RE: PhD research on the medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth

[Macha McDonald]

Hi Rhonda.  Her first birth was vaginal.  It was an induction, 24 hour labour, ending with an epidural and forceps delivery (posterior).  Baby was jaundiced, she was in a room with no sun coming in and all the phototherapy thingys were taken.  I think she felt second best and that nobody really cared about her and her baby.  Her problems were not important enough or whatever.  She is from low socio-economic background, and is not the type to do any research, so it is very hard to tell her that her doctor is talking sh*t.  To top things off with her 1st, she was told her milk was not strong enough by her MCHN and must quit b/f before she starved her baby - this was only three years ago!  The poor thing.  I've been trying to educate her, but its so hard because she thinks that her health professionals must be right.  And she just doesnt trust her body!!!  I feel powerless to help her.  I've recomended that she go to a different hospital, or go into shared care (we both have a wonderful doctor who is very progressive), but she fears reprisal from the hospital that she is currently at (I wont say...no, yes I will....Sunshine).  I would reccomend birthing suite, but it would be impossible to convince her...she said to me the other day after I sent her an old Sheila Kitzinger book called Choices in pregnancy and childbirth....or something like that....that she enjoyed reading about the natural remedies Sheila reccomended for pregnancy, and that some of them  had worked and the doctor's hadnt worked.  She has suddenly realised that pregnancy doesnt have to  be medicalised, like she had previously believed, but that she believed that childbirth must be medicalised because it is sooo dangerous.  Home birth is out of her price range Im afraid, and I dont think she'd like the idea.  I am fully aware that it is her choice, and I have refrained from being pushy, thinking back to what it was like when I was pregnant and everybody just had to have their say.  I had accepted her elec c/s decision and was finding lots of positive information for her about it and b/f with a c/s wound, and then she nervously announced to me that she is going to go 'naturally' (in our words, vaginally).  I had nothing to do with her decision.  I hadnt spoken to her for about a month.  I understand that she is terribly afraid, and Im trying to help her, not hinder.  Nobody at Sunshine has offered any help, so whos going to help her?  If her experience there is anything like mine was, she'll be considered a lump of meat on the trolly in the op theatre for the butchers to carve up.  I had 3 midwife change overs, and the last one spoke all of 3 words to me in 4 hours, and they were all 'push'.  Her best interests are at my heart, whether her decisions are of my opinion or not.  I was trying to illustrate that it is not just the obs who want medicalisation of birth, but it is also, as a direct result of generaltions of control over our births, the women who are demanding inductions, c/s, pain relief etc.  So forgive me if I souded a bit insensitive when I started talking about her, but it is insensitivity that she is meeting from the health professionals, not me.   Rambling on and on, Macha.