Giving Birth is nothing special.   Oh yes it is!  Oh no it isn’t!  …it’s like a bad pantomime! 

Becoming a mother is simultaneously common place AND unique, which can feel very confusing.  

Millions of women have done it before us and millions will do it after us.  In England and Wales there really is One Born Every Minute…well slightly more actually. 1.29 babies were born every minute in 2017.  That’s 77 born every hour which is a whopping 1,860 a day!  So you see where we’re coming from?  If almost 2000 women are day are having babies, it’s not really that special is it?  

That weedy geography teacher you hated at school has done it.  That miserable lady who works in The GP’s surgery has done it.  That really smug woman in her fancy gym kit who you want to punch has done it. Your cousin’s tiny wife has done it. The builder’s enormous wife has done it.  Whether you love her or hate her, your own mother of course has done it.  We all arrived on this earth in the same way, whether it was via a vagina or a cut in the tummy is beside the point, our mothers all gave birth to us and this is how the human race will continue. 

It’s all obvious stuff when you actually think about- but it sometimes helps to put it all the hype surrounding birth into context.  Birth is just a few hours or sometimes, a few days of your life, max! It the timeline of your life, it is an almost microscopic event, and certainly one part of your child’s life of which they will have zero recollection. 

But wait.  Actually, birth is very special isn’t it?  It’s the most intimate, mind-blowingly, awesome act that a human can take part in or witness. An actual human being comes out of another human being. It’s magical. Women can actually grow eye balls and arms and beating hearts inside their wombs.  Isn’t that the most amazing thing you have EVER heard of?  It’s more amazing than man going to the moon or someone inventing electricity or the internet.  It is wondrous. Its heart stopping and tear jerking. It changes everything.  It changes your body, it changes your soul, it changes your role in life, it changes your outlook.  You may have a positive experience, you may not, you may love doing it or you may regret doing it, but regardless of that it is probably the single most extraordinary thing you will ever do.  

So how can you process this dichotomy? How should you feel about going through something that is both momentous yet ordinary?  You should grasp both these sentiments and use them to reassure yourself.

You should know that you are special, the process is special and the whole experience will be unique to you, but also you must accept that your body is designed for this everyday part of life, and hospitals and their well trained staff see this happen 1.29 times every minute.  Do not be afraid.  Trust in your body and trust in the medical staff around you, between them they know what to do.

Would you like to know more about what happens 1.29 times every minute?  Come and sign up for our Obstetrician-led Online Antenatal Classes and we will tell you everything you need to know for a calm and confident birth.