and wouldn't have accepted anyone to tell me to be that way :).
I have to say at first I thought silent birth was crazy but then I thought about the births of my two children and they were pretty much silent.
When I go to the active stage of labor I am focused. Do not talk to me or in my room, do not touch me, I do the talking and it is usually short and to the point.
It isn't that I am mean or rude it is my natural way of laboring. I have a death grip on a bed rail, my eyes are closed, I'm in my own place working through my pains.
I had an epidural with both of mine and believe it or not I actually didn't get them until I was 10 cm. I was so close with my daughter that when the anesthesiaologist told me to lay back I looked at my nurse and I said I have to push and she hold on. My Dr. was literally standing outside my door and walked in. As he was gowning up he said lets have a push and then said NO stop stop stop. With both kids 2 contractions 3 pushes through each and I had babies.
Do I expect every one to labor and deliver like me HECK no. Do I understand the screaming and yelling HECK no but to each their own as long as it is safe and healthy for the mother and the infant.
Not sure about either Scientology, or silent birth. I do know, however, that I'm sick to death about the media's fixation on that no talent, sanctimonious, egotistical windbag, Tom Cruise. I'm very happy for Katie, and their new daughter.
I wrote a lot about this on my blog over the months leading up to wee Suri's birth.
I wonder if silence isn't counter-intuitive, since babies are so muffled in the womb with such loud noise from the placenta and cord's blood flow.
I think LeBoyer's ideas of quiet post-birth is more important.
Hh
You know what with my first baby I had a verry effective epidural and didn't need to yell in pain or anything. So the room exept for the occasional wisecrack at the doctors expence the room was silent and it was relaxing and helped keep me calm I don't know the particulars of the Cruse-Holms birth but Speaking from my expierience she probably found it enjoyable not to have a migrain on top of everything else a new mom has to go through at first. I don't agree with most aspects of Scientology but This particular matter needs to be laid to rest. I see no problems in having a baby in a nice quiet room. And given that silence would be rather difficult if she was unmedicated. She probably loved it.
It's all very well keeping silent but it is not so easy to silence your hormones and adrenalin etc during labour. Surely that would have a much bigger impact on the baby during birth? Silent panic would not be a soothing birth experience for the baby. I think if mum is happy, with whatever she is doing, then baby will be happy.
It must be a male thing. Seeing as they are not connected except by sight and sound to the experience I guess they assume that if all that grunting and screaming scares or annoys them, it must scare or annoy the baby too! lol Perhpas the mother is vocalising how the baby feels in that short but traumatic journey?
I have had 9 children and there were various levels of vacalisation as every labour and birth were different. some with epis some with gas some with absolutely no pain relief. Like I said, if mum is happy - whatever it takes - then I think bubs will be happy.
Cheers,
Harooney
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