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Twilight Sleep
Posted under Mothering, Women's Issues by Recovering Straight GirlI started watching Sunday’s episode of Mad Men on Sunday when it was actually on, but I couldn’t finish watching it because it disturbed me. I watched it on Monday and then again on Tuesday and I’m watching it again. I’m only watching it again because apparently I missed some important elements that I wanted to pick up, (that and because I can right now.)
What I didn’t miss was what I think is one of the most important elements and one that was probably missed on most of the people who watched the episode; it was even lost on whomever wrote the episode recap for AMC.
Betty Draper is an oppressed housewife who has no options but to be at home while her husband gallivants around the city working, drinking scotch, smoking cigarettes and chasing women.
Betty became pregnant and had no options but to continue being pregnant.
Betty was having a baby.
Betty was in labor and went to the hospital and a woman who had no options was further oppressed and victimized and given no options.
She was treated poorly, had her pubic hair shaved, was given an enema and injected with poison that made her hallucinate during a time when she should have been empowered and supported. She was yelled at and physically assaulted. All because the medical community thought they were helping her.
Twilight Sleep was a mixture of scopolamine and morphine, given to women during labor to make them “forget” the pain of childbirth. It induced hallucinations and caused women to thrash around, which then caused the medical staff to strap her down.It was used routinely for decades and an entire generation of women had no recollection of what it was like to give birth to a baby because they weren’t really there when they were having their babies. Women would literally go crazy during their labors; Betty had a towel on her head so that she didn’t get visible marks from hitting her head on anything. The nurse forced her arms down as another nurse strapped her legs in stirrups. She told Betty that either she could push the baby out or they would get it out. Betty, defeated, slipped into unconsciousness.
In her unconsciousness Betty’s dreams reinforced what she already knew about her life.
Her dream included her dead parents. Her dead mother tells her, “Be happy with what you have.” Her dead father tells her,”You’re a house cat, you are very important and you have little to do.”
Imagine that. Imagine living life with no choices and knowing that all you have and all you are is controlled by those around you and society in general. A house cat, with little to do.
One of the interesting things about the movement FOR Twilight Sleep was that the suffragettes and early feminists were the ones pushing for it. They felt that the elimination of the pain of childbirth (God’s curse against women) would empower them. They had no idea that by turning over their care in childbirth (to men,) they were giving the medical establishment (men) all of their power over their bodies and their choices in how they do the most womanly thing a woman does in her life, giving birth. This loss of power and control over the choices in childbirth and over women’s bodies continues today and we as women just allow it to happen. We gladly hand over the power and control of our bodies to doctors and nurses. They loom over us in our hospital beds that we are forced to sit and lie in so that our babies can be continuously monitored (not needed.) They force us to have IV’s (not needed,) and pitocin (not needed.) They interfere with the natural process of birth and them loom in to be the hero when complications arise as a result of their interventions. The medical establishment has a huge case of Münchausen syndrome by proxy. They cause the problems and then give the solution (a cesarean) to save the day.
The Cesarean rate in the United States today has reached over 30%. This rate is 50% higher than when I was having my babies. One out of three women in the United States has a Cesarean, a rate that is alarming. The World Health Organization recommends a 5-10% Cesarean rate for optimal health for mother and baby.
The Cesarean rate when Betty Draper had her baby was 4.5%.
There are many reasons why the Cesarean rate has risen to an all time high and none of them have anything to do with being better for women or their babies. As a matter of fact, as the Cesarean rate has risen in this country, so has the infant mortality rate. More babies are born early, more babies have a low birth weight and more are admitted to the NICU. From an article in the LA Times by Lisa Girion, “WellPoint Inc. and UnitedHealthcare Services Inc., the nation’s largest health insurers, also are trying to curb cesareans. In an analysis of its claims, United found that 48% of newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care units were from scheduled deliveries, many of them before 39 weeks.”
Cesareans are expensive. They are the most popular surgery performed and can be done on a mass portion of the population, often more than once per patient; no one has more than one appendectomies or gall bladder surgeries, but a woman can have multiple cesareans. No wonder health care companies charge more to insure women. Surgical births cost a lot of money to insurance companies, who pass that on to the consumer, and make a lot of money for doctors and hospitals. Like everything else, it’s profit over people.
Only women can stop this. We as women NEED to be informed about our choices over our bodies and refuse to be victimized by a system; a system that has become an institution based more on bottom lines and profit margins more than on taking care of women and their babies. It’s a vicious cycle and only women will be able to slow it down or stop it all together.
Betty Draper couldn’t do it, but we’ve come a long way since 1960. We aren’t house cats anymore and we as women in America can do anything and awareness is where it begins. Even if you’re finished having children or never having children, this is an issue that affects us all. It’s a woman’s issue that needs the attention of all women.
Betty Draper just reminded me.
*The day after I wrote this post, I read this post, on the Mom Logic website, and this post on Feministe.
Bravo. Excellent post.
What REALLY irritates me is when C-sections are scheduled for convenience.
Sigh. Both of my doctors threatened/encouraged the cesarian option with me. And both times I said, ‘Are you kidding me?”
This was years ago. I thought things were better now until just last year when a good friend of mine said “We’re going to have a cesarian because it just seems easier and nobody can tell me why vaginal birth is better.”
I told her that there were less complications, you healed faster, better bonding with baby, etc. Her doctor didn’t think any of that was true.
She had a scheduled cesarian. For no reason. Other than it it seemed easier and she could pick the day that her baby would arrive.
So, perhaps it is a need for control and a desire for convenience that’s put us here.
I have the same reaction watching Mad Men, I am just fascinated with the hyper realism of this show. Although I very eagerly watch it. My mother was a 20 year old woman living in NYC during the very same era this show takes place. She survived extraordinarily oppressive conditions in the work world. And also with her personal gynological health.
I haven’t had children, but as a woman I certainly relate to all that you are saying. The “house cat” line really got to me too. It’s a good show to trigger these kinds of discussions, to see where we still need to progress.
Great post KLM. I remember hearing on the radio a few years ago about the rise in Cesarian births. I remember them explaining that the increased number was due to women choosing this option for it’s “convenience” as well as to, ahem, retain the pre-childbirth attributes of their lady parts.
You rock.
I had my first baby Cesarean because she was breach when my water broke and no doctor was available that was experienced in vaginal breach deliveries. It was frustrating. I did end up having a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean) with my second child, but it wasn’t encouraged. My cousin also had a Cesarean with her first and I asked her if she was doing a VBAC with her second and she said her doctor hadn’t even given her the option, but when she looked into it and talked to her doctor about it, she ended up with a VBAC, I was so proud of her. Women have to advocate for themselves!
Just another way women are oppressed in our society. Many of them have no idea. They just give themselves over to the doctors, nurses and hospitals as if they have no choice in their childbirth. One thing my Hypnobirthing instructor said really stuck with me “You are merely renting a room from the hospital. The choices of how and when your child is born are ultimately up to you.” I went in with my birth plan, well-chosen midwife, asked for “Low-intervention” nurses, and had a wonderful birth. I’m not saying that I didn’t have an epidural, because I did, due to having a hormone imbalance which made me be in labour for three days. But, even though I had the epidural (in order to get some much needed sleep), and low dose pitocin, I was in charge of everything that happened. Not some doctor or nurse.
Here is my home state of Western Australia we have the option of home births, home assisted births, birthing centre(these are in hospitals and include water births if the mother wishes)births and hospital births. I’m not sure of the Ceasarian stats but they are not high here, in other states in Australia that may not be the case though.
One worrying thing here recently though is the introduction of a registration system for midwives, if your midwife is not registered s/he does not qualify for insurance.
Generally though, we have a system that incorporates most of the options parents might want to take.
If that’s not a cause to go the midwife route, I don’t know what is. As always, point on.
We live in a society today..if something is not right, there is a pill for that. If you are in pain, you take a pill. If you are depressed, you take a pill. If you don’t feel right, you take a pill. If you can’t sleep, you take a pill. If you want to lose weight, you take a pill. If you are anxious, you take a pill. And so on. And If you don’t get a perfect response, on what you think you should have..you sue.
We are being conditioned that it is unneccessary to “feel” anything that is uncomfortable. Why suffer the pains of childbirth, just get an epidural, or a pain-less c-section and as an added bonus the baby comes out all perfect. There are multiple factors which have led us to a higher c-section rate. The two major factors, I believe, is our out of control tort system and that we mustn’t feel any discomfort or pain as we are a civilized people. And yes..I guess you can guess..I work in health care..
I’m a 66 yr old Mad Men fan. What you write about needs to be said, loudly and often. But having said that, what struck me about that episode was three scenes: the ‘house cat’ dream and her face as she heard the comment, the one after she’d said she wanted to name the baby after her father and then Don tells someone no name has been chosen yet, and the final scene where she pauses so very long in mid-step before continuing on to check on the new baby’s cry.
She went to her parents in the dream looking for support and encouragement (perhaps of the kind that grandpa so often gave the granddaughter). What she got was a message of her worthlessness and that she ought to be grateful for it! Her face spoke volumes of being a trapped animal and desperation.
She wanted to name the baby Eugene after her father and Don basically said nothing committal; but later to others he basically denies her wish when he says no name has been chosen. Like ‘I’ll choose the name and manipulate her into acquiescense…as usual’. His house, his rules….as usual.
Then back home in her ‘cage’ the baby cries in the dark of night and she so wearily gets up to check on the baby. She takes some shuffling steps toward the door, then stops, and simply stands there in the darkness for ever so long, before continuing on. Her pause, her posture spoke volumes of the woman trapped by duty, without an ounce of joy in her life.
I know the feelings; I remember.
Betty’s going to rebel….just you wait!
You’ve often told me that the birth experience affects the woman for the rest of her life. I haven’t believed that, until recently.
I think the lack of control I felt at the induction, the anesthesiologist poking my spine for fifteen minutes straight, and the resulting post-partum depression are all tied together. I think the lack of support I got from A’s dad also contributed. But I wonder if I were in control of that day, what I would feel like at this moment.
I was fortunate to be “poor” during my pregnancy. I went to county health centers and saw nurse practitioners and got excellent care, plus, even at 25 I was educated enough to know how to take care of myself, even though I wasn’t happy about being pregnant. I saw a doctor exactly twice–once when he came in to the labor room, peered over my belly and said “Push!” and 2 days later when he checked my stitches. I had one shot of Demerol during labor and that was it. Oh, and my total labor time was less than 8 hours. Otherwise, between the nurses and my mother I was out of the hospital and at the grocery store a week later in my pre-baby jeans (sadly, that didn’t last
).
“Death by treatment” is a phrase one of my blog readers used on a recent post about hospitals that I wrote, and it is all too true. For me, doctors are “body mechanics”, tying this thing and that thing to make people “better” when there usually really isn’t much wrong with them in the first place that good food, good exercise and good sleep wouldn’t improve. But it sure rakes in a lot of money, doesn’t it?
GG
I was made uncomfortable by the constant use of the word “negro.” Grossed me out. I liked the elevator scene with Hollis and Pete Campbell. Hollis tried to explain without really explaining why they couldn’t have a conversation about TVs.
The person in the death sequence with Betty’s parents was Medgar Evers – that says if you speak up, you might end up dead. All of this was about being trapped where you are and how oppressive life can be at all times, not just in the 60’s. Thanks Ms. Martini!
I am proud of the fact that I chose an elective C-section. You are all about choices, but condemn those choices if they don’t fall in line with what you are passionate about…not to be rude, but if you’re all about the freedom of choice, you shouldn’t belittle those of us that feel C-sections are the best option for us. I had no medical reason for a C-section, just felt like that is the way I wanted to give birth…and I haven’t regretted it for a second.
Freedom of Choice!!! You don’t want people attacking the choices you have made in your own life…so why is it ok to attack others for the choices they make!?
Written respectfully!!!
Very well written article. I can only speak of my own experience, I had an emergency C-section 20 years ago after 23 hours of labor and almost no dilation, my daughter was delivered with the cord wrapped around her neck and she had her first bowel movement in utero. She was healthy and we looked to a VBAC for our second child’s birth 3 yrs later. After much consultation we decided to have another C-Section because my doctor strongly urged for it because “my body was not really made to have babies’. He was sure I would suffer from failure to progress again. What I realize now was that it was much easier to schedule a birth for him than to wait it out again. In hindsight I wish I would have chosen to try for the VBAC. i am glad that women have a choice now, but as you say it must be THEIR choice.
Have any of you seen “The Business of Being Born”? It really gets at the heart of this post and goes into more detail as well. I highly recommend it!
Well said though, Kathryn.
@Bethany-
I’m certain there are people out there in the world who judge you for chosing a cesarean. I know and work with some of them. However, I don’t see anything in this blog post that implies that choice is somehow a lesser choice than any other choice a woman can make for herself in birth.
Something that is crucial to include in this discussion is that most women who have cesareans did not choose them from a place of empowerment and informed consent. Either they are unexpected cesareans that occur after a course of labor or they are repeat cesareans on women who have had prior cesarean births. Women who choose elective cesarean are a tiny portion of the cesarean section rate.
If women are truly free to choose then it shouldn’t just be elective cesareans that we have as an option, we should also be free to choose vaginal birth after cesarean and unmedicated low intervention births with the provider of their chosing – midwife, family physician or OB. We should be able to choose to birth at home, at a birth center or at a hospital. Without fear of prosecution, denial of coverage, or charges of child endangerment.
Most women in the US do not have these choices.
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