The new Childbirth Connection report, Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing, like so much that is produced by the natural childbirth industry, is a spectacular scientific flop.
Real science is reviewed, evaluated, discussed and argued about in scientific journals, at scientific conferences, and by professional organizations.
Dr. Sarah (“our culture’s discontent come[s] from the traumatic loss of our first possession: our placenta”) Buckley and The Childbirth Connection, the lobbying organization who hired her to write the report, have breathlessly claimed that they have elucidated how the hormonal physiology of childbirth “works best,” which is rather remarkable, since no one really knows how the hormonal physiology of childbirth actually works.
Many endocrinologists and obstetricians have been working on various aspects of this for the past 100 years. A discovery of the endocrinology of labor, how it begins, what supports it and what interferes with it, and how it goes wrong, would be a scientific discovery of the first order. It would likely be presented at a major national or international conference on endocrinology, obstetrics or both, meant to highlight the publication of the multiple forthcoming scientific papers that would required to fully explain and prove Dr. Buckley’s hypotheses.
Everyone who was anyone in the world of obstetrics and the world of endocrinology would be weighing in on it. Yet no one outside of the natural childbirth industry has paid the least bit of attention to The Childbirth Connection report. There is no scientific conference; there are no scientific papers; there are no endocrinologists publicly supporting it; there are no obstetricians publicly supporting it; there are no professional endocrinology or obstetric societies backing it. It’s a spectacular scientific flop!
Why? Because it’s not science. It’s propaganda meant to fool potential clients into purchasing the services of midwives, doulas and childbirth educators. No one else is paying the least bit of attention.
It’s just like Microbirth, the movie that supposedly explains the all important impact of interventions on the neonatal microbiome. No professional microbiology associations endorsed the movie because it was pure fantasy, reflecting the natural childbirth industry’s reflexive demonization of interventions.
It’s just like The Alpha Parent’s Book, Breast Intentions. Allison Dixley’s book has not been supported by any professional breastfeeding organizations, any lactivism programs, or, any major authors in the field whether they write for lay people or for other professionals. The book is just Dixley’s (rather repulsive) opinion and, therefore, has been ignored.
The Childbirth Connection report is being heavily publicized within the natural childbirth industry and among natural childbirth advocates. Facebook pages and Twitter feeds are buzzing with it, because it confirms everything that natural childbirth advocates want to believe. That’s not surprising; it started from the bedrock natural childbirth axiom that interventions are bad and cherry picked scientific studies to support that conviction.
Natural childbirth advocates should stop navelgazing for a moment and take note of the fact that no one else is paying the least bit of attention. Hormonal Physiology of Childbirth is not science; it’s a glossy brochure designed to be waved about by the natural childbirth industry to improve their employment prospects.
Hormonal Physiology of Childbirth is a scientific flop. Only time will tell if natural childbirth advocates are gullible enough to make it into a marketing success.
