It was from my son's birth experience when I began to learn how often needless interventions are pushed in hospitals. I succeeded in a non-medicated, almost intervention free (AROM at 6 cm) birth in a hospital practice of midwives using Hpnobirthing (TM). However I did not have supportive and respectful staff and ended up essentially fighting for the right to give birth under my own power without the midwives needlessly intervening.
From this I learned that they are businesses who want to maximize the money that comes in and they do it by rushing women through by speeding up labor and/or cutting babies out which because it requires more equipment, more staff, more procedures bills more. The whole system is set up not to promote health and safety, but to promote efficiency and billable procedures (which includes NICU admissions).
The more I learn about midwifery, the more I see how homebirth midwives understand a great deal more about the physiology of birth than hospital birth attendants. Birth really does work best when its left alone (in 90%-ish of situations). I've lived based on that stat. There's a 90% chance that everything will be just fine at home, transfer services work for the remaining situations (and I always lived 10 minutes from the hospital I would transfer to). Midwives are trained in these situations (and since I'm studying those situations now, I'm impressed with the depth of knowledge expected from then).
One of my favorite ways to think about the safety debate is that the meaning of "as safe as hospital birth" means mortality wise. Women and infants do not have a higher likelihood of dying at a homebirth than at a hospital. Its just as safe in that way. However, homebirth is actually SAFER when taking into account morbidity (other ill health that does not lead to death but might bring a person close...) To women wanting to avoid hysterectomy, abdominal surgery, complications from surgery or anesthesia, PTSD, higher rates of infection, the manual cutting of their vaginal openings or severe lacerations to their perineums, etc: homebirth is considered much safer. Researchers down plays the morbidity thing so much. Its like they don't believe that those experiences aren't bad enough that a woman would go to great lengths to avoid them.
Showing posts with label homebirth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homebirth. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Do Birth Workers Know What Women are Reading?
Rixa at Stand and Deliver blogged recently about how obstetricians come to their beliefs about homebirth which reminded me of a question I asked myself a few months back.
Do obstetricians and L&D nurses know what women are reading about birth?
And, if they did, how would that change their practice?
Beyond the texts recommended by obstetricians and What to Expect When You're Expecting, it appears to me that many women planning hospital births are reading information on natural childbirth with books like:
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
The Birth Partner
Hypnobirthing
A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering
My Best Birth
The Birth Book
Birthing From Within
Spiritual Midwifery
A common thread of these books is arguments against using obstetric intervention through replacing interventions with simple strategies employed by the mother and her support people. Most of these strategies require advance preparation and knowledge regarding them though gaining this knowledge really doesn't take much time. Simply reading about it in a book, or even a website makes one qualified to change positions or to breathe deeply or soften one's jaw. It even qualifies someone present to suggest it to a laboring woman.
Now this is where I think this plays into Rixa's discussion. I'm going to theorize that one reason hospital birth workers are not supportive of homebirth (in addition the other reasons suggested by Rixa and her readers) is that homebirth is the epitome of natural birth where it becomes clear how very little knowledge and expertise is needed (except for when it is). This idea would feel like a threat to their livelihood, their career choice and might breed just a little bit of resentment towards other professionals who have not slaved through the initiation rite of medical school and residency to end up doing very similar work.
Doctors might shy away from asking themselves the question: "If birth were simple and reading a few books qualified a person to attend births, then what was the point of all that education? It can't possibly be as easy as these books say it is."
And then, as I continue on this pretend inner-monologue, perhaps hospital workers then would get frustrated with their female patients: "How could they possibly think they know enough and think that reading some silly books are going to qualify them?"
But, now I'm dreaming, what would happen if hospital birth workers read these books with an open mind? Would they be compelled to try some of these strategies or to suggest them during a woman's labor?
Are these books written compellingly enough to convince an obstetrician that maybe hands and knees for pushing is worth the try?
Or--now I'm really dreaming--what if these books became required reading for OB residents and L&D nursing students? Just so they knew what "fluff" pregnant women are filling their minds with as they prepare for birth. Perhaps, the assignment could be given with the intent to debunk the misinformation and to encourage doctors to reflect and prepare for how they will respond when women present these ideas in prenatal appointment.
And, if the less academic, popular press reading is too unpalatable for our esteemed birth workers, perhaps the expose of childbirth in America written by journalist Jennifer Block "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care" could be recommended first as it provides thoughtful insights into each side of the topic.
In any degree, from a pregnant woman's perspective, this would be more beneficial from dismissing them all together or pretending like they don't exist. Not recognizing their influence creates a vacuum of information, a empty divide where patient and doctor are trying to yell across but the message keeps getting lost.
However, I would hazard to guess that, if hospital birth workers could open their minds a little bit, many of them could recognize the value of the information and see how the paradigm fits together to make the idea of homebirth and non-interventive, unmedicated birth plausible and attainable in relation to relative risk and safety.
Or at least perhaps, we could stop talking past each and be on the same page.
Do obstetricians and L&D nurses know what women are reading about birth?
And, if they did, how would that change their practice?
Beyond the texts recommended by obstetricians and What to Expect When You're Expecting, it appears to me that many women planning hospital births are reading information on natural childbirth with books like:
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
The Birth Partner
Hypnobirthing
A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering
My Best Birth
The Birth Book
Birthing From Within
Spiritual Midwifery
A common thread of these books is arguments against using obstetric intervention through replacing interventions with simple strategies employed by the mother and her support people. Most of these strategies require advance preparation and knowledge regarding them though gaining this knowledge really doesn't take much time. Simply reading about it in a book, or even a website makes one qualified to change positions or to breathe deeply or soften one's jaw. It even qualifies someone present to suggest it to a laboring woman.
Now this is where I think this plays into Rixa's discussion. I'm going to theorize that one reason hospital birth workers are not supportive of homebirth (in addition the other reasons suggested by Rixa and her readers) is that homebirth is the epitome of natural birth where it becomes clear how very little knowledge and expertise is needed (except for when it is). This idea would feel like a threat to their livelihood, their career choice and might breed just a little bit of resentment towards other professionals who have not slaved through the initiation rite of medical school and residency to end up doing very similar work.
Doctors might shy away from asking themselves the question: "If birth were simple and reading a few books qualified a person to attend births, then what was the point of all that education? It can't possibly be as easy as these books say it is."
And then, as I continue on this pretend inner-monologue, perhaps hospital workers then would get frustrated with their female patients: "How could they possibly think they know enough and think that reading some silly books are going to qualify them?"
But, now I'm dreaming, what would happen if hospital birth workers read these books with an open mind? Would they be compelled to try some of these strategies or to suggest them during a woman's labor?
Are these books written compellingly enough to convince an obstetrician that maybe hands and knees for pushing is worth the try?
Or--now I'm really dreaming--what if these books became required reading for OB residents and L&D nursing students? Just so they knew what "fluff" pregnant women are filling their minds with as they prepare for birth. Perhaps, the assignment could be given with the intent to debunk the misinformation and to encourage doctors to reflect and prepare for how they will respond when women present these ideas in prenatal appointment.
And, if the less academic, popular press reading is too unpalatable for our esteemed birth workers, perhaps the expose of childbirth in America written by journalist Jennifer Block "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care" could be recommended first as it provides thoughtful insights into each side of the topic.
In any degree, from a pregnant woman's perspective, this would be more beneficial from dismissing them all together or pretending like they don't exist. Not recognizing their influence creates a vacuum of information, a empty divide where patient and doctor are trying to yell across but the message keeps getting lost.
However, I would hazard to guess that, if hospital birth workers could open their minds a little bit, many of them could recognize the value of the information and see how the paradigm fits together to make the idea of homebirth and non-interventive, unmedicated birth plausible and attainable in relation to relative risk and safety.
Or at least perhaps, we could stop talking past each and be on the same page.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A week in Facebook Updates
I've been away from blogging longer than I thought so by way of catching up via sound-bites (without the sound...) here's what has been going on:
Today (Sunday Feb 28):
* has extra strawberry runners ready for planting. If you want 1 or 2 or more, please let me know. I'm starting a container vegetable garden on my patio. The strawberry runners come in bunches of 25, and I'm only going to be using 3. So please, grow some strawberries on your patio or in your P-Patch! I really don't want them to go to waste.
* She walks!
Friday Feb 26:
* is off to start watching Doctrine and Covenants Scripture Stories with Willem Alderks. Last night we finished the Old Testament, after going through the New Testament and The Book of Mormon.
* is so impressed that the friend who babysat for us tonight understood what I meant when I said "If Belle is inexplainably fussy at any point, put her on the potty upstairs." My friend caught her first EC pee and poop!
* is going to finally experience the amazingness of the new One Size diapers by FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers. Its pretty exciting. I think the woman who thought to put adjustable elastic into diapers is a genius. (I found a special bulk package where in total I got $30 off a package of 6)
Thursday Feb 25:
* is thirsty. I'm sure you wanted to know that.
* Willem Alderks just correctly identified a Porshe.
* wishes that long skirts were long enough for me. I hate it when skirts hit that awkward top of the ankle spot instead of brushing the tops of my feet like I'd like.
Wednesday Feb 24:
* Quote from Willem Alderks: I like being loud because loudness comes up out of your heart. Happiness too, maybe.
* is having issues with a power point slide
* is really trying not to speculate that my aunt is another causality of a screwed up health care system. I know she had been struggling with issues with insurance and health care costs.
* is mourning the loss of my aunt, Cathy Washington who passed away at a month shy of 65 years old. With her death, all my first degree paternal ancestors are gone. I will miss her greatly.
* needs to find out how to do a screen shot on a Macbook. Can anyone help me? (Its a nifty trick!)
Tuesday Feb 23:
* just ordered 10,000 postcards for The Birth Survey! My apartment office managers will like that delivery, lol.
* got to see MRI images of my baby's brain tonight. They're going to send a CD too so I can keep pictures. It seriously cooler than an ultrasound, and so much safer and less invasive! (Belle is participating in a developmental study at the University of Washington)
Monday Feb 22:
* feels I need to teach Willem Alderks about resisting sexual abuse tonight. Any advice for me?
* guess who has learned the roll-your-shoulder-blades-so-its-hard-for-your-parents-to-hold-onto-you trick?
* wonders what kind of a virus induces vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose, congestion, cough and a 104 fever. Also wondering if the sickness will ever end??
Articles I linked to:
The Still Cruel Maternity Wards (article by Henci Goer)
Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire Performer Application (I'm trying to get my Irish dance company on the roster of performers)
Babywearing Halloween Company
What to Say to Those who Think Single Payer Advocates are Wacko
Oregon News: More Women Choosing Homebirth (the new percentage is 5%)
The World Health Organization 2005 Maternal Child Health Report
Anti-antibiotic PSA
Advocacy Opportunities:
Join Pesticide Action Network to Protect Children from Environmental Contaminants
Join MomsRising to tell Congress to pass real healthcare reform
Tell Congress to Finish the Job on Health Care Reform
Today (Sunday Feb 28):
* has extra strawberry runners ready for planting. If you want 1 or 2 or more, please let me know. I'm starting a container vegetable garden on my patio. The strawberry runners come in bunches of 25, and I'm only going to be using 3. So please, grow some strawberries on your patio or in your P-Patch! I really don't want them to go to waste.
* She walks!
Friday Feb 26:
* is off to start watching Doctrine and Covenants Scripture Stories with Willem Alderks. Last night we finished the Old Testament, after going through the New Testament and The Book of Mormon.
* is so impressed that the friend who babysat for us tonight understood what I meant when I said "If Belle is inexplainably fussy at any point, put her on the potty upstairs." My friend caught her first EC pee and poop!
* is going to finally experience the amazingness of the new One Size diapers by FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers. Its pretty exciting. I think the woman who thought to put adjustable elastic into diapers is a genius. (I found a special bulk package where in total I got $30 off a package of 6)
Thursday Feb 25:
* is thirsty. I'm sure you wanted to know that.
* Willem Alderks just correctly identified a Porshe.
* wishes that long skirts were long enough for me. I hate it when skirts hit that awkward top of the ankle spot instead of brushing the tops of my feet like I'd like.
Wednesday Feb 24:
* Quote from Willem Alderks: I like being loud because loudness comes up out of your heart. Happiness too, maybe.
* is having issues with a power point slide
* is really trying not to speculate that my aunt is another causality of a screwed up health care system. I know she had been struggling with issues with insurance and health care costs.
* is mourning the loss of my aunt, Cathy Washington who passed away at a month shy of 65 years old. With her death, all my first degree paternal ancestors are gone. I will miss her greatly.
* needs to find out how to do a screen shot on a Macbook. Can anyone help me? (Its a nifty trick!)
Tuesday Feb 23:
* just ordered 10,000 postcards for The Birth Survey! My apartment office managers will like that delivery, lol.
* got to see MRI images of my baby's brain tonight. They're going to send a CD too so I can keep pictures. It seriously cooler than an ultrasound, and so much safer and less invasive! (Belle is participating in a developmental study at the University of Washington)
Monday Feb 22:
* feels I need to teach Willem Alderks about resisting sexual abuse tonight. Any advice for me?
* guess who has learned the roll-your-shoulder-blades-so-its-hard-for-your-parents-to-hold-onto-you trick?
* wonders what kind of a virus induces vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose, congestion, cough and a 104 fever. Also wondering if the sickness will ever end??
Articles I linked to:
The Still Cruel Maternity Wards (article by Henci Goer)
Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire Performer Application (I'm trying to get my Irish dance company on the roster of performers)
Babywearing Halloween Company
What to Say to Those who Think Single Payer Advocates are Wacko
Oregon News: More Women Choosing Homebirth (the new percentage is 5%)
The World Health Organization 2005 Maternal Child Health Report
Anti-antibiotic PSA
Advocacy Opportunities:
Join Pesticide Action Network to Protect Children from Environmental Contaminants
Join MomsRising to tell Congress to pass real healthcare reform
Tell Congress to Finish the Job on Health Care Reform
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Update on Pregnancy and Previous Birth Trauma
(first part is copied from a post on the Solace for Mothers online community)
I'm 38 weeks pregnant and I've started feeling just awful pain in my belly, in the skin and tissues around my bellybutton. It got to such a point that I felt like I need to consult with a specialist to rule out anything particularly scary. So last night, I went to Labor and Delivery at the hospital where Willem was born.
I don't know whether I was really lucky or if the standard of care has changed there since Willem was born, but they were very respectful of my decision making power and very sensitive to my needs to be in control of the situation. Maybe I owe it all to the nurse who was attending to me because through our small talk, she learned that I had had a traumatic birth at that hospital and maybe she warned the resident and attending who was there.
I was so afraid going in. Afraid that I would be treated negatively for planning a homebirth, afraid that they wouldn't take my complaint seriously, afraid that they'd over-react and try to pressure me into an induction or c-section, afraid they try to bully me into transferring care to them...
None of those things happened.
And I think there may have been some good that came out of it. In talking to the nurse, she felt like she recalled my name from somewhere (probably from the Mothering dot Community forums. I think that's when I mentioned that I work with Solace and she felt like she recognized my name in connection with that. I gave her a couple of our business cards and told her about the two discussion boards. That's when I found out that one of her births was traumatic as well, and I was able to offer this board as a resource to her, as well as inviting her to participate in the advocates board since she's a L&D nurse who is sensitive to the topic of birth trauma.
Coming away from that experience, I'm really surprised, a little bit pleased and kind of confused. Surprised that what I expected to happen didn't.--I was really stressed out being there because my initial blood pressure was way high, as was the baby's heart rate.--I'm just so surprised that the attitude of the staff and providers last night was so different from the care I received when Willem was being born. And that's what confuses me: was it special consideration for the fact I had had a negative experience there previously? Or have things really changed there?
I'm kind of hoping (but I don't know how realistic it is) that after I complained to the hospital about the treatment that maybe there were efforts to better train staff in principles of informed consent and so every L&D patient is getting improved care. I would be so pleased if I knew that were the case. I was so upset after my experience that nothing would be done and the same things (and worse) would be happening to other women who were birthing their babies there. I know its standard practice not to inform people who have complaint that steps have been taken to prevent the same thing from happening to others (because that would be an admission of guilt, right?). But maybe, just maybe, there was some good that came out of my birth experience there, and things have changed for the better....I can only hope.
Or I got lucky with who was there last night...
In other news, I can tell more about the last couple of weeks in the pregnancy.
Everything was going great until about 36 weeks when I started feeling more tired than I had. I was feeling a lot of (self-driven) pressure to get things done while I still could so I started burning myself out on projects. I asked for help from my husband, and it took some effort and strong emotion to get him to understand what my needs at the particular time were. After we discussed and worked that out, I felt like I was getting much more support and understanding from him. So I thought things were going pretty good and that I'd just be enjoying the last few weeks of pregnancy without much stress.
Until Tuesday of last week, when I pulled the entire sheet of abdominal muscles on the right side of my belly. Something like it has happened when I was pregnant with Willem so I figured that a couple of days and some patience would resolve it. It was on Thursday that I realized that the muscle pain was gone but I had residual soreness around my bellybutton where it was sensitive to touch (especially if my 2 yr old bumped against it, or if the baby moved against the spot). The pain honestly was more intense than any discomfort I felt from Willem's 38 hour, lots of back labor birth. Never before had I experienced pain so sharp that I would cry out, tears would spring to my eyes and I would tense completely. The way I described my pain was like it felt like my bellybutton would going to rip apart from the inside out.
Of course, I wanted to understand what it could possibly be so I started internet searches for search terms like "bellybutton blowout" (just for fun, I wanted to see what would come up--not much), and "conditions of the bellybutton or umbilicus." The results that came up described an umbilical hernia which is known to happen in adults rarely but typically if the adult is obese or pregnant. I wanted to get that ruled out and then discuss with someone who knew about the condition what effects that might have on the end of my pregnancy, labor and birth, and if it would require some sort of treatment postpartum as well. I'd also like to know what sort of effects it might have on future pregnancies. So off to a specialist...
In some ways it has been a good experience because I've seen that I can trust health care professionals and turn to them in times of need in order to apply their knowledge and skill. (Of course the attending who saw me on Saturday didn't know much about what could be causing the pain, and couldn't necessarily rule out the umbilical hernia, but she was able to refer me to radiology where the technicians there would know what to be looking for in such a case).
I've also seen that complications in pregnancy can happen to me, even if its this really obscure one. This pain has definitely been a challenge because my mobility and ability to care for myself and family is very limited at this point. I remembered the priesthood blessing I received at the beginning of this pregnancy that warned me of challenges that I would face in this pregnancy. I would call this a challenge, with possibly more challenges to come as a consequence.
Tomorrow, I will go back to see the radiologist for an ultrasound of my umbilical region to rule out the hernia and possibly find an explanation for the pain I'm experiencing. Hopefully then, I will be able to consult with the various departments of medicine to figure out what the implications are for birthing this baby.
Prayers are appreciated because I am afraid of hearing that an induction or C-section is recommended or that this pain could make a non-medicated labor much more difficult. I do not want to be faced with the situation where I might need to choose between the gentle, non-interventive birth I believe is so important for my child and the hospital birth with epidural, induction or C-section. Based on my initial judgement, I'd take the more severely painful homebirth over the promise of reduced pain in a hospital if the risks of my discomfort is what is being weighed against the health of my baby. I know I am strong, I know I am capable and I have faith that I can labor and birth this baby on my own with this pain, even if its worse than I can imagine right now. Especially if I can give my baby the healthier, safer birth that I long to give her at home.
How does that affect my decision to UC? Depending on the amount of pain I'm experiencing and my need for support and comfort, I am more than willing to give up on the UC aspiration to have the midwives (plus additional assistants) there supporting and encouraging me.
Last night at the hospital, I had my husband, my friend (who was the doula at Willem's birth) and the nurse providing physical and emotional support during the exam where the resident palpated my bellybutton. I think that if I needed (and greatly appreciated!) that much support for that, I may have a much increased need for support during labor.
I suppose there is the possibility that the pain could resolve before labor begins (even though I've been experiencing sporadic contractions since Tuesday night) or that the pain in my bellybutton will not impair my ability to labor. I can hope for that.
I'm 38 weeks pregnant and I've started feeling just awful pain in my belly, in the skin and tissues around my bellybutton. It got to such a point that I felt like I need to consult with a specialist to rule out anything particularly scary. So last night, I went to Labor and Delivery at the hospital where Willem was born.
I don't know whether I was really lucky or if the standard of care has changed there since Willem was born, but they were very respectful of my decision making power and very sensitive to my needs to be in control of the situation. Maybe I owe it all to the nurse who was attending to me because through our small talk, she learned that I had had a traumatic birth at that hospital and maybe she warned the resident and attending who was there.
I was so afraid going in. Afraid that I would be treated negatively for planning a homebirth, afraid that they wouldn't take my complaint seriously, afraid that they'd over-react and try to pressure me into an induction or c-section, afraid they try to bully me into transferring care to them...
None of those things happened.
And I think there may have been some good that came out of it. In talking to the nurse, she felt like she recalled my name from somewhere (probably from the Mothering dot Community forums. I think that's when I mentioned that I work with Solace and she felt like she recognized my name in connection with that. I gave her a couple of our business cards and told her about the two discussion boards. That's when I found out that one of her births was traumatic as well, and I was able to offer this board as a resource to her, as well as inviting her to participate in the advocates board since she's a L&D nurse who is sensitive to the topic of birth trauma.
Coming away from that experience, I'm really surprised, a little bit pleased and kind of confused. Surprised that what I expected to happen didn't.--I was really stressed out being there because my initial blood pressure was way high, as was the baby's heart rate.--I'm just so surprised that the attitude of the staff and providers last night was so different from the care I received when Willem was being born. And that's what confuses me: was it special consideration for the fact I had had a negative experience there previously? Or have things really changed there?
I'm kind of hoping (but I don't know how realistic it is) that after I complained to the hospital about the treatment that maybe there were efforts to better train staff in principles of informed consent and so every L&D patient is getting improved care. I would be so pleased if I knew that were the case. I was so upset after my experience that nothing would be done and the same things (and worse) would be happening to other women who were birthing their babies there. I know its standard practice not to inform people who have complaint that steps have been taken to prevent the same thing from happening to others (because that would be an admission of guilt, right?). But maybe, just maybe, there was some good that came out of my birth experience there, and things have changed for the better....I can only hope.
Or I got lucky with who was there last night...
In other news, I can tell more about the last couple of weeks in the pregnancy.
Everything was going great until about 36 weeks when I started feeling more tired than I had. I was feeling a lot of (self-driven) pressure to get things done while I still could so I started burning myself out on projects. I asked for help from my husband, and it took some effort and strong emotion to get him to understand what my needs at the particular time were. After we discussed and worked that out, I felt like I was getting much more support and understanding from him. So I thought things were going pretty good and that I'd just be enjoying the last few weeks of pregnancy without much stress.
Until Tuesday of last week, when I pulled the entire sheet of abdominal muscles on the right side of my belly. Something like it has happened when I was pregnant with Willem so I figured that a couple of days and some patience would resolve it. It was on Thursday that I realized that the muscle pain was gone but I had residual soreness around my bellybutton where it was sensitive to touch (especially if my 2 yr old bumped against it, or if the baby moved against the spot). The pain honestly was more intense than any discomfort I felt from Willem's 38 hour, lots of back labor birth. Never before had I experienced pain so sharp that I would cry out, tears would spring to my eyes and I would tense completely. The way I described my pain was like it felt like my bellybutton would going to rip apart from the inside out.
Of course, I wanted to understand what it could possibly be so I started internet searches for search terms like "bellybutton blowout" (just for fun, I wanted to see what would come up--not much), and "conditions of the bellybutton or umbilicus." The results that came up described an umbilical hernia which is known to happen in adults rarely but typically if the adult is obese or pregnant. I wanted to get that ruled out and then discuss with someone who knew about the condition what effects that might have on the end of my pregnancy, labor and birth, and if it would require some sort of treatment postpartum as well. I'd also like to know what sort of effects it might have on future pregnancies. So off to a specialist...
In some ways it has been a good experience because I've seen that I can trust health care professionals and turn to them in times of need in order to apply their knowledge and skill. (Of course the attending who saw me on Saturday didn't know much about what could be causing the pain, and couldn't necessarily rule out the umbilical hernia, but she was able to refer me to radiology where the technicians there would know what to be looking for in such a case).
I've also seen that complications in pregnancy can happen to me, even if its this really obscure one. This pain has definitely been a challenge because my mobility and ability to care for myself and family is very limited at this point. I remembered the priesthood blessing I received at the beginning of this pregnancy that warned me of challenges that I would face in this pregnancy. I would call this a challenge, with possibly more challenges to come as a consequence.
Tomorrow, I will go back to see the radiologist for an ultrasound of my umbilical region to rule out the hernia and possibly find an explanation for the pain I'm experiencing. Hopefully then, I will be able to consult with the various departments of medicine to figure out what the implications are for birthing this baby.
Prayers are appreciated because I am afraid of hearing that an induction or C-section is recommended or that this pain could make a non-medicated labor much more difficult. I do not want to be faced with the situation where I might need to choose between the gentle, non-interventive birth I believe is so important for my child and the hospital birth with epidural, induction or C-section. Based on my initial judgement, I'd take the more severely painful homebirth over the promise of reduced pain in a hospital if the risks of my discomfort is what is being weighed against the health of my baby. I know I am strong, I know I am capable and I have faith that I can labor and birth this baby on my own with this pain, even if its worse than I can imagine right now. Especially if I can give my baby the healthier, safer birth that I long to give her at home.
How does that affect my decision to UC? Depending on the amount of pain I'm experiencing and my need for support and comfort, I am more than willing to give up on the UC aspiration to have the midwives (plus additional assistants) there supporting and encouraging me.
Last night at the hospital, I had my husband, my friend (who was the doula at Willem's birth) and the nurse providing physical and emotional support during the exam where the resident palpated my bellybutton. I think that if I needed (and greatly appreciated!) that much support for that, I may have a much increased need for support during labor.
I suppose there is the possibility that the pain could resolve before labor begins (even though I've been experiencing sporadic contractions since Tuesday night) or that the pain in my bellybutton will not impair my ability to labor. I can hope for that.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Mothers and Fetuses: Whose Rights Trumps Who's?
One of the fears facing homebirthing and unassisted birthing mothers is a transfer to the hospital where their motives and "fitness" as a mother are called into question by hospital staff; sometimes resulting in CPS taking the newborn from its mother and the mother faces criminal charges. Another fear is the court-mandated Cesarean where a women is forced into a surgery that maybe against her wishes.
Lorna A. Turnbull discusses these issues in the article "The Legal Characterization of Pregnancy and Mothering: Does Mother Know Best?" in the Spring/Summer 2001 issue of Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering.
She states that the legal system has historically relied on a medical model of pregnancy that dictates the behavior and decisions made by a women. The state has then attempted to regulate pregnant women's behavior through criminal prosecutions or by allowing civil actions against the mother.
Homebirthing and unassisted birthing mothers know this frame of reference all too well. By choosing to birth a home with or without a professional who is not a doctor, women are considered to be flouting what the medical establishment has deemed proper behavior for birthing women. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists have repeatedly decried the dangers of homebirth calling mothers "selfish," "irresponsible" and "incompetent." Conversely the vast majority of mothers who do choose to birth their babies at home do so beleiving that it is within the best interests of their baby and themselves; as to not be exposed to the risks attended with hospital birth. Ironically, the evidence based research of the most appropriate care for birth aligns with homebirth practices moreso than hospital births for low-risk women. Yet women are still being framed as unable to understand medical practices and then stupid and irresonsible for choosing to go against those practices. It seems that we still live in a world of "doctor knows best."
Rixa of Stand and Deliver also gave a talk discussing Risk, Responsibility and Safety at the 2008 Trust Birth Conference.
Lorna A. Turnbull discusses these issues in the article "The Legal Characterization of Pregnancy and Mothering: Does Mother Know Best?" in the Spring/Summer 2001 issue of Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering.
She states that the legal system has historically relied on a medical model of pregnancy that dictates the behavior and decisions made by a women. The state has then attempted to regulate pregnant women's behavior through criminal prosecutions or by allowing civil actions against the mother.
"The medical model removes the power of women with respect to their pregnancies and places it in the hands of doctors, or in some cases, the state. The model allows women to be depicted as self-interested or incompetent. The standards of medicine become the norm against which a pregnant woman's behavior is judged and a woman who decides against the norm of medical science is cast as irrational and selfish. A woman who defies the truth of medical knowledge becomes a bad mother, one who has declined to put the perceived needs of the foetus ahead of her own concerns."
Homebirthing and unassisted birthing mothers know this frame of reference all too well. By choosing to birth a home with or without a professional who is not a doctor, women are considered to be flouting what the medical establishment has deemed proper behavior for birthing women. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists have repeatedly decried the dangers of homebirth calling mothers "selfish," "irresponsible" and "incompetent." Conversely the vast majority of mothers who do choose to birth their babies at home do so beleiving that it is within the best interests of their baby and themselves; as to not be exposed to the risks attended with hospital birth. Ironically, the evidence based research of the most appropriate care for birth aligns with homebirth practices moreso than hospital births for low-risk women. Yet women are still being framed as unable to understand medical practices and then stupid and irresonsible for choosing to go against those practices. It seems that we still live in a world of "doctor knows best."
Rixa of Stand and Deliver also gave a talk discussing Risk, Responsibility and Safety at the 2008 Trust Birth Conference.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Willem present at birth
Someone recently asked me the question if I planned for Willem to be present at the birth of his younger brother or sister in May. I have given lots of thought to that and had an experience in the past week that have really made me think about it.
I do want my Chunka to be present while I'm laboring and birthing. My dream is that he'd play with his cars and toys, cuddle with me, come to me give me hugs and kisses, and nurse occasionally, and be asleep for good parts of it. I'd love it if he played in the water with me and made me laugh through labor. Realistically, it could work out that he's sleeping through the night while I bring his brother or sister in the world. But in all fairness he'll be 2 years old, the process can be long and require lots of concentration and space; he may need a place away from mom for both of our sakes. He'll definitely need some of his own support and help because I'll be a little busy during that time.
I was trying to make plans accordingly by asking my doula friend to be there for him during labor and birth. She was okay with that for awhile and then she got freaked out when she realized that she and Chunka won't know each other and he could be uncomfortable with her. She also realized that as a doula/midwife/child care person, her focus would be pulled in all sorts of directions even though she's hired to be there as help for the kid. I understand that and I'm glad she told me that sooner than later, because I'd really be stuck in a lurch if she told me that and I was 33 weeks pregnant.
Now I'm trying to find out what my Plan B is. I do live in a very supportive community where I have friends living next door and across the courtyard. Chunka is comfortable with the kids and the parents, and he'd be nearby so taking him somewhere is not a big deal and having someone bring him back is not a big deal either. Sounds ideal, but I'm very concerned about how supportive my neighbors/friends are of homebirthing. Everyone has had their kids in a hospital and I have no idea how much fear/doubt/discomfort they have regarding homebirthing.
One neighbor is probably more comfortable with it than the others (she's the one who lives right next door, in fact we share a wall). Her sister has had babies at home and is a Bradley instructor and her mom has been a Lamaze instructor. I think she's comfortable with birth but I need to ask her if she's willing to help me out when I'm birthing next door to her.
The other neighbor is very openminded and non judgemental. She's a reader of my blog in fact so she knows exactly what my plans are, and since she knows that I'm worried that she would balk at being apart of those plans.
And the other neighbor, she's kind of in awe of me and never said anything negative about me giving birth at home this pregnancy but at the same time probably harbors all sorts of fears and doubts so I'm really hesitant to ask her.
Basically, I don't want to open myself up to all sort of questions and fears and concerns. Ideally I want someone there for him (and nearby me) who:
1) knows Chunka and he's comfortable with them.
2) is comfortable around birth.
3) lives nearby.
4) won't project their fears surrounding birth on me or my husband.
That's already made me reject the offers from two friends who live locally but further away from me. They are more likely to be more comfortable with birth but they wouldn't have the advantage of taking Willem for a nap at their homes or playing with their children nearby.
At least its still early in the pregnancy and I do have time to figure these sorts of things out.
I do want my Chunka to be present while I'm laboring and birthing. My dream is that he'd play with his cars and toys, cuddle with me, come to me give me hugs and kisses, and nurse occasionally, and be asleep for good parts of it. I'd love it if he played in the water with me and made me laugh through labor. Realistically, it could work out that he's sleeping through the night while I bring his brother or sister in the world. But in all fairness he'll be 2 years old, the process can be long and require lots of concentration and space; he may need a place away from mom for both of our sakes. He'll definitely need some of his own support and help because I'll be a little busy during that time.
I was trying to make plans accordingly by asking my doula friend to be there for him during labor and birth. She was okay with that for awhile and then she got freaked out when she realized that she and Chunka won't know each other and he could be uncomfortable with her. She also realized that as a doula/midwife/child care person, her focus would be pulled in all sorts of directions even though she's hired to be there as help for the kid. I understand that and I'm glad she told me that sooner than later, because I'd really be stuck in a lurch if she told me that and I was 33 weeks pregnant.
Now I'm trying to find out what my Plan B is. I do live in a very supportive community where I have friends living next door and across the courtyard. Chunka is comfortable with the kids and the parents, and he'd be nearby so taking him somewhere is not a big deal and having someone bring him back is not a big deal either. Sounds ideal, but I'm very concerned about how supportive my neighbors/friends are of homebirthing. Everyone has had their kids in a hospital and I have no idea how much fear/doubt/discomfort they have regarding homebirthing.
One neighbor is probably more comfortable with it than the others (she's the one who lives right next door, in fact we share a wall). Her sister has had babies at home and is a Bradley instructor and her mom has been a Lamaze instructor. I think she's comfortable with birth but I need to ask her if she's willing to help me out when I'm birthing next door to her.
The other neighbor is very openminded and non judgemental. She's a reader of my blog in fact so she knows exactly what my plans are, and since she knows that I'm worried that she would balk at being apart of those plans.
And the other neighbor, she's kind of in awe of me and never said anything negative about me giving birth at home this pregnancy but at the same time probably harbors all sorts of fears and doubts so I'm really hesitant to ask her.
Basically, I don't want to open myself up to all sort of questions and fears and concerns. Ideally I want someone there for him (and nearby me) who:
1) knows Chunka and he's comfortable with them.
2) is comfortable around birth.
3) lives nearby.
4) won't project their fears surrounding birth on me or my husband.
That's already made me reject the offers from two friends who live locally but further away from me. They are more likely to be more comfortable with birth but they wouldn't have the advantage of taking Willem for a nap at their homes or playing with their children nearby.
At least its still early in the pregnancy and I do have time to figure these sorts of things out.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
I Birth My Babies...
...Thank you very much.
Its been reported that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists after issuing a statement deploring homebirth,gave its members a bumper sticker which stated "Home Deliveries are for Pizza."
Clever.
Except I reject their premise that babies are "delivered." In my experience, babies are birthed by mothers, not be obstetricians. And mothers do not need to be "delivered" by their saviors the OB. Also "delivering" babies connotes to me that mothers are delivering a load, or depositing excrement. And babies are far too precious to be termed as a "delivery" like unto one that is deposited and flushed down the toilet. Although it wouldn't be the first time I've thought that OBs would like birth to be equated to a bowel movement (see my blog: POOP on the ACOG)
If we want to follow that logic that normal, psychological process are not supposed to take place at home, then process such as defecation, sexual intercourse and even sleep would have to be carefully observed and assisted by medical professionals. In that birth is a normal psychological event like sleep and pooping, its domain in within the home where a person is able to allow their body to work in a normal, undisturbed, unobserved manner. Home birth is safe, safer than hospital births because the occurance of risky interventions is much less likely in a home environment.
My babies are birthed, by me, through the power of my body which was given life by a Divine Creator. The one person I feel I need to be delivered by is my personal savior Jesus Christ. And whoever is in attendance at a birth, be it husband, midwife, obstetrician or doula, are only there as observers. They do not have the active role of birthing the baby. I take hold of that power and claim it for myself: I Birth My Babies, thank you very much.
Its been reported that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists after issuing a statement deploring homebirth,gave its members a bumper sticker which stated "Home Deliveries are for Pizza."
Clever.
Except I reject their premise that babies are "delivered." In my experience, babies are birthed by mothers, not be obstetricians. And mothers do not need to be "delivered" by their saviors the OB. Also "delivering" babies connotes to me that mothers are delivering a load, or depositing excrement. And babies are far too precious to be termed as a "delivery" like unto one that is deposited and flushed down the toilet. Although it wouldn't be the first time I've thought that OBs would like birth to be equated to a bowel movement (see my blog: POOP on the ACOG)
If we want to follow that logic that normal, psychological process are not supposed to take place at home, then process such as defecation, sexual intercourse and even sleep would have to be carefully observed and assisted by medical professionals. In that birth is a normal psychological event like sleep and pooping, its domain in within the home where a person is able to allow their body to work in a normal, undisturbed, unobserved manner. Home birth is safe, safer than hospital births because the occurance of risky interventions is much less likely in a home environment.
My babies are birthed, by me, through the power of my body which was given life by a Divine Creator. The one person I feel I need to be delivered by is my personal savior Jesus Christ. And whoever is in attendance at a birth, be it husband, midwife, obstetrician or doula, are only there as observers. They do not have the active role of birthing the baby. I take hold of that power and claim it for myself: I Birth My Babies, thank you very much.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Its really real
I have been preparing and planning for an unassisted birth since I realized how traumatized I was by my first child's birth. It was that trauma that also brought me to the awareness that medical attendants at a birth are not neccessary all of the time. When it came to unassisted birth, I think of it as something I'm going to do, but when not pregnant it like saying someday I'll hike Mt. Everest.
But now I'm pregnant. I found out yesterday. Which illicits from me a hushed "yay" because I'm happy, its what I wanted but now the prospect of an unassisted birth is real. Its really being planned. But, between not knowing I was pregnant and knowing now, honestly nothing is different. Other than the fact that before it was all hypothetical and now its real.
For so long now, I've thought about what will be different with this birth and how to prevent being coerced and bullied by others during labor and birth. But all that time, no concrete plans could be made. There were plans made for what to do once we learned about being pregnant, but none of those things could occur until that positive proof was there.
Of the things we have agreed on, this is what we now our course will be for this pregnancy:
1. A reduced prenatal schedule. Even though we plan the birth to be without a midwife in attendance, we plan to see a midwife for infrequent pregnancy visits. The average prenatal schedule in the United States is 14, if I recall correctly (from "Expecting Trouble" by Thomas Strong, MD). The fewest number of visits for European countries (with lower maternal and infant mortality rates) is 5 with many countries only scheduling 9 for pregnant women. I plan to follow a schedule more similar to Luxembourg than the United States. Now that I'm pregnant, I need to figure out when and how often they are occuring.
2. Routine 20 week ultrasound. My husband and I have agreed to the routine 20 week ultrasound which is the anatomy check for fetuses but is better known by parents as the time to find out the baby's gender. We went around on that issue but have determined that at or around the 20 week mark, we will have the anatomy ultrasound and find out the gender of the baby. If its a girl, she'll be named Carolyn Belle. If its a boy, he will be Joey (Joseph) David.
3. Private Childbirth Education Classes. My husband is supportive of the idea of having this next baby at home without a midwife present but he is still nervous at his ability to handle that situation. Because of that he has requested that he and I take childbirth education classes that address the specific preparations for an unassisted birth, especially detecting and handling abonormal situations and complications. The typical childbirth education class does not contain information detailed and accurate enough. Instead childbirth education classes are often orienations to hospital policy and how to cooperate with medical professionals. We have found a childbirth educator who will be preparing and teaching us those classes, starting after my husband finishes his qualifying exams as a PhD candidate and after my thesis is submitted.
4. Not disclosing an exact "Due Date." Because EDDs (Estimated Due Dates) are often treated more like deadlines for the birth of babies and in the age of a 40% induction rate taking place often just days after the 40 week deadline, we are only telling people that this child will likely be born between Mother's Day and Father's Day of 2009. We do that to prevent some of the well-meaning but annoying comments about going "overdue" or from having to disclose definite plans to people who are not likely to understand the rationale of our actions.
5. Praying and relying on the power of the priesthood and personal revelation. My husband's and my faith is such that we beleive that God will guide our decisions for what is best for this pregnancy. While I beleive that unassisted birth is the ideal birth for me, I also know that everyday situations that arise in pregnancy and birth may not be ideal. Based on the best of knowledge and understanding that we can gain from seeking out accurate information and education and the guidance of the Lord's Spirit, we believe that if it not right in our circumstance for an unassisted birth, then we will make alternate plans for more emergent situations and seeking out medical assistance.
6. Having a water pool available. Warm water pools in labor and birth are called the "natural epidural" for its ability to soothe and relax some of the intensity of labor. We plan to have one available. Nothing fancy here, just a $35 inflatable 22" in high kiddie pool with cartoon fish on the side. There's a clever device that can attach a garden hose to an indoor faucet that will bring warm water from the kitchen to the living room. And there's always heating large pots of water on the stove.
7. Practicing Hypnobirthing and Hypnobabies. With Willem's birth, I prepared using Hypnobirthing. I found it to be very useful to coping with contractions and some hours of back labor. Since then I've learned about Hypnobabies and their greater selection of scripts for pregnancy and birth. I'll invest in some of those for this coming birth.
8. Being selective in who we tell about our plans. We hope that it will not become common knowledge for people to know we are planning an unassisted birth. They are also the people who are a) not likely to read this blog and b) are very indoctrinated with modern birthing practices to think that anything out of hospital is unsafe.
Beyond those plans, there are somethings we don't know or haven't decided yet.
One is what are we going to do with Willem while I'm laboring. I want him at home with me for nursing and cuddling and being present for the birth of his sibling, but my husband will need another support person who can help attend a toddler and a laboring woman. A doula comes to mind as a qualified person to do that, but I have continued fears about being negatively influenced by having another person present while I'm trying to birth. Since unassisted birthing is so far out of the norm in our society, I fear it would be difficult to find a doula supportive and encouraging of me and our plans.
I also don't know what I'm going to do about the early ultrasound. It is typically for a transvaginal ultrasound to be performed between 9 and 10 weeks gestation. This is when any differences in due dates from the last menstrual period might be detected. I had anticipated to refuse that ultrasound but there is some concern in my mind that my dates may be off. Conceivably, I could be a month further along than I think I am because possibly there was bleeding that I mistook to be a period. I will continue thinking on that one...
I need to figure out the prenatal visit schedule and figure out when I want to notify the midwife. Its a good thing there is time for that...
But now I'm pregnant. I found out yesterday. Which illicits from me a hushed "yay" because I'm happy, its what I wanted but now the prospect of an unassisted birth is real. Its really being planned. But, between not knowing I was pregnant and knowing now, honestly nothing is different. Other than the fact that before it was all hypothetical and now its real.
For so long now, I've thought about what will be different with this birth and how to prevent being coerced and bullied by others during labor and birth. But all that time, no concrete plans could be made. There were plans made for what to do once we learned about being pregnant, but none of those things could occur until that positive proof was there.
Of the things we have agreed on, this is what we now our course will be for this pregnancy:
1. A reduced prenatal schedule. Even though we plan the birth to be without a midwife in attendance, we plan to see a midwife for infrequent pregnancy visits. The average prenatal schedule in the United States is 14, if I recall correctly (from "Expecting Trouble" by Thomas Strong, MD). The fewest number of visits for European countries (with lower maternal and infant mortality rates) is 5 with many countries only scheduling 9 for pregnant women. I plan to follow a schedule more similar to Luxembourg than the United States. Now that I'm pregnant, I need to figure out when and how often they are occuring.
2. Routine 20 week ultrasound. My husband and I have agreed to the routine 20 week ultrasound which is the anatomy check for fetuses but is better known by parents as the time to find out the baby's gender. We went around on that issue but have determined that at or around the 20 week mark, we will have the anatomy ultrasound and find out the gender of the baby. If its a girl, she'll be named Carolyn Belle. If its a boy, he will be Joey (Joseph) David.
3. Private Childbirth Education Classes. My husband is supportive of the idea of having this next baby at home without a midwife present but he is still nervous at his ability to handle that situation. Because of that he has requested that he and I take childbirth education classes that address the specific preparations for an unassisted birth, especially detecting and handling abonormal situations and complications. The typical childbirth education class does not contain information detailed and accurate enough. Instead childbirth education classes are often orienations to hospital policy and how to cooperate with medical professionals. We have found a childbirth educator who will be preparing and teaching us those classes, starting after my husband finishes his qualifying exams as a PhD candidate and after my thesis is submitted.
4. Not disclosing an exact "Due Date." Because EDDs (Estimated Due Dates) are often treated more like deadlines for the birth of babies and in the age of a 40% induction rate taking place often just days after the 40 week deadline, we are only telling people that this child will likely be born between Mother's Day and Father's Day of 2009. We do that to prevent some of the well-meaning but annoying comments about going "overdue" or from having to disclose definite plans to people who are not likely to understand the rationale of our actions.
5. Praying and relying on the power of the priesthood and personal revelation. My husband's and my faith is such that we beleive that God will guide our decisions for what is best for this pregnancy. While I beleive that unassisted birth is the ideal birth for me, I also know that everyday situations that arise in pregnancy and birth may not be ideal. Based on the best of knowledge and understanding that we can gain from seeking out accurate information and education and the guidance of the Lord's Spirit, we believe that if it not right in our circumstance for an unassisted birth, then we will make alternate plans for more emergent situations and seeking out medical assistance.
6. Having a water pool available. Warm water pools in labor and birth are called the "natural epidural" for its ability to soothe and relax some of the intensity of labor. We plan to have one available. Nothing fancy here, just a $35 inflatable 22" in high kiddie pool with cartoon fish on the side. There's a clever device that can attach a garden hose to an indoor faucet that will bring warm water from the kitchen to the living room. And there's always heating large pots of water on the stove.
7. Practicing Hypnobirthing and Hypnobabies. With Willem's birth, I prepared using Hypnobirthing. I found it to be very useful to coping with contractions and some hours of back labor. Since then I've learned about Hypnobabies and their greater selection of scripts for pregnancy and birth. I'll invest in some of those for this coming birth.
8. Being selective in who we tell about our plans. We hope that it will not become common knowledge for people to know we are planning an unassisted birth. They are also the people who are a) not likely to read this blog and b) are very indoctrinated with modern birthing practices to think that anything out of hospital is unsafe.
Beyond those plans, there are somethings we don't know or haven't decided yet.
One is what are we going to do with Willem while I'm laboring. I want him at home with me for nursing and cuddling and being present for the birth of his sibling, but my husband will need another support person who can help attend a toddler and a laboring woman. A doula comes to mind as a qualified person to do that, but I have continued fears about being negatively influenced by having another person present while I'm trying to birth. Since unassisted birthing is so far out of the norm in our society, I fear it would be difficult to find a doula supportive and encouraging of me and our plans.
I also don't know what I'm going to do about the early ultrasound. It is typically for a transvaginal ultrasound to be performed between 9 and 10 weeks gestation. This is when any differences in due dates from the last menstrual period might be detected. I had anticipated to refuse that ultrasound but there is some concern in my mind that my dates may be off. Conceivably, I could be a month further along than I think I am because possibly there was bleeding that I mistook to be a period. I will continue thinking on that one...
I need to figure out the prenatal visit schedule and figure out when I want to notify the midwife. Its a good thing there is time for that...
Friday, July 25, 2008
Start At Home
Today as I was watching HGTV, I had an idea based off the current slogan "Life's Biggest Moments Start at Home" and some of the taglines in the commercials that describes home as a place for new beginnings and celebrations.
If there ever were to be slogans and taglines for homebirthing families, those would be it. There are alot of birth shows on TV, all of which are centered around highly medicalized births. There are a growing number of families in the United States who are considering, planning and having at home birth (sometimes called DIY births). I see that HGTV has a unique opportunity to show how homes can be the best place to start life and a place where that new beginning can be celebrated.
I can envision a show where a homebirthing expert (typically a midwife) consults with families planning a homebirth to make the necessary preparations for their homes: including birth tubs, birth kits and bedding for expectant families, new moms and newborn babies.
I would love to see a show like this portraying birth as a "normal" event that families can celebrate within their homes, as opposed to the unnaturalness of hospital birthing. The homebirthing community and supporters are looking for the media to portray birth in the way it ideally can be for the majority of families. HGTV could place a special role in this.
I wrote the above to HGTV today and I'm now looking to garner support for a TV show that would portray homebirth accurately as a safe option for birthing babies. I've created a petition that will hopefully indicate the level of interest in the homebirth community for a TV show of this nature:
To sign the petition and show your commitment to positive portrayals of homebirth in the media, go to: http://www.petitiononline.com/TVbirth/petition.html
Monday, May 26, 2008
Becoming A Transitional Character
I learned about transitional characters in a family studies course in college. The term mostly was applied to breaking the cycle of abuse or alcoholism in families, but I recently realized that it can be applied birthing traditions in families as well.
The definition of transitional characters was originally given by Carlfred Broderick in his 1980 book called "Marriage and the Family" (currently unavailable on amazon).
A few weeks ago, my mother and I were talking about the history of birth practices (or the generational transmission of birth, if you will) in our family. I know my birth story. I was born via Cesarean section at 39 weeks 4 days for being breech and for the convenience of having my father in town, since he needed to leave for work around my due date. My mother was born in a hospital in 1953, so we can assume that twilight sleep was used on my grandmother. Unfortunately, we cannot ask her for her birth stories of my mother and uncles since she passed away in 2006. That means we also cannot ask her what she knows of her own birth. She was born in 1921 in rural California, so its kind of toss-up if she was born in a hospital or on the ranch where my great-grandparents lived. Now my great grandmother was born in San Francisco in 1904. Hospital birth was still relatively new then (using a reference from the history of birth presented in the Business of Being Born), so she may have been born at home, but since it was a big city, there's also the chance she was born in a hospital.
Together, my mother and I couldn't come up with anymore information on the topic, so we started thinking of who in our extended family might have known. We contacted my grandmother's cousin who is currently the matriarch of the family. She was unable to give me anymore information other than she's pretty sure that both my grandmother and great-grandmother were born in hospitals.
So with that information, I pretty much am left to believe that the last 100 hundred of birthing history in my family has taken place in hospitals. If my readers are familiar with my story, my first child was born in 2007 (103 years after the birth of my great-grandmother) and his birth was enough to prompt me to "return" to homebirth. I had hoped that my history would have afforded some homebirth stories of my women ancestors but I was disappointed.
However, that affords me the opportunity to be the transistional character for birth in my family. It wouldn't be the first time. On my father's side, I'm a transitional character for stopping the transmission of emotional, verbal and sometimes physical abuse, so my efforts in parenting and my marriage are to overcome the tendencies and examples set by my father and his parents. This does raise the question of the history of birth on my dad's side. I know both my father and grandmother were born in hospitals, but I don't know anything about where my great-grandmother was born. I can ask my grandmother's sister who is still alive. I will update this blog when I've been able to converse with her on the topic.
Looking forward to the future, I plan to birth the rest of my babies at home, barring a medical need to birth in hospital, and this will start the tradition of homebirth in my family. I hope that my children will know and remember how they and their siblings were born so that they will too will expect to birth their children at home, in a safe, supportive, loving and gentle environment.
The definition of transitional characters was originally given by Carlfred Broderick in his 1980 book called "Marriage and the Family" (currently unavailable on amazon).
A transitional character is one who, in a single generation, changes the entire course of a lineage. The individuals who grow up in an abusive, emotionally destructive environment and who somehow find a way to metabolize the poison and refuse to pass it to their children. They break the mold. They refute the observations...that "the sins of the fathers are visited upon the heads of the children to the third and fourth generation. Their contribution to humanity is to filter the destructiveness out of their own lineage so that the generations downstream will have supportive foundations upon which to build productive lives.
A few weeks ago, my mother and I were talking about the history of birth practices (or the generational transmission of birth, if you will) in our family. I know my birth story. I was born via Cesarean section at 39 weeks 4 days for being breech and for the convenience of having my father in town, since he needed to leave for work around my due date. My mother was born in a hospital in 1953, so we can assume that twilight sleep was used on my grandmother. Unfortunately, we cannot ask her for her birth stories of my mother and uncles since she passed away in 2006. That means we also cannot ask her what she knows of her own birth. She was born in 1921 in rural California, so its kind of toss-up if she was born in a hospital or on the ranch where my great-grandparents lived. Now my great grandmother was born in San Francisco in 1904. Hospital birth was still relatively new then (using a reference from the history of birth presented in the Business of Being Born), so she may have been born at home, but since it was a big city, there's also the chance she was born in a hospital.
Together, my mother and I couldn't come up with anymore information on the topic, so we started thinking of who in our extended family might have known. We contacted my grandmother's cousin who is currently the matriarch of the family. She was unable to give me anymore information other than she's pretty sure that both my grandmother and great-grandmother were born in hospitals.
So with that information, I pretty much am left to believe that the last 100 hundred of birthing history in my family has taken place in hospitals. If my readers are familiar with my story, my first child was born in 2007 (103 years after the birth of my great-grandmother) and his birth was enough to prompt me to "return" to homebirth. I had hoped that my history would have afforded some homebirth stories of my women ancestors but I was disappointed.
However, that affords me the opportunity to be the transistional character for birth in my family. It wouldn't be the first time. On my father's side, I'm a transitional character for stopping the transmission of emotional, verbal and sometimes physical abuse, so my efforts in parenting and my marriage are to overcome the tendencies and examples set by my father and his parents. This does raise the question of the history of birth on my dad's side. I know both my father and grandmother were born in hospitals, but I don't know anything about where my great-grandmother was born. I can ask my grandmother's sister who is still alive. I will update this blog when I've been able to converse with her on the topic.
Looking forward to the future, I plan to birth the rest of my babies at home, barring a medical need to birth in hospital, and this will start the tradition of homebirth in my family. I hope that my children will know and remember how they and their siblings were born so that they will too will expect to birth their children at home, in a safe, supportive, loving and gentle environment.
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