the birth pause

birthphotographyperth.com.au

“a ‘pregnant pause’ is a breath held in a story, a moment’s stillness where we linger between what has been told and what is yet to be told. a ‘birth pause’ then might be thought of as a breath at the moment of birth: a place to linger, suspended briefly between what has just happened – the mighty work of birth, and what is to come – the unfolding of the new human life that has been placed in your care.” - writes mary esther malloy.

when i first came across the article written by mary esther malloy, a midwife in america, it was definitely one of those boom kind of moments. she talks about the birth pause as a reclaiming of the moment of birth for the mother / birthing person.

it is very common practice that at the moment of birth the baby is received, and rushed to the breast/chest/tummy, most often by the midwife or care provider as they “deliver” or “catch the baby”. personally, i have a real problem with both these phrases, firstly, babies aren’t delivered as though we’ve ordered a take-out, we birth our babies! catching the baby also seems to me somehow disrespectful, and maintains the rhetoric that birth needs assistance.

by respecting a birth pause, we automatically create space at the moment of birth, slowing down the transition from womb to world and allowing the mother / birthing person to set the pace when meeting their baby for the first time.

so what is a birth pause?

it’s a moment to breathe for you to find your baby and acknowledge them as a complete being, for the very first time. allowing you to see all of your baby, to take them in, to touch them & hold them in your own time, only when you’re ready.

the birth pause asks a simple question - why hurry to place baby onto the chest? are we disturbing the process of a peaceful birth by rushing baby to skin?

i talk about skin to skin a lot during my hypnobirth & mindful breastfeeding session. we have a greater understanding now about how close skin contact between the parent and baby, can promote a healthy microbiome and bring a physical regulation and emotional balance for baby, the benefits can have a real, lifelong impact.

but, very often, the immediacy & sensations of your newborn baby on your chest can be quite overwhelming when within her birth bubble and not entirely in the room! you could find a few hours may pass even before you’ve seen the whole of your baby!

“carefully, but with a clear confidence and readiness, she brought her daughter up to her chest, embracing her for the first time.” - mary esther malloy

laurafifieldphotography.com

to me the concept of a birth pause is such an extension of the hypnobirthing philosophy, where we advocate for the mother / birthing person to trust and follow their instincts.

birth really doesn’t need to be managed and really should be hands off by others, unless assistance is really needed. imagine how empowering it might be to gaze at your newborn in front of you, to take a moment to say hello, it’s me, welcome to the world!

i would highly recommend reading the original articles by mary esther malloy, it’s poetic, beautifully written and very enlightening.

emma x

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