Article January 25, 1993 Issue

Second Thought

Looking again at news and commentary

Pieter E. Treffers—November 7, 1990

Journal of the American Medical Association

"Letter from Amsterdam: Home Births and Minimal Medical Interventions"

"The Dutch system of obstetric care is attracting increasing attention from various parts of the world because of the large number of home births and the relatively low rate of medical intervention....

"The fact that more than one third of all children [in The Netherlands] are born at home seems to confirm in the minds of pregnant women and their families that labor and delivery are normal physiological events. This consciousness in itself probably diminishes the need for analgesics and stimulates the normal progress of labor in both home and hospital deliveries...."

By Pieter E. Treffers, M.D., et al.
Reprinted with permission.

Editor's comment: Many doctors, such as the Dutch physicians quoted above, do not consider it unprofessional or unscientific to take account of the close relationship between an individual's consciousness and bodily functions and comfort.

The acknowledgment of this relationship can be a significant step in restoring a view of the birthing process as normal and natural. It helps in overcoming materialism's disdain for prayer—the understanding of spiritual reality, the consciousness of God's goodness, power, and healing presence.

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