February 16th, 2016

Birth Interview Analysis

After interviewing my mom and reading Chapter 5, I found that her birth
experience with me falls into the category of a technocratic birth. While she
was allowed to have some freedom after checking into the hospital, as
exemplified by her ability to walk around during labor, overall she progressed
throughout the standard procedures of a typical technocratic hospital birth. A
couple elements of her birth experience particularly helped me classify her
experience as technocratic. Despite her reluctance and hesitation, an enema
was administered to my mom prior to labor. Drugs such as Pitocin and IV
fluid were also administered throughout her experience, almost as standard
protocols. One could argue that my mom also experienced some of the faults
of the technocratic model. While an episiotomy is often described as a
procedure that allows the baby to more easily pass through the birth canal, it
can also lead to increased tearing. Because an episiotomy can be seen as an
excessive procedure that is merely a way to speed up the delivery process,
my mom suffered extreme tearing that may or may not have been necessary
for a successful birth. Ideology of the technocratic model was also reflected
in the language my mom used when recalling her time in the hospital. After I
asked her about her approach to birth, she hinted at her submissiveness to
medicine, stating I would do whatever I could do by myself until I needed
medical intervention. This comment suggests that the necessity of medical
intervention was ultimately unavoidable in her mind, demonstrating how the
technocratic model of birth dominated the way she approached her
pregnancy.