When Marie Mongan was pregnant with her third child in the 1950s, she made an unusual demand. She had declined anesthesia during her first two pregnancies, too, but in each case the nurses had not listened. After her second child was born “the same sad way,” Ms. Mongan said, she vowed, “Never again!”Ms. Mongan had spent years preparing for an unmedicated birth. During her first pregnancy, she devoured the works of Grantly Dick-Read, a British obstetrician who popularized the phrase “natural childbirth” and espoused relaxation to lessen pain. After studying his book “Childbirth Without Fear,” she learned how to bring herself to a state of deep relaxation.

Source: International New York Times March 16, 2021 21:45 UTC