Scientology is notorious for having unusual rules and rituals that its members have to follow and when Katie Holmes was giving birth to Suri Cruise back in 2006, rumors around the Scientology inspired birth ritual were rampant. But how true were they?

Scientology’s “Silent Birth” practice has long confused outsiders to the controversial religion with many wondering how and why it is practiced, so when one of the most well-know Scientologists Tom Cruise was rumored to have participated in it during his daughter Suri’s birth, the media was inevitably all over it.

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The Background To Scientology’s Silent Birth Practice

When people think of Scientology, often the first thing that comes to mind is the celebrities that follow it such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, leading many to know very little about Scientology’s origins and doctrines.

The controversial religion started back in 1952 by sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard based largely on his bestselling book Dianetics which eventually spawned a legion of followers and over the years turned into a multi-million-dollar empire with followers all over the world and amassing a significant celebrity following.

Anyone familiar with Scientology will already be aware of some of the strange practices and doctrines that its followers practice, but a lesser-known Scientology practice is that of Silent Birth, otherwise known as Quiet Birth.

This practice of Silent Birth is a compulsory practice in Scientology that all followers must practice. It is based upon the principle that expectant mothers must be provided with the utmost care and respect.

According to L. Ron Hubbard:

"Everyone must learn to say nothing within the expectant mother's hearing using labor and delivery. Particularly during birth, absolute silence must be maintained and the more gentle the delivery, the better."

Some may find this an unusual practice, but according to L. Ron Hubbard there is method behind the madness.

According to Scientology, Silent Birth is supposed to make "the transition to physical separation from the mother, less painful for the child" and the church does not have anything against medication and caesarean births.

There have been no attempts to declare that Silent Birth is a medical or scientific approach to childbirth and Scientology instead states that Silent Birth is not a medical procedure, but instead a philosophical and religious approach to childbirth.

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The Rumors Surrounding The Birth Of Suri Cruise In 2006

Way back in late 2005 and early 2006 the internet was awash with rumors surrounding Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ unusual birth plan for their daughter Suri. Many articles went into detail about Scientology’s Silent Birth practices, and due to being compulsory, there seemed to be no doubt that the power couple would follow them.

Many articles derided the plans as bizarre and the practice as harmful and unscientific and wondered why Katie Holmes would agree to such a plan.

It turns out that other Scientology following celebrities also participated in Silent Births, such as John Travolta and his wife back in 2010.

When describing the birth of her son Benjamin, Preston stated that:

“It’s just no words as much as possible. If you need to moan, if you cry out or all of that, of course, it's normal. But just bringing them in as peaceful and gentle a way as possible.”

Highlighting that this a very common practice that Scientology following celebrities have participated in and continue to do to this day.

Related: Suri Cruise Is 14: Here's Everything We Know About Tom And Katie's Daughter

What Actually Happened At Suri Cruise’s Birth

So, what actually happened at Suri Cruise’s much-publicized birth? Well, it turns out that although it was a Silent Birth done according to Scientology’s beliefs, it wasn’t carried out exactly as the press made it out to be.

In an interview back in 2006 for The Today Show, Cruise claimed that Silent Birth had been exaggerated by the media and as not as bad as they made it out to be.

According to Cruise:

"It's basically just respecting the mother, you know, and helping to be quiet. (But) not the mother. The mother makes as much noise ... you know, she's going through it. She does what she's gotta do, OK?"

Cruise also went on to decry the media for pushing the narrative that Scientology forbids pain relief and medical intervention during childbirth:

"We're there, you know, with doctors. ... Whatever the woman wants. ... If she needs an epidural, she's gonna get her epidural."

Some of the reports from the media were so wildly exaggerated, such as the claim that Cruise bought an adult pacifier to muffle the sounds of Holmes’ screaming during labor that Cruise felt he had no choice but to defend the practice of Silent Birth and the birth of his daughter Suri.

So, there you have it. Although Silent Birth is still considered an unusual practice by many, the media frenzy surrounding Suri Cruise’s Silent Birth distorted a lot of the truth about what actually happened.

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