----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, May 12, 2002 12:18 PM
Subject: RE: PhD research on the
medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth
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.
