>> but this will no longer be the case with compulsory continuous EFM for all >> Syntocinon > Inductions. I can see Caesarians yet further on the increase at our > hospital. > > Linda
Hi, I find the whole idea of a procedure being "compulsory" as absolutely ludicrous!! You can't make a medical procedure compulsory, unless a patient is deemed not able to make his or her own decisions. From my understanding, mostly this happens with involuntary hospitalization of people with psychiatric disorders. Surely, by agreeing to use these procedures and abide by 'policy' that treats women this way, is basically agreeing that women are incapable of being in control of their own labouring and treating birthing women as involuntary psych patients. Even if, say, that birthing women were 'patients' in need of medical attention, they should definitely not be treated on par with people deemed mentally ill. I think it is atrocious. Hospitals seem to set women up for failure during labour and birth and abiding by the rules and regulations imposed on women in these institutions, midwives are also helping set them up for failure. All options should be offered to all women regardless of how informed or misinformed they are. It is for the woman to decide not the 'care providers' who assume control. Someone who claims to be 'with woman', should be making every effort to support women in making educated decisions, not leading them into hospital policy. If a woman feels safer in hospital to birth, then they should be treated the same as a woman choosing to birth at home. No woman should be treated differently because of her choice of birth place, in fact, that is discrimination. We, in western society, come from broken birth lines. We are afraid, uneducated and willingly pass over control of our births. It is not the birthing womans fault, for the power has been taken away. If midwives could spend more time empowering women during their pregnancy, maybe women would not be pouring water down their legs, what drove this woman to such an act? Fear??!! As care providers we need to support birthing women in taking back their power. This means supporting and providing true education, bucking against a system that sets women up for failure, standing up for what is right when seeing birthing women being treated wrongly, offering alternatives and suggestions, not treating women as involuntary patients but as strong, capable, powerful women. I feel so strongly about this because again and again I see the impact of modern 'birthing'( if you can call it that) practices. Women are damaged and traumatised and angry. Women should not have to fight for their rights as a woman or as a 'patient' ( if you want to see them like that). It is the only time that in hospitals, that I know of, that the 'patient' is not respected. If 'care providers' treated any other 'patient' with the amount of disrespect and disregard as birthing mums are treated with, they would be in big trouble with all kinds of authorities. But, birthing women are trested badly and with a total lack of regard so often. I believe this is shown just even in the whole policy situation. I could rave on for ages, but basically I think it SUCKS that women are treated this way, with rules and regulations aka policy and procedures. Love Abby -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
