Margaret Jowitt became fascinated with uterine function while researching mothers’ different experiences of birth at home and in hospital. As a psychologist, she started with the idea that stress hormones might compete with labour hormones. This led to a deep dive into uterine physiology, culminating in an understanding that the uterus itself must physically transform from a tightly closed, rigid incubator to stretchier, soft walled balloon with an opening neck. Now, mother, baby and uterus can together perform the dance of labour that leads to birth.
Traditionally, textbooks have described the uterus as the ‘powers’ and the fetus as merely a ‘passenger’. The mother herself has been completely left out of the picture and her baby is objectified.
If we don’t understand how the uterus works in labour, we can’t know how best to support women in labour. Knowing that the mother and her unborn baby play an active role in labour could transform maternity care. Freedom of movement for mother and baby would be prioritised over getting a ‘good’ CTG trace; women can’t labour efficiently in a strait jacket!
Margaret has four children, three born at home. She is now a grandmother but tries not to interfere too much, her advice for labour is to ‘keep off the bed’.
