I couldn't agree more
Here is something I found on my friend's website and totally appreciated it.
I'm very thankful for Doctors and Nurses and what they do for us (especially in Labor and Delivery) but I couldn't agree more with this argument. Its all too true and I've experienced it first hand. Seems like our hospitals are in a big hurry to get you to A.) Schedule your birth as much as possible, so they can schedule their time around you B.) convincing mothers way too soon that they need to "give up" and opt for a C-Section and C.) Making you feel awkward for choosing to go natural.
I have friends that have been able to do that and have had a wonderful experience... but they're few and far between.
Anyway, watch this video, you'll enjoy it.
I'm very thankful for Doctors and Nurses and what they do for us (especially in Labor and Delivery) but I couldn't agree more with this argument. Its all too true and I've experienced it first hand. Seems like our hospitals are in a big hurry to get you to A.) Schedule your birth as much as possible, so they can schedule their time around you B.) convincing mothers way too soon that they need to "give up" and opt for a C-Section and C.) Making you feel awkward for choosing to go natural.
I have friends that have been able to do that and have had a wonderful experience... but they're few and far between.
Anyway, watch this video, you'll enjoy it.
Comments
I was blessed to have FOUR natural birth experiences! The only one I had pitocin with was Lizzy, and that was for a half hour. So, yes, it can be done! And it's gloriously painful! But thankfully I was never pressured into anything else. :) Have things changed that much in the past 6 years?
Thanks for posting this! Is this something that will be on TV at some point?
I just think its sad that women everywhere are listening to Doctors more than their own bodies. Birth is a natural part of life - why are we always trying to find short cuts and create problems that aren't there?
I definitely had that experience with Ethan's birth. With Rachel's, we just experienced very rude and bossy nurses, telling me exactly what I was going to do.
Kind of takes all the beauty out of birth. :)
Stef, we talked about this the other night, but it's completely true that doctors and nurses often don't respect their patients choice (or desire) to have a low-intervention birth. Nearly every day when I was working at the OB/GYN the nurses would pass around the birth plan of one of "those women" and gripe about how annoying it was to have to deal with women like that. Even during my own labor when I really needed a nurse or someone to keep telling me "You can do it!" My husband was the only one cheering me on, the nurse and even my doctor basically kept offering drugs and when Bruce tried to remind them that we wanted to go natural, my doctor totally bulldozed over him and said this is Laura's choice.
Jill I love that you say birth with pitocin in gloriously painful. I'm totally going to remember that next time. :-)
There are definitely cases where intervention is totally necessary in birth, but it's the unnecessary interventions and the unwillingness to let nature take it's course (during a healthy delivery - not one with obvious complications) that bothers me.
The title of the documentary says it all - birthing IS a business, especially to hospitals and doctors.
I think much of the problem comes from women who just want to get the pain part over with and they miss the beauty and thrill of going through the whole birth naturally and patiently. Nurses and doctors often don't help. Sad.
Hopefully this film will do some good!
I think, as in most "arguments/debates, what have you... the main point that's being made here is that none of us think its wrong to have your babies in a hospital. I don't even think its "wrong" to use drug intervention! I used an epidural with Ethan and I do believe its the only thing that allowed me to deliver him naturally. Before that epidural my pelvic bones would not budge. My Mom had this same problem with her body, back in 1978 and 1980 and she ended up having C-Sections. Her Dr. even gave her an x-ray while she was in labor with Trisha... down in her pelvic area! How dangerous does that sound?! I've often wondered if this was the cause of Trisha having the hole in her heart; esp. since it wasn't detected until she was a month old and that is extremely rare when the hole has been there since the beginning of conception.
I do wonder, however, if the Dr would have let me get out of the bed and do some squats, walk around, etc... maybe the bones would have done what they needed to and I wouldn't have had to have the dangerous (and expensive) epidural. It didn't kill me, but did leave me with a permanent sore spot in my lower back. When I complained about 3 months ago to my Dr. she said "Oh, did you have an epidural with either one of your kids?" I said yes and she said "Yeah... they don't always tell you this, but it often leaves you with some sort of permanent ailment like that."
Nice.
I have to say... Gina, I love how you wrote "in short" and then left that long comment! You reminded me so much of me there! :)
Again, thanks for all the weighing in ladies. I've loved reading all your comments.
I'm aiming for a natural water birth next time and I'm so excited about it!
So the comment you read below my LONG story is from Krista. Sorry Krista!
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I have to jump in with my 2 cents. :) I had a completely natural birth with Elijah, and it actually was gloriously painful! I was blessed to have a nurse who had been in the business for 25 years and had much experience with natural birth. My doctors were not so supportive, so I was thankful for the current trend in lack of time spent with doctor/person in labor. :) They came in and made negative comments, saying I needed pitocin, but I just said no while in the middle of a contraction so that I looked extra determined and angry.
That being said, I know lots of people who have had some sort of 'intervention' be it pitocin, an epideral, etc. And they too have been able to enjoy the miracle of birth. I think there are downsides to all of those things, but sometimes the pluses outway the downsides.
And yes, it has become quite the business and Stef is right that they push you to make it go quicker somehow. I was dilated to 8 when the Doctor came in and told me "things are not progressing as fast as I'd like, we will probably need to give you pitocin". Turns out she was off her shift in 10 minutes, and told me that if I wanted her to deliver Elijah that I would need pitocin. So I said "thanks, but I'll see you later". Ha!
A few things first, Stef, I'm certain that the pelvic x-ray your mom had during delivery did not cause the hole in Trish's heart as radiation has the risk of causing DNA damage but not structural damage to tissues. It is however, always a good idea to cover your ovaries when being x-rayed--keep those eggs safe!
OK, back to the good stuff...ah, I don't even know where to begin. The whole system needs to be overhauled, and we women, mothers, future mothers and husbands/fathers need to stand up for ourselves, because it is up to us, as patients, consumers of obstetric services, to demand a quality product. Birthing IS a business, and instead of demonizing that idea, we can realize the amazing potential here to put market pressure on the industry. You can't blame the horribly over-worked, sleep-deprived OB for wanting to go home at the end of her shift. Does that mean we have to succumb to an unnecessary (and expensive) c-section or have pitocin pushed on us? No. I used to think that I wanted to have elective Ceasareans because I thought it would be "easier." Well that was until I saw one. It wasn't even in person, it was actually an educational video on YouTube, but it was psychologically scarring. I will never give a woman a Ceasarean unless I absolutely have to. After seeing that I wanted to give birth at home, just to keep the doctors away. Despite talk about patient autonomy and respect, doctors (and some nurses) are generally arrogant, paternalistic and jaded about patient care. I'm still in that part of my training where I am idealistic--I haven't done any of my clinical training yet. It's so sad how medical students come in because we "want to help people" and after four years the training process turns medical students into jerks who have no respect for their patients. Doctors SHOULD treat their patients like customers and at the very least like autonomous human beings. The attitudes that I have heard/seen in medical school make me feel that I would lose control over my medical decisions by giving birth in a hospital. I am amazed by the progress that has been made in medicine to reduce morbidity and mortality and overall pain and discomfort on the birthing process. But do we have to give up all of our rights to autonomy in order to have the pain relief of an epidural? Doctors are not making choices that are cost-conscious or patient-conscious because they really don't have to.
I want to see a hybrid between home and hospital birth. I think it is completely reasonable to envision a birthing center where women can have the best of both worlds. Maybe this is my new mission in life? I am shadowing in labor & delivery for the first time on Saturday, I can't wait to see how it goes. Thanks, Stef. Great post!
Thanks for stopping by!
thanks for ALL these comments! I've enjoyed reading them and reading them to Jason too... we're learning lots of new things together and very excited about what it will mean for us in the future!