'Pain: The gift nobody wants'

The title of the book was certainly intriguing and the lessons it presented were undoubtedly relevant. In short, it was about how pain in its many forms has a purpose.

While we associate pain with punishment or a reminder of our mortality, the author cleverly reminds us that without pain we could, as lepers do, end up losing parts of our body because this disease actually kills your “feelings” or your sensory abilities. You get cuts, bites and bruises but not realize it and eventually you lose your hands, ears, nose to gangrene or infection.

Of course no one likes pain. But today’s culture has become so good at avoiding pain or pain management that it has reached a dangerous compromise. Instead of naturally losing weight or burning fat, many people have opted for surgical procedures so they can have the healthy look. The problem here is they think young, act young, and live young with an old and very unhealthy body. Which is why more and more people are dropping dead!

I regularly advise friends whose hair have started to turn gray to avoid dyeing or coloring their hair. The false sense of youth often times make us behave in a high risk manner to our ageing bodies.

We have taken the quick way out, through medicine and medical procedures without realizing the dangerous trade-offs.

This observation was further strengthened when I hosted a forum organized by Nestle Philippines for a very select group of core retailers. The event was intended to address concerns of business people regarding the US financial storm and its impact on local retailing. As an added event, the organizers also invited a couple of medical experts to speak on the current developments related to their business.

Believe it or not, the audience was more riveted to the medical discourse than the financial analysis. Who wouldn’t be, if you learn that more pregnant women are choosing “Caesarean section on demand” in order to avoid the perceived pain of “Natural birth” or to time their infant’s delivery according to Feng Shui, numerology, or good fortune. Still in general, the heart of the issue according to the resource speakers was fear of “pain”.

Doctor Raul Quillamor cited statistics particularly in the US as well as certain private hospitals in Metro Manila which showed a marked increase in “C-section on demand”. As it stands the stats point to anywhere from 30 to 40 % of deliveries have been “C-section on demand”.

Of course if you have ever given birth, particularly to an 8 or 10 pound baby, you will likely opt for less pain the next time. But as it turns out, less pain for the mother now, may cause more forms of “pain” especially for the child in the future. During the dialogue, Dr. Marysia Recto who handled the pediatrics side of the forum confirmed suspicions that C-section births may have understated effects.

There is certainly a noted difference of “closeness” between mother & child who went through natural birth compared to C-section deliveries. The pain and the reward experience of natural birth results in a much higher bond as compared to C-section. Several mothers at the event who went through both types of delivery noticed as much.

Dr. Recto also mentioned observations where some mothers who did not go through the “pain-reward bonding process” were delayed or had difficulty in producing mothers’ milk.

But that’s the least of the problems. It seems that infants delivered through “C-section” were observed to have more medical issues with allergies, asthma and insufficiency of anti-bodies or immunity to infection as they grow up.

Apparently as the child goes through the birth canal and the process of natural birth, the baby ingests fluids filled with “good bacteria” crucial in boosting the immune system of the child. So the babies delivered through C-section actually lose out in exchange. Instead of hearing the soothing, calming voice of Mom, he gets zip because Mom is out cold. Now we learn that the C-section also diverted him from very important fluids he will need in life.

What came as news to several women who entertained C-section on demand was the permanent “damage” made to abdominal muscles which greatly affects the patients future physique and exercise lifestyle. Beyond stitch marks, C-section veterans discover that a C-section surgery will permanently alter the strength and responsiveness of your guts to training and exercise.

If C-section is a choice and not a necessity, then dealing with the pain that comes with childbirth can be one of the best sacrifices and “gift” you can give to your child. If on the other hand, you have a medical condition requiring C-section, then do all you can to bond and connect with the child before and immediately after delivery and breast-feed the child?

According to Dr. Marysia Recto this is the only natural alternative or replacement for the lost nutrients. If like some Moms, you simply can’t breast feed, then consult your pediatrician on a recently developed product for such special nutritional requirements.

So there you have it. Those who wish to avoid pain sometimes end up merely passing it on to others. The truth is even when we come to the point where we will no longer feel pain, we will still pass it on, because those we leave behind will experience the pain of losing us. As the commercial stated: NO PAIN, NO GAIN.