My Question

So..........here is my question.

Since I have been thinking about my birth and all the other births I have done as a doula/apprentice.
Since I read the blog (below) about a mom who was abused by her doctor during her birth.
Since I have personally seen doctors and nurses abuse moms in labor.

If a women makes the choice to have a scheduled c-section...
If a mom makes the choice to have a medicalized birth...
If a mom makes the choice to be induced for no medical reason...

...she is not looked down upon by the medical profession. She is making her own choice (based on informed consent...which is a whole 'nother post) about how she wants to give birth to her own child. She should be able to decided if she wants an epidural...if she wants pitocin...if she wants to just get it over with and have a c-section...RIGHT?

Well...............................what about the mom who wants to make the choice to have a natural, intervention free birth? Is she touted as educated and in control of her body and her choices by the medical profession...or is she degraded, told she is crazy, patronized and labeled? (for those who do not know...it is the latter)
Why is this mom not as supported and encouraged for her choices just like the other moms would be about their choices? Why does the mom who wants an evidence-based birth have to fight, argue and endure all sorts of crap because of it?

Ladies and gentlemen...that is my question.

And I am not just ranting...I have been to some awful births in the hospital where moms are yelled at, threatened and forced to do things they did not want to do...all because they wanted a natural birth. All because they wanted to hold their baby immediately at the moment of birth. All because they wanted to nurse right away. All because they want to have a safe birth as defined by scientific studies, research and evidenced based practices...not as defined by the doctors or insurance companies.

I went to a birth in Ga. as a doula a few years back...with a "supportive" midwife. She "encouraged" mom in her quest for a natural birth. It was a nightmare. The mom had PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) for months afterwards. In my opinion, this mom was raped by a person in a trust position (her "medwife"). It was terrible.

I did a birth in Ga a few years back where mom was yelled at, cursed at and forced to lay in bed...forced to have pitocin...and ultimately forced into a c-section. We later found out she was lied to about her progress and the condition of the baby because the doc was mad at her and wanted her to be sectioned. (we read all about it in her medical charts)

Another birth...here in Co. A mom wanted a VBAC. (vaginal birth after c-section) The docs said she could "try"...so she labored at home for many hours. We got to the hospital and she was 5 cm and in active labor. They forced her to stay in bed...and she downright refused to have an internal fetal monitor (you know that they are little screws forced into the baby's head, right?). The docs were mad at her. The nurses were "Setting up the OR" for her (I overheard them talking about the mom in the hall). This mom labored on...very well. The docs came in to "talk to her" about a c-section as the mom began feeling like she needed to push. She decided to just push (you really cannot help it anyway) and the baby FLEW out onto the bed...first push. The docs freaked. They got mad. They basically raped her after her birth by stitching her up with no lidocaine because "you wanted to go natural..."

All this (and there are many more) I have seen over the past 10 years...without things getting any better. All this I have seen intertwined with beautiful births at home...no interference, no abuse, no yelling, no PTSD, no rapes. Yes, some births at home end up in the hospital, but those moms are still treated better than if they had started out at the hospital.
A homebirth is just another world.
It is respect. Encouragement. Trust. Comfort. Relaxing. Support. Evidence based. Safe. Secure. Loving. Quiet. It smells good...like home. Low lights. Only close loved ones (that are handpicked by mom) are there. Your own food. Your own bed. Your own sheets. Your baby...for unlimited amounts of time. Your shower. Your tub. Rest. JOY. Peace. Those great love hormones that hit you the nanosecond the baby is born...aawww. (unhindered by pitocin and an epidural) Sleep. Nursing. Snuggling. Gazing. Kissing. All about me. :)
It is just another world......





http://mamasmotives.blogspot.com/
So this blog is written by a mom who had her 3rd baby at the hospital in August and was verbally and physically abused by the doc on call. She is not just letting it go...she is fighting back...good for her! Scroll down to read her story and her dealings with the hospital/practice after writing a letter of complaint. Like they even care....