Ancestral Birth Evolution

07/15/2022

An obstetrician from the 1800’s decided your due date.

And VERY often babies are forced out of the womb before they’re ready based on his calculations.

The obsession with a gestation of 40 weeks leads to an increase in inductions, interventions, and surgical birth - all of which have physical and emotional/mental consequences for mother and baby.

But where did this guess date even come from?

The due date calculation we use today comes from an obstetrician named Franz Karl Naegele, who invented “Naegele’s Rule”. This calculation starts with the first day of your last menstrual period, goes back three months, then adds one year and 7 days. The result is a gestation of 280 days (40 weeks).

The 40 week date is an average, meaning that about 1/2 of women will give birth before that date, & 1/2 after. It probably wasn’t seen as a hard eviction date in the 1800’s.

But today we live in a fast-paced world that runs on schedules and money. And with the ability to “control” birth via induction and surgery, this 40 week average date often turns into the day when your baby will be forced from your body.

Here are my top 3 reasons why using this calculation as a hard eviction date is wrong...

1. Naegele’s Rule is based on a 28 day menstrual cycle. If you, like me, don’t ovulate at exactly day 14 of your cycle, this calculation won’t work for you. Most people don’t know when they ovulate, and this important fact is almost never taken into account when calculating a due date.

2. Our bodies are all different - we didn’t all get our periods at exactly age 11 years 6 months and 13 days, so why would our bodies all grow babies at exactly the same rate? To use a due date as an estimate of when a baby will arrive is one thing - to use it as an eviction notice is a completely different story.

3. Many factors determine whether you are likely to have a longer or shorter gestation - if you are between the ages of 19 and 34, having your first baby, or are white, you are statistically more likely to have a longer pregnancy.

07/15/2022

07/15/2022

It’s true.

Every once in a while I like to re-share this post to make sure you’ve all seen it.

Lying on your back to give birth closes down your pelvis and almost always increases pain. So why is this the most commonly used position for birth in the world today?

Because of King Louis XIV & Dr. Françios Mauriceau.

At a time when only women attended births, it's reported that King Louis XIV insisted on watching his offspring be born. He didn't like the obstructed view caused by a birthing stool (most common position at the time), so he insisted his wife or mistress give birth on her back with her legs in stirrups.

Once word got out that this is how royalty gave birth, the new position began to gain popularity.

At the same time, French doctor Mauriceau, who treated pregnancy as a pathology (which continues today) thought women would breathe more easily and have reduced pain when lying in bed for birth. His view of pregnancy as a disease had a hand in the change from midwife-attended birth to the primarily surgeon-attended birth that we see today.

Though this position is usually the worst option for the woman giving birth, it is still the easiest & most comfortable for those attending the birth. The doctor/midwife/nurse can simply sit on a stool and have a perfect visual, which is a good part of why it is still used today.

Many women are told this is the only position "allowed", when in fact positions that allow gravity to assist (standing, hands-and-knees, squatting) are usually better choices, and are always options. Even if you have an epidural you can still get into some of these positions with assistance.