Dr Grantly Dick-Read died on 11 June 1959. His teaching, however,
gains a growing recognition even though others are putting their
names to his theories and practices. The delivery on this recording
was not in fact an 'easy' one, as the baby was not fully rotated.
The record, therefore, not only justifies Dick-Read's teaching but
is also a tribute to his own skill as a gynaecologist. The
following sleeve notes were written a month after the recording.
'When my wife informed me that she was going to have a baby, I
think my reactions were typical of most husbands. I was delighted,
for we both wanted to start a family, but I was also anxious. My
knowledge of childbirth was limited. I had heard that pregnancy
could be 'difficult', that labour itself, if not actually
dangerous, meant many hours of suffering either nobly endured or
alleviated with anaesthesia. My wife, however, insisted that I read
"Childbirth without Fear" by Dr Grantly Dick-Read. There I learned
the simple tenets upon which his teaching is founded. The fear of
childbirth can be overcome by simple instruction in the truth of
natural processes. The methods by which a woman can help herself
and not cause her own distress - correct breathing and relaxation
for use during pregnancy and labour were explained. Simple
exercises (requiring only a few minutes per day) to aid the general
fitness for the birth of the baby were described. Dr Dick-Read
stressed that even more important than the removal of pain is the
spiritual joy the mother experiences when she sees her baby into
the world, a joy, which transcends the moment of birth, and has a
lasting influence on the family unity. This, as Dr Dick-Read says,
is the experience, which is destroyed when the sensations of birth
are removed or disturbed by interference. My wife decided that she
would prepare for natural childbirth. It was at this point that as
a recording executive I became involved professionally. My wife
volunteered to have her labour recorded and Dr Dick-Read agreed to
supervise her delivery and give a commentary as the labour
proceeded. In effect, we had provided Dr Dick-Read with a test of
some severity. We were not asking him to choose the best result
from, say, twelve cases. The patient was not even selected by him.
She was having her first baby and she was over thirty. Mrs
Dick-Read began the antenatal preparation, as described in the book
"Antenatal Illustrated". The voices you will hear on this record
are those of Dr Dick-Read, Mrs Dick-Read, the expectant mother and,
towards the end of the record, a woman doctor in general practice
who assisted Dr Dick-Read. Another doctor who was present primarily
as an interested observer was also skilled in the administration of
pain relief should the patient have desired it. A bedroom in Dr
Dick-Read's house in Petersfield had been equipped with a labour
bed. Trilene and Pethedine were available; for, contrary to some
reports, a strongly maintained principle of Dr Dick-Read's teaching
was that the patient should not be expected to suffer any
unnecessary pain or discomfort. Three microphones were used. One
was placed above the bed and used to pick up conversations between
doctor and patient and also the atmosphere of the ward, which was
calm and peaceful throughout. At each side of the bed we placed
microphones for use when either Dr or Mrs Dick-Read wished to make
any comment. I personally operated the recording equipment in an
adjoining room during the confinement and can categorically state
that at no time did I feel that my wife was asked to bear any
severe discomfort. Even when owing to the incomplete rotation of
the baby's head at the outlet, and in order to prevent
unnecessarily prolonging the final stage of labour, a small
incision was made, my wife did not feel this and did not at any
stage request anaesthetic. That she was asked to do a lot of very
hard work she will be the first to admit. But the joy of the birth
itself is unforgettable. During the early stages of her labour I
was with her and able to help during her contractions with the
back-rubbing, she found so beneficial at this stage. A swishing
sound on the record during the first stage contractions is made by
this back-rubbing. It is during this stage that Dr Dick-Read
insisted that all patients should have company. So often the
expectant mother is 'left to get on with it until the second stage
is reached. During the second stage considerable background noise
is caused by the movement of the bed-clothes when the patient
changes her position in order to use her contractions efficiently.
The recording was made on tape, edited and then transferred to a
long playing record. Before we started to condense the recording of
a twelve-hour labour to the length of one LP record we invited
reporters to hear parts of the as yet uncut tape, including the
last twenty minutes. It was pointed out to them that although a
very heavy task of selection lay ahead, there was nothing which
needed to be suppressed for the purpose of demonstrating natural
childbirth. The editing presented two major problems. Owing to the
fact that our microphones were highly sensitive in order to pick up
the quietly and calmly conducted comments and discussions of the
doctor, his patient and his assistants, we also picked up many
unwanted and distracting noises, doors closing, sterilised tins
being opened, running taps, etc. These noises have been removed
wherever possible from the finished record. Condensation proved
more difficult, for many of the early stage contractions were very
similar, and throughout the first two stages there were long
periods when the patient was lying peacefully relaxed between her
contractions. All that was merely repetitious or irrelevant had to
be discarded. To present a twelve-hour labour on one long playing
record was clearly impossible, therefore we were faced with a
further problem. If we did not include some passages of rest and
relaxation, we would give an impression that the patient moved
rapidly from contraction to contraction; but to allow a five-minute
rest its full playing time was not possible. We have tried,
therefore, to maintain the impression of the overall rhythm of
labour by selection of contractions and the shortening of silences.
We have not condensed individual contractions. This is important in
demonstrating the breath control called for during contractions.
This record, then, is an account of a twelve-hour labour leading up
to the dramatic moments when the baby is born. One of the most
outstanding moments on this record occurs towards the end of the
first side. Using his stethoscope with a microphone placed
alongside it, Dr Dick-Read searches for and listens to the
heart-beat of the baby while it is still in the birth canal, one
hour and a half before it is born-an exciting moment for the
recording technicians and the doctors when they heard the playback
for the first time. Reporting on the last twenty minutes of this
recording, one of Britain's leading newspapers, the "Daily Mirror",
called it: "The most moving record I have ever heard". If this
record helps to abolish fear, it will help to abolish pain in
labour. If it helps to spread the teachings of Dr Grantly
Dick-Read, then it will have done its job. His work won its due
recognition when it was acknowledged and approved by His Holiness,
Pope Pius XII, who also commented upon the spiritual approach
inherent in Dr Dick-Read's method, saying: "The researches of the
Englishman, Dr Grantly Dick-Read, differed notably from those of
the Russians (notably the followers of I.P. Pavlov) in their
philosophical and metaphysical postulates which were not based,
like those of the Russians, on materialistic concepts". This record
should help to prepare a woman for the emotional and spiritual
experience which is her right, and needs to be fought for, just as
much as her right to highly skilled surgery, or pain-killing drugs.
There is still some opposition to Dr Dick-Read's work, especially
in his own country; there are many places where lip-service is paid
to his system; but if his method is followed sincerely by those
responsible for the conduct of labour, the result can be as on this
record. Here, then, unscripted and unrehearsed, is a record of a
natural childbirth.' H.J.U.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
(1)
Standard format
