One of my favorite local midwives, Stephanie S., has started a midwife-blog on her website! Check it out!
The Baby Whisperer
Stephanie is one AMAZING woman. She owns what is probably the largest birth-services business in the state (it includes massage, chiropractic care, naturopathic medicine, midwifery, childbirth classes, doula training, childbirth educator training, henna art, bellycasting, pregnancy photography - and more!), is an incredibly busy midwife, and is also one of the most educated, thoughtful, and articulate women I have ever met. I always enjoy hearing her input at local birth-community meetings.
Here's a quote from her latest entry:
"VITA MUTARI – the literal translation from Latin to English is “Life Transformation”. That is the closest thing I could think of the feeling of labor/birth…what you are feeling isn’t pain, it’s life transformation. Is it dramatic? You bet! I think it should be!..... Language is powerful – birth is powerful – and I think that the language should be more accurate. I don’t believe “pain” is accurate…it’s not a powerful enough word to describe the feelings of birth."
I am expecting great things from this blog!
(Right now I can't get my "subscriber" to subscribe to this blog, so I'll have to check it manually until either I or they get that quirk worked out. I'll post when it is.)
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Every Week Counts!
I loved this article on the dangers of unnecessary induction:
New Research Shows Why Every Week of Pregnancy Counts
With elective (and frivolous) induction rates soaring all around us, it definitely behooves us to know the dangers of unnecessary induction!
"Conventional wisdom has long held that inducing labor or having a Caesarean section a bit early posed little risk, since after 34 weeks gestation, all the baby has to do was grow.
"But new research shows that those last weeks of pregnancy are more important than once thought for brain, lung and liver development. And there may be lasting consequences for babies born at 34 to 36 weeks, now called "late preterm."
New Research Shows Why Every Week of Pregnancy Counts
With elective (and frivolous) induction rates soaring all around us, it definitely behooves us to know the dangers of unnecessary induction!
"Conventional wisdom has long held that inducing labor or having a Caesarean section a bit early posed little risk, since after 34 weeks gestation, all the baby has to do was grow.
"But new research shows that those last weeks of pregnancy are more important than once thought for brain, lung and liver development. And there may be lasting consequences for babies born at 34 to 36 weeks, now called "late preterm."
"A study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in October calculated that for each week a baby stayed in the womb between 32 and 39 weeks, there is a 23% decrease in problems such as respiratory distress, jaundice, seizures, temperature instability and brain hemorrhages."
Yikes.
I really liked what this doc had to say:
"There's also a perception that delivering early by c-section is safer for the baby, even though it means major surgery for the mom. "The idea is that somehow, if you're in complete control of the delivery, then only good things will happen. But that's categorically wrong. The baby and the uterus know best," says F. Sessions Cole, director of newborn medicine at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
"He explains that a complex series of events occurs in late pregnancy to prepare the baby to survive outside the womb: The fetus acquires fat needed to maintain body temperature; the liver matures enough to eliminate a toxin called bilirubin from the body; and the lungs get ready to exchange oxygen as soon as the umbilical cord is clamped. Disrupting any of those steps can result in brain damage and other problems. In addition, the squeezing of the uterus during labor stimulates the baby and the placenta to make steroid hormones that help this last phase of lung maturation -- and that's missed if the mother never goes into labor."
And I love the point made here - that doctors and hospitals have MAJOR impact on patient decisions that can lead to good or bad medical decisions (and thus bear a great responsibility to their patients and their babies):
"Making families aware of the risks of delivering early makes a big difference. In Utah, where 27% of elective deliveries in 1999 took place before the 39th week, a major awareness campaign has reduced that to less than 5%. At two St. Louis hospitals that send premature babies to Dr. Cole's neonatal intensive-care unit, obstetricians now ask couples who want to schedule a delivery before 39 weeks to sign a consent form acknowledging the risks. At that point, many wait for nature to take its course, says Dr. Cole."
Good stuff!
Night-waking, Co-sleeping, Breastfeeding and SIDS
I thought this was a great article discussing the preventative nature of co-sleeping and breastfeeding against SIDS. Check it out!
Night-waking Protects Against SIDS
The first time I heard of the benefits of co-sleeping (or co-sleeping at all, for that matter) was in a class in primate anthropology that I took in college. The professor was talking about the fact that all primates, barring 1st-world humans, slept with their infants, and she mentioned non-co-sleeping as a probable causative factor in SIDS. It has always made sense that the stimulation of sleeping next to the mother would help prevent apnea in infants or simply help to keep them stimulated by the mother's breathing patterns and movement. Thoughts, anyone?
The author says:
"In order for the body to function there must be a balance of just the right amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. In order to maintain this balance, tiny sensor cells called chemoreceptors are located along some major blood vessels. During sleep, the body is particularly dependent on these chemoreceptors to keep breathing going.
"In the first few months, the infant's automatic breathing mechanisms are immature. When watching a sleeping baby breathe, you will notice that his breathing lacks a regular pattern. Periodically he appears to stop breathing, sometimes for as long as ten to fifteen seconds, and then self-starts without any apparent problem. This is called periodic breathing and is normal for the tiny infant. The younger or the more premature the baby, the more irregular the breathing pattern and the more noticeable the periodic breathing. As the baby matures (around six months), breathing patterns during sleep become more regular and periodic breathing lessens. The episodes when the baby stops breathing are called apnea. Sometimes they are prolonged for more than fifteen to twenty seconds, and the heart rate drops significantly (greater than twenty percent). As a response to this sleep apnea, either automatic start mechanisms click on or the infant awakens. Either way, normal breathing resumes.
"Sometimes the apnea is prolonged, and breathing fails to start again. Infants who are hooked up to apnea monitors show signs that the oxygen in the blood is at a dangerously low level: the heart rate becomes alarmingly slow, and the infant turns pale, blue, and limp. An observer must intervene and arouse the infant. Sometimes a simple touch will trigger the self-starting mechanism; sometimes the infant must be aroused from sleep in order to breathe; sometimes mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is necessary to initiate breathing again. Infants who have experienced an apnea episode that required outside intervention to restart their breathing are called near-miss SIDS. In other words, they would have died had someone not intervened. Tragically some infants stop breathing permanently, succumbing to SIDS.
".....Obviously, this [her study] was a very small sample group, from which it is impossible to draw statistically valid conclusions. However, it does suggest a theory that needs further testing: a baby who sleeps next to mother is likely to experience fewer apnea episodes and thus may be at lower risk for SIDS. While again, this is not scientifically tested evidence, I have had many breastfeeding and co-sleeping mothers in my practice tell me that they have noticed that their infants breathe more rhythmically lying next to mother in bed than they do in a crib. One mother, whose baby was monitored with an apnea monitor during sleep because of breathing difficulties, found that the alarm went off frequently when the baby slept alone, but not at all when the baby slept with mother."
Good stuff. When one notices that all primates and all mammals and most humans co-sleep, it becomes harder and harder to dismiss co-sleeping as a valid sleep solution for infants and mothers. Thoughts?
Night-waking Protects Against SIDS
The first time I heard of the benefits of co-sleeping (or co-sleeping at all, for that matter) was in a class in primate anthropology that I took in college. The professor was talking about the fact that all primates, barring 1st-world humans, slept with their infants, and she mentioned non-co-sleeping as a probable causative factor in SIDS. It has always made sense that the stimulation of sleeping next to the mother would help prevent apnea in infants or simply help to keep them stimulated by the mother's breathing patterns and movement. Thoughts, anyone?
The author says:
"In order for the body to function there must be a balance of just the right amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. In order to maintain this balance, tiny sensor cells called chemoreceptors are located along some major blood vessels. During sleep, the body is particularly dependent on these chemoreceptors to keep breathing going.
"In the first few months, the infant's automatic breathing mechanisms are immature. When watching a sleeping baby breathe, you will notice that his breathing lacks a regular pattern. Periodically he appears to stop breathing, sometimes for as long as ten to fifteen seconds, and then self-starts without any apparent problem. This is called periodic breathing and is normal for the tiny infant. The younger or the more premature the baby, the more irregular the breathing pattern and the more noticeable the periodic breathing. As the baby matures (around six months), breathing patterns during sleep become more regular and periodic breathing lessens. The episodes when the baby stops breathing are called apnea. Sometimes they are prolonged for more than fifteen to twenty seconds, and the heart rate drops significantly (greater than twenty percent). As a response to this sleep apnea, either automatic start mechanisms click on or the infant awakens. Either way, normal breathing resumes.
"Sometimes the apnea is prolonged, and breathing fails to start again. Infants who are hooked up to apnea monitors show signs that the oxygen in the blood is at a dangerously low level: the heart rate becomes alarmingly slow, and the infant turns pale, blue, and limp. An observer must intervene and arouse the infant. Sometimes a simple touch will trigger the self-starting mechanism; sometimes the infant must be aroused from sleep in order to breathe; sometimes mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is necessary to initiate breathing again. Infants who have experienced an apnea episode that required outside intervention to restart their breathing are called near-miss SIDS. In other words, they would have died had someone not intervened. Tragically some infants stop breathing permanently, succumbing to SIDS.
".....Obviously, this [her study] was a very small sample group, from which it is impossible to draw statistically valid conclusions. However, it does suggest a theory that needs further testing: a baby who sleeps next to mother is likely to experience fewer apnea episodes and thus may be at lower risk for SIDS. While again, this is not scientifically tested evidence, I have had many breastfeeding and co-sleeping mothers in my practice tell me that they have noticed that their infants breathe more rhythmically lying next to mother in bed than they do in a crib. One mother, whose baby was monitored with an apnea monitor during sleep because of breathing difficulties, found that the alarm went off frequently when the baby slept alone, but not at all when the baby slept with mother."
Good stuff. When one notices that all primates and all mammals and most humans co-sleep, it becomes harder and harder to dismiss co-sleeping as a valid sleep solution for infants and mothers. Thoughts?
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Breastfeeding in Public: Oh, the Horror!
Shocking. Has this mother no shame? Doesn't she know that she should give her babies a bottle (or just stay at home) rather than subject us all to a revolting display of public breastfeeding?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Newborn Picture Gallery
Okay, here's a quick quiz. Off the top of your head (no cheating), who can name three signs which, being noticed during a newborn exam, would indicate that baby had passed meconium sometime while in the womb (prior to labor)?
*Elevator Music*
Okay, here they are! They would be a yellow-colored stain to the baby's (1) fingernails, (2) umbilical cord, (3) vernix.
(Feel free to add additions or corrections.)
Where did I pick up such snippets? At this wonderful website! Check it out:
Stanford School of Medicine Newborn Photo Gallery
This site has a plethora of photos of newborns and various conditions, with descriptions and explanations. It is a super-helpful learning tool! I haven't gotten through it all yet, but I've learned a lot.
*Elevator Music*
Okay, here they are! They would be a yellow-colored stain to the baby's (1) fingernails, (2) umbilical cord, (3) vernix.
(Feel free to add additions or corrections.)
Where did I pick up such snippets? At this wonderful website! Check it out:
Stanford School of Medicine Newborn Photo Gallery
This site has a plethora of photos of newborns and various conditions, with descriptions and explanations. It is a super-helpful learning tool! I haven't gotten through it all yet, but I've learned a lot.
Journal of Perinatal Education: Saying No to Induction
Check out this awesome article!
The Journal of Perinatal Education: Saying "No" to Induction
This is really good stuff:
"Women are between a rock and a hard place. It is so easy to be seduced into believing that the baby is ready for birth. It is also frightening to hear the physician talk about a too-large baby or a possible medical problem. In the first instance, potential problems are brushed aside; in the second instance, problems are suggested where none are likely to exist. In both cases, pregnant women do not have the full information required for making a truly informed decision.
"To make an informed decision—either informed consent or informed refusal—women need to know the value of waiting for labor to start on its own. The last days and weeks of pregnancy are vitally important for both the mother and her baby. The end of pregnancy is as miraculous as its beginning. It's a lot easier to say “no” to induction if the mother knows the essential and amazing things that are happening to prepare her body and her baby for birth."
Among others, there is an awesome section on the risks of unnecessary induction, most of which are not presented to women when they are being unnecessarily induced.
Check it out!
The Journal of Perinatal Education: Saying "No" to Induction
This is really good stuff:
"The Listening to Mothers survey reported that almost 50% of the women surveyed had their labors induced (Declercq, Sakala, Corry, Applebaum, & Risher, 2002). Physicians are astonishingly up-front in discussing how much more efficient scheduled inductions (and scheduled cesareans) are. They claim that women will not have to worry about middle-of-the-night births and that hospital staffing and bed turnover can be better managed. Both physicians and women seem to be comfortable with “intervention-intensive” labor and birth.
"Women are between a rock and a hard place. It is so easy to be seduced into believing that the baby is ready for birth. It is also frightening to hear the physician talk about a too-large baby or a possible medical problem. In the first instance, potential problems are brushed aside; in the second instance, problems are suggested where none are likely to exist. In both cases, pregnant women do not have the full information required for making a truly informed decision.
"To make an informed decision—either informed consent or informed refusal—women need to know the value of waiting for labor to start on its own. The last days and weeks of pregnancy are vitally important for both the mother and her baby. The end of pregnancy is as miraculous as its beginning. It's a lot easier to say “no” to induction if the mother knows the essential and amazing things that are happening to prepare her body and her baby for birth."
Among others, there is an awesome section on the risks of unnecessary induction, most of which are not presented to women when they are being unnecessarily induced.
Check it out!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Hyperemesis Article - Amazing!
This is cross-posted from my hyperemesis (severe morning sickness) blog:
This is an amazing article.... thanks very much to Kathy for tipping me to it. Check it out....
Living Dead Girl: Surviving HG
If you ever need an article to show to people to make them "get it" as to what hyperemesis is all about, this is a good place to start.
Her experience mirrors those of a lot of women whose stories I've read - mild HG with a first pregnancy, then even worse with a second:
"Our second pregnancy was planned. I had deluded myself into thinking that my previous sickness had just been stress-related, and it would surely be a thousand times better this time around. I thought I was prepared. How very wrong I was.
"This time, the fatigue was all-consuming. The nausea and vomiting hit me like a brick wall. I tried all the "morning sickness" tricks and natural remedies that I'd read about and that others recommended. This time, I could not even hold down a sip of water. Often, I could not even make myself swallow. A minuscule nibble of cracker would instantly come up, along with stomach acid. Sometimes all that would come up was what looked like snot. Sometimes I'd retch and retch for eternity, with nothing left in me to come up."
She writes about how hard it is to get people to take one seriously during a hyperemetic pregnancy:
"Sometimes I wondered if our marriage would survive, despite how very committed I was/am to him. He didn't understand what I was going through. He couldn't bear the thought of me truly being as sick as I looked. He preferred to think that I was being somewhat lazy and milking it. I had been very sick before, but had managed to still be up and around and at least fake being a normal human being. He couldn't see how this time was so different, and I didn't understand it either. I felt betrayed by my own body, and let down by the one person I was counting on the most. My own brothers would talk about how their wives had experienced morning sickness too, but had managed to lead normal lives. They couldn't see how it could be so different for me. My aunt was convinced that walking a mile a day would do me some good.
"No one knew how DESPERATELY I wanted to enjoy my pregnancy. How could anyone think I was enjoying this? I was in HELL. I was trapped in bed. I was starving and weak. My whole body hurt so bad that I could not sleep. I had this really odd and uncomfortable sensation constantly like my limbs did not have enough blood in them. My lips were so dry and cracked that over 2 years later, they are still not the same. I cried more in those months than I did in the rest of my life combined. I felt trapped in my body. I felt like I'd lose my mind. Sometimes I wondered if I already had. I WANTED to clean my house, and play with my little girl, and just be a normal human being. I wanted to enjoy my pregnancy in the way I hadn't been able to before. Instead, I felt like a corpse. I felt like I'd die if something didn't change, and no one would see it coming because they were convinced it was just "morning sickness" that I was milking. But of course even thinking like that meant I was being "dramatic", and I'd get further depressed over my inability to be happy. What a sick cycle....
"I was terribly depressed. I was afraid of losing my baby. I was afraid of losing my husband. I was CRUSHED at the lack of understanding. I didn't want to be babyed, I just wanted them to stop doubting me. I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy. In Hyperemesis Gravidarum forums, there are women who suffered so much that they resorted to aborting babies that they had desperately wanted and tried hard to conceive. There are some that considered suicide, or even attempted it. I must say, that if I didn't have some very important reasons to live, and a baby inside me counting on me, I would have wanted to die too. Instead, I just sometimes fantasized about it, logically knowing it was wrong, but still wishing for escape nonetheless."
Her conclusions echo mine:
"I'm terrified of becoming pregnant again. I have beautiful, healthy, amazing daughters that I absoultey adore. I have a husband that loves and supports us. We used to talk about having four children. Aside from the fact that it would be financially rather difficult for us at this time, I am deeply, profoundly fearful of being pregnant again...
"So many moms like me are afraid to ever try for another baby. Although we love our children dearly, there is a constant fear that another pregnancy will bring more hell with it, for mom and the entire family. There's a strong possibility of experiencing HG even WORSE with future pregnancies, and that thought can be so terrifying, that people would rather adopt, use a surrogate, or stop trying, than even think about going through that again. How can one even care for the children they have when they're trapped in bed, on the bathroom floor, or in the hospital?"
There is so great a need for awareness of this condition - it is one of the only serious illnesses in the world for which a woman will be scolded and blamed ("You really didn't want this baby or you wouldn't be making yourself sick! You're just being selfish and dramatic! You just need to get out and get some fresh air, and then you wouldn't deal with this, and it's all in your head anyway!"). Let's get the word out on this!
This is an amazing article.... thanks very much to Kathy for tipping me to it. Check it out....
Living Dead Girl: Surviving HG
If you ever need an article to show to people to make them "get it" as to what hyperemesis is all about, this is a good place to start.
Her experience mirrors those of a lot of women whose stories I've read - mild HG with a first pregnancy, then even worse with a second:
"Our second pregnancy was planned. I had deluded myself into thinking that my previous sickness had just been stress-related, and it would surely be a thousand times better this time around. I thought I was prepared. How very wrong I was.
She writes about how hard it is to get people to take one seriously during a hyperemetic pregnancy:
"Sometimes I wondered if our marriage would survive, despite how very committed I was/am to him. He didn't understand what I was going through. He couldn't bear the thought of me truly being as sick as I looked. He preferred to think that I was being somewhat lazy and milking it. I had been very sick before, but had managed to still be up and around and at least fake being a normal human being. He couldn't see how this time was so different, and I didn't understand it either. I felt betrayed by my own body, and let down by the one person I was counting on the most. My own brothers would talk about how their wives had experienced morning sickness too, but had managed to lead normal lives. They couldn't see how it could be so different for me. My aunt was convinced that walking a mile a day would do me some good.
"No one knew how DESPERATELY I wanted to enjoy my pregnancy. How could anyone think I was enjoying this? I was in HELL. I was trapped in bed. I was starving and weak. My whole body hurt so bad that I could not sleep. I had this really odd and uncomfortable sensation constantly like my limbs did not have enough blood in them. My lips were so dry and cracked that over 2 years later, they are still not the same. I cried more in those months than I did in the rest of my life combined. I felt trapped in my body. I felt like I'd lose my mind. Sometimes I wondered if I already had. I WANTED to clean my house, and play with my little girl, and just be a normal human being. I wanted to enjoy my pregnancy in the way I hadn't been able to before. Instead, I felt like a corpse. I felt like I'd die if something didn't change, and no one would see it coming because they were convinced it was just "morning sickness" that I was milking. But of course even thinking like that meant I was being "dramatic", and I'd get further depressed over my inability to be happy. What a sick cycle....
"I was terribly depressed. I was afraid of losing my baby. I was afraid of losing my husband. I was CRUSHED at the lack of understanding. I didn't want to be babyed, I just wanted them to stop doubting me. I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy. In Hyperemesis Gravidarum forums, there are women who suffered so much that they resorted to aborting babies that they had desperately wanted and tried hard to conceive. There are some that considered suicide, or even attempted it. I must say, that if I didn't have some very important reasons to live, and a baby inside me counting on me, I would have wanted to die too. Instead, I just sometimes fantasized about it, logically knowing it was wrong, but still wishing for escape nonetheless."
Her conclusions echo mine:
"I'm terrified of becoming pregnant again. I have beautiful, healthy, amazing daughters that I absoultey adore. I have a husband that loves and supports us. We used to talk about having four children. Aside from the fact that it would be financially rather difficult for us at this time, I am deeply, profoundly fearful of being pregnant again...
"So many moms like me are afraid to ever try for another baby. Although we love our children dearly, there is a constant fear that another pregnancy will bring more hell with it, for mom and the entire family. There's a strong possibility of experiencing HG even WORSE with future pregnancies, and that thought can be so terrifying, that people would rather adopt, use a surrogate, or stop trying, than even think about going through that again. How can one even care for the children they have when they're trapped in bed, on the bathroom floor, or in the hospital?"
There is so great a need for awareness of this condition - it is one of the only serious illnesses in the world for which a woman will be scolded and blamed ("You really didn't want this baby or you wouldn't be making yourself sick! You're just being selfish and dramatic! You just need to get out and get some fresh air, and then you wouldn't deal with this, and it's all in your head anyway!"). Let's get the word out on this!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Nurse's Take on Hospital Birth
This is an extremely sobering look at hospital birth... from the perspective of a hospital nurse. Let me know what you think of it.
Don't Get Me Started: Chop Shop
I have never wanted to birth in-hospital, but her writing makes me want it even less!
"Once her water breaks, she can’t leave her bed. Once we give you pitocin or an epidural, don’t even think about moving. Psychiatric patients are never put in restraints, never tied down (except for the worst of the worst situations) because it is “cruel and unusual punishment”. But laboring women? Laboring women are put in medical restraints. Pharmacologic restraints. We pump medicine through an IV, shove it into the space in your spine and say DON’T MOVE. YOU CANNOT MOVE. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT ******* MOVING.
Definitely food for thought!
Don't Get Me Started: Chop Shop
I have never wanted to birth in-hospital, but her writing makes me want it even less!
"Once her water breaks, she can’t leave her bed. Once we give you pitocin or an epidural, don’t even think about moving. Psychiatric patients are never put in restraints, never tied down (except for the worst of the worst situations) because it is “cruel and unusual punishment”. But laboring women? Laboring women are put in medical restraints. Pharmacologic restraints. We pump medicine through an IV, shove it into the space in your spine and say DON’T MOVE. YOU CANNOT MOVE. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT ******* MOVING.
"We don’t care that you hurt. We don’t care that it’s better and safer for the baby and for you to move, move, move. You can’t move. It’s hospital “policy”. “Policy” that was created for the convenience of clinical staff. There is zero evidence saying this is a good idea. In fact, the evidence states quite the contrary. To move, move, move. To shift positions and let gravity help you. To take a walk and have a massage and lay in a bathtub. Actual scientific evidence tells us that this is what women SHOULD be doing. Instead, the medical establishment drips an IV, pushes the meds and takes choice away from women. Every second of every minute of every hour in this country a woman’s choice is being ripped from her."
Frankly, I hear about the following way too often:
"And after a quick nap, it’s been decided. While she was out cold, and the baby’s heart rate slowed and that little swimming baby in the happy amniotic fluid struggles to keep it together, it’s decided. She hasn’t progressed. Not dilated far enough. Not effaced. Sure the meds caused this. Sure the meds we pumped in to her to “stop the pain” pulled the e-break on her labor. The very meds we gave her, we insisted that she take, stopped the body from doing the very natural thing that we’ve been doing for millions of years. The solution? Cut her open! Yay for sugery!....
"We call them “pre-dinner Cs” for a reason. Lord knows that obstetrician wants to get home for dinner so it’s no surprise that she’s induced at 2ish and delivers via c-section by 3ish. Knocked out in another drug-induced haze. Baby ripped out of her belly, placed in a plastic bin like a bag of lettuce at Safeway. Lay her on the mother’s chest? Heaven forbid the baby’s “yucky”. Heaven forbid the baby start breasfeeding, doing that other thing we’ve been doing for millions of years."
Her conclusion is very telling:
"I make no jugements about your own delivery. If you wanted to be drugged and not “feel anything” (*ahem* a ridiculous expectation that the medical establishment shoves into women’s psyhe) or scheduled your own c-section, that’s lovely. Hats off to you. I am not pointing fingers at you and saying we all need to do it the same.....
Definitely food for thought!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Birth in the Back of a Taxi
This is well-written, hilarious, and very real... check it out!
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Birth Center
I did find it alarming how many "emergency personnel" showed up who had no clue what to do.... the policeman whose only intention was to avoid them, the 911 guy who thought the mama had "plenty of time".... doesn't build one's confidence in calling 911!!
The moment when she knew the baby was coming in the taxi rather than in the hospital is just priceless:
"I knew from every video that we watched that when a burning sensation comes on, the baby is coming. That and an utterly guttural desire to push. That’s when what I hoped I would never have to say, came screaming out of my mouth, which was, “He’s coming! The baby is coming!” I started frantically trying to rip my jeans off. Graham called the midwives, who said to pull over immediately and call 911. So that’s what we did. Gladys got out of the van and Graham was on the phone to 911 explaining what was happening while he ripped off my shoes and tried to help me pull off my jeans."
"You might be able to picture the terror and helplessness that Graham experienced in the van, pulling off his wife’s jeans, and trying his best to get help on the phone. I have no memory of this, but at one point he dropped the phone in the darkness of the van and while he frantically looked for it, I calmly handed it back to him."
I loved her description of the moment of birth:
"I felt that if I screamed loud enough my skin would rip off my entire body, like some popped balloon and that would be a pleasure. My eyes were closed deep into the screaming, but I remember distinctly the pop of his head coming and then another pop which told me he was out. I opened my eyes and there he was on the seat, pink faced, gurgling, looking wet and amphibious. I kept waiting fro the big cry, but he wasn’t crying, just gurgling. So I said, “Is he okay?” And that’s when the lady paramedic said something I will never forget as long as I live. She said, “Mama, he is BEAUTIFUL.”
I also loved what she said to close:
"Then again, I am also reminded of something else Shara said: Women have babies. Not doctors or midwives or anybody else. THIS woman had her baby, dammit. I had my baby in the back of a mother loving vehicle while a ton of people stood by. Am I proud of myself? Yes, I am. But next time I am staying home."
Amen!
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Birth Center
I did find it alarming how many "emergency personnel" showed up who had no clue what to do.... the policeman whose only intention was to avoid them, the 911 guy who thought the mama had "plenty of time".... doesn't build one's confidence in calling 911!!
The moment when she knew the baby was coming in the taxi rather than in the hospital is just priceless:
"I knew from every video that we watched that when a burning sensation comes on, the baby is coming. That and an utterly guttural desire to push. That’s when what I hoped I would never have to say, came screaming out of my mouth, which was, “He’s coming! The baby is coming!” I started frantically trying to rip my jeans off. Graham called the midwives, who said to pull over immediately and call 911. So that’s what we did. Gladys got out of the van and Graham was on the phone to 911 explaining what was happening while he ripped off my shoes and tried to help me pull off my jeans."
"You might be able to picture the terror and helplessness that Graham experienced in the van, pulling off his wife’s jeans, and trying his best to get help on the phone. I have no memory of this, but at one point he dropped the phone in the darkness of the van and while he frantically looked for it, I calmly handed it back to him."
I loved her description of the moment of birth:
"I felt that if I screamed loud enough my skin would rip off my entire body, like some popped balloon and that would be a pleasure. My eyes were closed deep into the screaming, but I remember distinctly the pop of his head coming and then another pop which told me he was out. I opened my eyes and there he was on the seat, pink faced, gurgling, looking wet and amphibious. I kept waiting fro the big cry, but he wasn’t crying, just gurgling. So I said, “Is he okay?” And that’s when the lady paramedic said something I will never forget as long as I live. She said, “Mama, he is BEAUTIFUL.”
I also loved what she said to close:
"Then again, I am also reminded of something else Shara said: Women have babies. Not doctors or midwives or anybody else. THIS woman had her baby, dammit. I had my baby in the back of a mother loving vehicle while a ton of people stood by. Am I proud of myself? Yes, I am. But next time I am staying home."
Amen!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Birth Activism: Better Late Than Never
Any longtime readers of this blog will remember the fiasco of last January, when I was madly trying to find a consulting OB who would treat my hyperemesis while being okay with the fact that I was receiving prenatal care from a (*gasp*)...... midwife (oh, the horror!). It was not easy. The large OB practice that I visited dropped me like a hot potato as soon as the m-word was mentioned. In fact, it went something like this:
Me: "I have a midwife"
Doctor: "Okay, goodbye"
Anyhow, I've been meaning to write to the practice about this ever since, and I finally (over a year later), got around to it! And so, without further ado, here is the letter which will be hitting the mailbox Tuesday morning. We'll see if it disappears into a black hole, or if it gets any response! I'll post on the end results.
In this letter, I have tried my best to use my three rules for activism letters:
(1) Be clear and concise
(2) Be calm, polite, and respectful (spiteful letters generally produce only angry readers, not true heart-change, which is the end-goal of all activism)
(3) Begin and end nicely, even with a complaint
(The name of the practice is two last names put together, so in the letter it appears as -------- & --------)
***
Me: "I have a midwife"
Doctor: "Okay, goodbye"
Anyhow, I've been meaning to write to the practice about this ever since, and I finally (over a year later), got around to it! And so, without further ado, here is the letter which will be hitting the mailbox Tuesday morning. We'll see if it disappears into a black hole, or if it gets any response! I'll post on the end results.
In this letter, I have tried my best to use my three rules for activism letters:
(1) Be clear and concise
(2) Be calm, polite, and respectful (spiteful letters generally produce only angry readers, not true heart-change, which is the end-goal of all activism)
(3) Begin and end nicely, even with a complaint
(The name of the practice is two last names put together, so in the letter it appears as -------- & --------)
***
January 15, 2010
Dr. ------------ --------------
--------- & -------- OB/GYN
Re: My Experience With -------- & --------
Dear Dr. ----------,
I wanted to bring the following situation to your attention regarding my experience with -------- & --------, and I apologize for the tardiness of this letter.
In December 2008 I discovered that I was pregnant with our second child. During our first pregnancy I had received prenatal, labor/delivery, and postpartum care from an excellent Licensed Midwife, and I planned to do the same with our second.
However, with our first pregnancy I had suffered from hyperemesis, and I knew that I would need to find a consulting OB/GYN to prescribe medicine to control this condition, as Licensed Midwives do not currently have prescription ability. I posted this need on www.mamasource.com, and your practice was recommended by several valley mothers as having doctors who were extremely skilled in dealing well with hyperemetic patients.
I immediately called to make an appointment with your office. However, I knew that my situation was somewhat unorthodox, so I explained my needs in detail to the receptionist over the phone so that everything could be cleared before I came in. I told the receptionist in particular that I would not need prenatal care or birth attendance, just prescriptions and care to deal with hyperemesis. She spoke to a supervisor to clear my situation, and then told me that my situation had been approved by the supervisor and that a doctor would see me for this purpose.
I came in to the ------- location for my appointment the following day, on Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 9:10 a.m. I was immediately impressed with the efficiency and attractiveness of your offices. My appointment was with Dr. ------- --------, and she told me her general protocol for treating hyperemesis. I was extremely happy to have found a practice that treated hyperemesis efficiently and aggressively.
However, wanting to make sure that she understood my needs, I asked her if she had been made aware that I was not needing prenatal care, only help with hyperemesis. It became immediately clear that she had not been told anything of the situation and believed that I had come to -------- & -------- as a regular prenatal patient. When she learned that I was under the care of a midwife and would not need prenatal care, she immediately told me that she could not prescribe for me and that I could not be her patient. Our appointment then ended, though I was left with a very positive impression of your staff and offices.
I continued my search for a consulting OB elsewhere, and found an OB with a different practice who took me as a client and prescribed Zofran for my needs during my pregnancy.
Based on my experience, I would like to suggest the following:
(1) That patient needs be carefully communicated to doctors, so that confusion and wasted time be avoided, and
(2) That doctors at -------- & -------- would consider providing consulting care for clients of the valley’s Licensed Midwives. We have a wonderful community of Licensed Midwives here in Arizona who are always glad of the partnership of competent and caring OB/GYN physicians in order to be able to co-manage client care. I hope that in the future, -------- & -------- will be willing to provide consulting care for the patients of midwives and that I will be able to recommend your practice to friends who need pregnancy co-management.
Thank you very much for the services you offer to Arizona’s mothers and babies!
Sincerely Yours,
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