How is a respected delivery?

The respected delivery it is a process in which the woman is the active protagonist of her pregnancy, delivery and puerperium; where it is treated with respect and can be accompanied by whoever chooses. The respected mother, in addition, receives complete and adequate information for decision making. It is considered a healthy person and is treated as such. A humanized childbirth respects the biological and psychological times of the mother and the baby, and avoids unnecessary invasive practices.

In some countries, the respected delivery It is guaranteed by law. In Argentina, for example, was enacted on October 2, 2015 the Humanized Delivery Act No. 25.929, which promotes that the family is respected in its particularities (such as race, religion and nationality) and that it is accompanied in the making of safe and informed decisions.

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This law is a pioneer in the world, since in other countries, although there are laws that regulate to a greater or lesser extent the treatment of the mother, the newborn and her family in childbirth, they are within the framework of broader laws , and they are not specific.

Regardless of the regulations, all women have the right to give birth as they want: to be informed, to make conscious choices about their own health and that of their children, and to be accompanied.

What is obstetric violence?

The other side of respected delivery is obstetric violence. According to Argentine Law 26,485 of Comprehensive Protection for Women, the obstetric violence it's a kind of gender violence which consists of all medical practices that prevent women from making decisions at the time of delivery.

Among them are: not to give the mother detailed information about the processes to which she will be subjected; not respecting their culture, accelerating the body's natural process with medication, and not allowing it to be accompanied.

According to the law, it is a type of violence that is socially naturalized.

Any act performed by medical personnel on the mother, child and family that implies dehumanizing treatment, abuse of medication and pathologization of natural processes is considered obstetric violence, and therefore gender violence.

There are initiatives in the world that seek to register and make visible this type of violence so that it becomes aware and is finally eliminated.

For example, in Argentina, the organization Las Casildas promoted a Observatory of Obstetric Violence with the objective of collecting data and systematizing them; follow up on complaints; monitor public policies, bills and compliance with laws; to elaborate recommendations for the organisms and institutions competent in the subject, and to promote spaces of diffusion, debate and investigation.

These actions serve to make the violence visible and all people can become aware of it: not only the mothers, but all the people, including the medical staff that attends them and has in their hands the decision to create a birthing environment respected and nice.

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How a respected delivery should be

– The family should receive clear information about the process of childbirth and the state of health of the baby and the mother.

– The mother and the baby must be in contact from the first minute of life and during all the time they remain in the health center.

– The treatment of the mother, the baby and their family should be respectful, considering their privacy. The mother has the right to choose who she will be accompanied during labor and delivery.

How it should not be a birth

– The health team You should not make decisions about the procedures without informing the woman and her family.

– The doctors they should not limit the initial contact between mother and baby.

– The health team It should not hinder the choice of the companion that the woman chooses.

All women, babies and families have the right to a birth and respected birth, humanized and without violence. It is the responsibility of the whole society that this right is fulfilled.

In this video of the organization Las Casildas, you can listen to the testimonies of some women who decided to share their stories to raise awareness:

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