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Hi Terry,
I think you will find that a lot of women choose sections because
they are scared. Scared of being disappointed. After 2
traumatic births if a doctor says - Hey this time we will plan to do a c/s
and it will be on the day you want and you can at least have some say in
it then it takes away the fear of failing to deliver
vaginally. The what if they are right and I can't do it.
I personally am in a possition of being too scared to have another
child - I would dearly love a home birth and a VBAC after 2 c/s but there
is an overwhelming fear that i would end up in the hospital and then a
colidascope of interventions and I would not cope with that - I would
rather die than go through that again. It is a real concern
with underlying hypertention and a history of pre eclampsia I am "high
risk" and too scared to go near an Ob.
I had a thought the other night - for those who have read Harry
Potter - Ob's are the Dementors of the Labour ward - they suck out all the
happiness that sourounds childbirth.
Here is an example that I fear happens way too often -
I know a woman who was told after her first that she had fallen
pregnant too soon to have a VBAC so had a second C/S and then she waited 4
yrs for her third in the hopes of a VBAC and was convinced by several ob's
that because her body did not "naturally go into labour" (she was
induced with her first and secioned with her second before labour so her
defective body would not know how to go into labour alone. So
therefore a third c/s at 39 weeks was as late as they could leave
it. This was from several ob's as she sought a second and third
oppinion. So she was convinced that they were right and her body
just was not going to work EVER. She therefore had an
elective c/s that she in the end wanted. (Or did she!)
I guess it is hard to tell how these women are thinking or what they
actually want through fear and medical confusion they make what they think
is the BEST decision. The safest thing they can do for their
baby.
regards
Rhonda.
-------Original Message-------
Date: Wednesday,
November 06, 2002 14:50:05
Subject: Re:
[ozmidwifery] axa
Up until a year ago, I worked as a homebirth midwife with
women who were for
the most part, into challenging themselves, seeking
wisdom and personal
growth thru birthing their infants - and who were
entusiastically supported
by me and other 'homebirthers'. I have now
taken on employment in hospital
environments - partly (and there are
many reasons why I have done this)
because 99% of women who birth do so
in hospital, and as I truely believe
that midwifery means being with
women, I have crossed over to explore and
discover what 'other' women
are up to...
Therre are many who choose elective sections, some
who, on the advice of
their specialist/professional experts choose to
have their children
delivered via their abdomen. Many do not wish to
actively take part in the
birth of their children - many don't even
want to visualise the process, or
to feel it. Some seem happy with
their choices, others do not and my heart
breaks. Too late! Too late, I
cry - if only I could have been there for
them when they first
discovered their journey to motherhood - if only I
could have been
there when they were being influenced about their womanhood
and their
journey through to motherhood! If only...
I can only do what I can
do to support them, honour them and praise them
for any little snippet
of strength and personal power. From little things,
big things
grow...
Keep talking; sharing and pushing for change - at every
opportunity and in
whatever situation you find yourselves. That's what
I try to do, with the
hope that one day women will be able to reclaim
their birthing
rites/rights - with confidence and enthusiasm! And until
then, we need to
support women when they choose sections - cuz I've
seen what happens when
sections are denied and the forceps are brought
out - it ain't at all
pretty... Terry.
----- Original Message
-----
From: "Margie Perkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent:
Monday, November 04, 2002 11:06 AM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery]
axa
> While I am passionate about women giving birth,
vaginally and without
intervention (and particularly at home), I've got
lots of very mixed
feelings about elective caesareans. On the one hand
I see them as the
ultimate in intervention and therefore anathema to my
ordinary stance. Also
as something which our community is 'selling' to
women. That women often
take the elective Caesaean as a poorly informed
choice. That these women are
sadly missing out on something wonderful
and sacred. That it is an unfair
use of resources. That we are not
given colostomy bags because we can't be
bothered pooing. That it
should not be there as a choice. That it would be
better if women were
supported through there worries and fears about giving
birth. That it
would be wonderful if women stopped wanting/needing all that
time
managed 'control' which is cited as a reason for choosing an
elective
casarean.
>
> On the other hand given the general
lack of one to one midwifery care
and emotional/psychological support
available to women and the routine
scare-mongering way in which vaginal
births are 'managed', women are not, in
the main, well supported to
give birth to their babies. I wonder about
links between previous
sexual abuse and elective choice. About sexually
transmitted diseases
(which are still socially taboo) yet very prevalent.
About family
stories which go back generations and inculcate fear.
>
> If I
have been abused letting go and trusting my body may be difficult. If
I
have genital herpes would I want the uncertainty of a lesion at birth
time
and the need to explain to everyone why my vaginal birth plans
didn't
happen. If I grew up on stories of grandmother's death in child
birth and
mother's 'need' for caesarean and aunty's haemorrhage would I
doubt the
birth process.
>
> As a doula I meet women with
all these dilemmas. And my should(n't)
mentality about elective
caesareans gets all waffly and unclear. It is not
just in birth that
things are awry and each woman faces things the way she
sees best for
her. Some people face amazing challenges and over come fears
while
others choose not to put themselves way way out of ordinary
comfort
zones. I can only say for me what is my way
forward.
>
> I can also recognise these kinds of issues and
respect, love and support
women: to be clear about what they want, to
challenge themselves (if they
want to) and to be non-judgemental about
different ways of being.
>
> What I think SHOULD be the case
is that women have midwives, doulas,
friends and services to support
them and encourage them in their own
personal birth journey. Perhaps
then we might begin to tackle some of the
broader issues which birth
puts us in contact with.
>
> Not sure I've put all this very
clearly - I keep seeing the grey while
still veering from black and
white.
>
> Margie
>
>
>
> At Sun, 3
Nov 2002 17:22:19 +1030,
> Jo & Dean Bainbridge ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
wrote:
> > I have often thought that those who want elective cs
for no
> > medical reasoning then it should be considered
'cosmetic' and
> > should be treated like cosmetic surgery....YOU
pay! Perhaps the
> > cover should be more costly for those who
elect surgery? The
> > argument that cases of FTP and CPD would
increase: but that would
> > be obvious and the medicos would
have allot of explaining to do
> > to justify it.
> >
There will always be loop holes for women and doctors to get their
>
> sections, but it could be a deterrent. Elective CS cost
insurance
> > companies thousands of possibly unnecessary
dollars. It should be
> > structured like car insurance: those
who live in high crime areas
> > have to pay more- therefore
those who elect unnecessary surgery
> > should pay more.
>
> There should be a strict criteria which allows emergency cs
as
> > exempt from charges. As I said before the chances are the
'emerg'
> > cases will increase but they are leaving themselves
open for close
> > scrutiny.....
> > What concerns me
about insurance companies power over care is that
> > there are
reports that doctors who are 'allowing' vbac will be
> > facing
higher insurance costs due to the increase
> > risks.........call
me biased but THAT IS CAUSE FOR CONCERN!!!!!
> > well, there is
my 5c worth (about all I have got!)
> > Jo Bainbridge
>
> founding member CARES SA
> > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> phone: 08 8388 6918
> > birth with trust, faith
&
> >
love...erns+me+about+insurance+companies+power+over+care
>
>
>
>
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