Uncovering The Secret Behind Spain’s Enigmatic Chair Of The ’70s!
September 4, 2024
source: Etsy
In this paper, the author will discuss the Spanish labor chair that came into vogue in the 1970s when natural childbirth was becoming popular across the world. This particular chair was not only a piece of equipment used in childbirth but also a representation of the new ideas of the time regarding childbirth – active, natural, and focused on the woman.
The Spanish labor chair is a chair which is intended to help women labour in a more comfortable position; women can sit on it with their back supported and their legs spread to help the process of birth. As opposed to the conventional birthing beds where the women had to lie supine, this chair allowed the woman to squat, a position regarded as more beneficial to both mother and child.
Some of the features of the chair were foot rests and back rests to help the mother and also the stages of labor. It was mostly constructed with strong and rigid materials such as wood or metal to provide for longevity and stability.
In the 70s, Spain, similar to the rest of the world, was going through certain changes which put a number of traditional values into a paradigm shift. In childbirth, this shift entailed a departure from highly technological and procedural options that treated childbirth as more of an operation and toward those options that recognized the intrinsic potential of women’s bodies to give birth.
The use of the Spanish labor chair as well as the idea of encouraging birth as a family event where the mother would be able to have control over the process of birth. It was a tool that was to assist in the transition between the indigenous birth practices and the contemporary medical practices, and was a good example of the ethos of the time.
The concept of the Spanish labor chair has up to today been used in the delivery of babies. It led to the development of birthing furniture that to this day is still an innovative process and includes such items as birthing stools, balls and many types of adjustable beds that are meant to support different positions during labor.
The chair’s idea also emphasized the role of the body positioning in labor, which affected the approach of the modern specialists to the natural birth. It gives an account of the medical and social growth of the period and for a society that was in the process of reviewing and renegotiating the concepts of birth and delivery.
To the generation that was fortunate or unfortunate enough to go through or witness the birth of their children in the 70s, the Spanish labor chair is a pioneering tool that represents a complete revolution in the approach to birth as a functional and liberating process. It speaks of a period of transition, a period of revolution and of rewriting the rules of life and birth.
This chair, which is now a piece of history, still evokes interest of those who want to find the best of the traditional and the contemporary approaches to delivery, and thus make childbirth a more women-centered process. It is still a powerful example of the fact that the way we approach life’s basic functions is a result of innovation and cultural shift.