Birth Analogy

from the Navel-gazing midwife's blog:

You know how when someone says they want to run a marathon in a year, the people around them say, “Great!” and during the year, as the marathon date approaches, the runner practices, sweats, grunts, deals with blisters, sore feet, sore knees, sweaty clothes, changes in diet, time schedules, sleep schedules and even being obsessed with the upcoming event?
You know how during the marathon, how people stand on the sidelines, cheering, howling, offering encouragement and nourishment throughout the race?
THIS is what birth can be compared to… except within our culture, if birth were a marathon, folks, throughout the training period say things like, “Oh, c’mon… what are you thinking? Why would you want to do something so hard when you can just take a car the 26 miles? Wouldn’t you see the same sights? You’d get to the end point just the same.”
And during the race, people would say, “Oh, you look so tired. You look miserable… aren’t you ready to quit yet? Look, I have my car right here… just jump in and I’ll give you a ride. Oh, you are falling down and trying to get back up? Why are you putting yourself through all of this misery? It isn’t like you’re going to get a medal or anything.”
And I added, “Not only will I give you a ride, but I’ll give you a joint so you can feel even better!”
I think this analogy is simply inspired.
Let’s use it when people try to discourage us from attempting a natural birth. Tell them you want as much respect as if you were a triathlete. Because you are doing even more! You’re producing a human being… much better than any medal.