My initial reaction to this article was that he is being very condescending, and I do object to him having such opinions, not because of his gender, but because he hasn't had a baby. He is not qualified to be making the sorts of statements he is making because he hasn't had a contraction, or given birth. It is important. I do not believe that someone can really understand what it is like to give birth without actually doing it. I have had three thankfully straightforward labours and quick deliveries and the most important thing I know about having babies is that after a certain point, you do not choose your birth, you can try, but nature decides. Some people are more fortunate than others. I've been lucky, but I absolutely know that if my labours lasted any longer than they did, or if there were complications of any sort, I would not, or should not have hesitated in requesting and accepting any pain relief available. The pain is unimaginable, and regardless of his experience as a midwife, Dr Denis Walsh can not imagine that level of pain. It does not feel natural or beautiful or wonderful. It is bloody awful.
However, he is obviously correct that epiduals are becoming more common, and in my experience of two hospital births and one homebirth, I can see why. The ethos is totally different in a hospital. You are checked and monitored far more, and intervention is the norm, whereas at home you are just encouraged to get on with it.
I think his point that enduring the pain of childbirth being linked to a womans ability to bond with or care for her baby is bollocks, and deeply condescending. However, I do agree that both experiences are primal, the birth of a baby and the caring for a baby are absolutely fundamental to our humanity, regardless of how painful they are. I kind of know what he means. That primal, animalistic act of giving birth is wonderful, amazing, shocking, as is the all encompassing love you feel for the resulting baby.