Picture via YouTube

 

A spoiler alert for anyone who has not seen A Quiet Place - we'll be discussing exactly one (very important) scene from the horror thriller, so beware.

 

Alright, with that out of the way, let's dig in.

 

A Quiet Place, the new film starring real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, follows a family as they try to remain silent in a world where making even a peep could mean death.

 

One thing that's awfully hard to do without making any noise? Giving birth. And yet, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) goes into labour at the climax of the film and tries to keep quiet, as creatures will hunt the family down if they make a sound.

 

Evelyn's son manages a timely distraction, so she emits one much-needed scream but otherwise has to remain silent as she welcomes the newest member of their family.

 

 

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Firstly, we had no clue we could ever feel so stressed during a film. Watching that scene was disquieting, to say the least.

 

As well, the situation brought up an excellent question: is it possible to give birth silently?

 

Refinery 29 consulted Malaika Alert, a certified birth doula in Washington, D.C., for her expert advice on the subject.

 

She said that the portrayal on-screen of Evelyn's labour seemed fairly accurate, as the character breathes through the contractions and manages that one visceral scream when it's safe to let go.

 

Malaika noted that she has actually been present at births where the mums didn't make a sound. In fact, one woman was so quiet during labour that it was difficult to tell if she was experiencing contractions.

 

 

However, for those of you who found it difficult to control your volume during birth (not to mention trying to be silent), you're not alone. Malaika says it's quite common for mums to scream and make all sorts of noise during labour.

 

She says that this reaction is, in part, shaped by our expectation for how painful the experience will be and pop culture's portrayal of childbirth, which shows plenty of yelling mums.

 

"A lot of the time, people see in movies and TV that moms giving birth are screaming. Or, they're told by family and friends that birth is going to be really painful. You think that you're supposed to be screaming," the doula explained.

 

Mariel Lugosch-Ecker, a certified doula for Open Hands Doula Care, told Refinery 29 that making noise can actually be a very helpful coping mechanism when it comes to dealing with the pain of childbirth.

 

"The natural instinct to make noise — which I think a great majority of people have — serves a physiological purpose, which is helping the pelvic floor relax so that dilation can happen and labour progression can happen," Mariel explained.

 

 

And while some may find it cathartic to yell out, others may not.

 

"Just like most of life, labour and birth can look like so many different things for so many different people," the doula continued.

 

"I've seen births where it really helps someone to roar through, and they feel really powerful and warrior-like, and I've seen births where the person wants to lie in bed and gets really internal and maybe only moans a little throughout."

 

How were you when it came to making noise during labour?

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