Obstetrician on C-secions in MA

I read this article only moments ago.  I'm still processing it.  I immediately posted it on my Facebook page.  I read this blog commenting on it.  I, too, am angry at what was written.  I also find it very informative. 
It wasn't too long ago that I was a doula for a birth that just about mirrored the birth described in the article.  Except these parents were not thrilled with the outcome.  They are indeed very much in love with their little love, but not with the experience. 
It simply amazes me that doctors, many who are parents themselves, can look at birth as they do...like a blind robot.  It's not as if they necessarily ignore what is front of them...they simply don't see it, process it, like the mother might be.  It's simply mechanical with a means to an end.  And that is all that matters. 

At a recent Las Vegas conference on obstetrical safety, some 125 members of the audience were asked to raise their hand to indicate their personal C-section rate. “Less than 15 percent?” the speaker asked. Two hands in the large auditorium went up. “Fifteen to 30 percent?” Half the hands were up. “More than 30 percent?” The rest. Then the speaker asked the room, “How many of you care?” No one raised a hand, and the room broke out in laughter.

I'd like to believe that someone would endure eight-plus years of schooling, long hours and sleepless nights to be able to help people.  These obstetricians who simply don't care aren't doing their job.  Sure, they care about the mother and baby coming out of the hospital safely...who doesn't?  However, "safely" is subjective, I suppose.

Is it safe to subject your patient, the mother, to depression or symptoms of PTSD?  In a study done
in Sweden, "76% of the moms in the study had experienced their delivery by emergency cesarean section as a traumatic event."
Additionally, in a study comparing the psychological effects of an emergency cesarean, planned cesarean, instrumental and normal vaginal deliveries.  Surprise, surprise - the psychological effects of an emergency cesarean and instrumental vaginal delivery "should be regarded as a pointer with respect to possible post-traumatic stress."
When inflicting this sort of trauma on a woman, why is it then okay to send her home with a newborn?  That same woman, who feels robbed, violated, hurt, angry, disillusioned, depressed, anxious, alone, unworthy, lacking and/or just plain wrong, is expected to be happy about her experience.  I'm probably crossing a line here, but it seems like obstetric rape. 

I birthed three babies vaginally.  I had pitocin and epidurals.  I did not feel like something was taken away from me because I didn't go into it with the thought that I had a right to anything else. 
With what I know now, I read articles like Dr. Wolfberg's and think, "gross."  It's just gross.  It makes me want to put on clean clothes.  It makes me want to yell at people.  It makes me cry for those it adversely affects.  It makes me hug my children tighter. 

I'm fortunate to have this information.  Thank you, Dr. Wolfberg.  I now have another article in my arsenal to present to mamas who want a natural childbirth experience, and steer them away from sterile, uncaring hospitals, and into the caring, colorful, loving arms of a homebirth circle, where she might stand a chance.
 
If you've time to read more, here's an article about a mother who was charged with child abuse for refusing a cesarean.  She and her baby were apart for three years while this case was being held in court. Never mind that the baby was birthed vaginally and was perfectly healthy...

Doula-ing...it sucks not being a super hero

Okay, so I love my job.  I love helping moms achieve the kind of birth they want.  I love seeing the look in their eyes as their baby is being born.  I love hearing a newborn cry.  I love watching a woman labor down, utilizing the tricks of the trade.  I love hearing a woman say, "I did it!" and "Hi baby.  It's your momma.  I love you."
Then there are days like this.  Days where a beautiful first time momma heads to the hospital intending to birth naturally and without complications...but ends up with every intervention known to man.  Broken-hearted and beaten-down she looks to you for answers, but all you can do is give her information to make her own choice.  Don't get me wrong, information is a very powerful thing.  Letting the momma make a decision with all the information on the choices available at hand is such an empowering gift.  But, when she and her husband are looking at you, not knowing what choice to make, my job sucks.  I want to tell her to get up and walk out and go find a midwife and have a home birth right now.  I want to tell her to keep on trucking because she can do this, she IS doing it.  And I do tell her that.  But she is defeated.  She's tired.  She's hungry.  She's tethered and hep locked.  She's on pit and has an epi.  Her legs are numb and her belly aches.  And then all you can do is watch as they wheel her down the hall, prepped for surgery. 
Then you remember that you're there for support.  And you've done that.  You've provided her with information to make educated choices.  That is your job.  You've applied counter-pressure.  You've massaged. You've listened and validated.  You've supported her decisions.  You've cried in your car on the drive home.

Labor-Inducing Cream Cheese?

Eric's La Patisserie in Worcester has a claim to uphold - labor-inducing cream cheese.  If you are past your due date, for a mere $3, you can indulge in a tub of cream cheese.  Now, dear Eric will not divulge the secret ingredient(s).  Why would he, right?  Then the secret would be out! 

There are a few herbs that are, indeed, labor-inducing.  Black Cohosh, Blue Cohosh, Goldenseal, Squaw vine and Red Raspberry Leaf (I drank this tea religiously to prepare my uterus beginning at 37 weeks - I have no idea if it worked or not...).  Any attempt to use these herbs must be used in conjunction with your OB, herbalist and/or Midwife's knowledge.  To do otherwise could be detrimental to you or your baby.  While herbs are natural, they can be more potent than prescribed medicines. 

For a list of herbalists near you:  http://www.holisticmed.com/www/directory.html

I have also heard that black and blue cohosh must be used together to be effective.  As stated before...consult an herbalist or midwife before going down this path. 

So, what is in Eric's labor-inducing cream cheese?  My guess...nothing short of herbs that we might consume daily.  Maybe some red raspberry leaves.  Since it is suggested that you take it after your due date, the chances of you going into labor after you eat it are pretty good.  But, if you are up for the experience, feel like writing a testimonial or want to get together with some expecting mama friends and take bets on who's going to deliver first, then by all means, indulge!  ...and please comment here with your experience.  I'd be very interested to hear about it!

Natural Interventions...a scoop.

Wanting your baby in your arms and the Carpel Tunnel, heartburn and swollen ankles gone is a perfectly natural, normal reaction.  Pregnancy can put a woman into a very uncomfortable, sometimes painful, state.  With our culture's desire to have things now, this has crossed over into pregnancy, and with possible dangerous repercussions.  With all of the interventions out there...pitocin, scraping membranes, breaking the bag of water, castor oil, sex, walking, even, it's hard not to think of these as bad.  It can be difficult to think of these "tools" as outside the norm, when in fact, they have become the norm.  A woman's body was meant to birth babies.  When the baby and mother's body are in sync and it's time to make the journey from womb to arms, then it will happen...naturally.  Naturally meaning that even if mom did not make it to a doctor or midwife, that baby is coming out. 
The following is an article in the Compleat Mother.  It is written by Laurie Morgan, who has written a variety of articles and books on labor and birth. 

Are Castor oil and other so-called natural inductions safe?


From Laurie's Thoughts on Childbirth Frequently Asked Questions

In midwifery and homebirth circles, ingesting Castor oil is a commonly accepted way to induce labor. I have a few warnings about this and other so called "natural" ways to encourage labor when the body and baby are not ready for birth. First of all, this is a sure fire way to bring about dangerous complications. Yes, I know that many women use castor oil without disastrous results. And yes, generally castor oil is so mild that if your body isn't ready to give birth it won't anyway. BUT, there is the increased risk of fetal distress due, among other things, to dehydration via diarrhea. There is also the fact that being stuck on the toilet with abdominal cramps is a miserable way to begin labor and can put a downward spin (no pun intended) on the whole experience in that sense, right from the start.

My advice for anyone who wishes to induce labor is firstly to seriously examine why you want to start labor artificially at all. Almost all women get to the point in pregnancy where they don't want to be pregnant anymore. See the article How long should a woman feel comfortable going overdue? for more information on going "overdue." This anxiety is natural, but outside pressures from over-eager friends and family, husbands and even birth attendants can make it difficult to do the best thing for the baby's sake. The health of mom and baby must be of foremost concern however, and if you find that you want to induce because of such pressures, then for your child's sake you should not give in. This is a wonderful opportunity to begin to take the full responsibility for the health and well being of your child that is rightfully yours already.

Alternately, sometimes a woman's "care providers" place pressure on her to conform to a standard length of pregnancy. Are midwives or doctors frightening you with predictions of rare complications? If so, you should consider this a serious warning signal that further, more serious interventions and mistrust of the labor process are ahead. In this case you will of course want to take a stand for yourself and your baby (and involve husband or other support). Do it now rather than later when you are more easily manipulated (intentionally or unintentionally - doesn't matter) in the throes of labor.

On the other hand, there is the chance that there is some other specific risk (imagined, iatrogenic, or real) to you or your baby involved in staying pregnant past a specific date. In this case I would ask if you have become thoroughly informed of the risks of induction (premature birth and all it's inherent complications, increased risk of Cesarean delivery, fetal distress, these are a few that come to mind) and how they weigh against whatever this "risk" of continued pregnancy is. You must also take into account the chances of false diagnosis in your specific case. Tests, technology, and experts all can be, and frequently are, wrong. Also, if there really is a serious medical problem, consider whether or not the increased stress of induction might place one or both of you at even greater risk than continuing as your body knows it should would.

Secondly, I suggest something that may strike some as surprising: frequently make love and have orgasms, whether by yourself or with your partner! There are numerous benefits to any labor in doing so, including but not limited to the fact that semen ripens the cervix (it is nature's intended prostaglandin gel insert - the stuff they give women in the hospital is actually pig semen!), nipple stimulation encourages the production of a natural amount of oxytocin (synthetic oxytocin or "pitocin" or "pit" is much stronger and therefore brings on harder, more painful contractions in most cases which can lead to uterine rupture, maternal exhaustion, fetal distress to name a few, and it has many contraindications and warnings -- ask for the package insert...), and simply being loving and intimate with one's partner naturally relaxes the woman's entire body which is essential to a safe, complication free birth, not to mention the fact that it bonds the couple immeasurably around this miraculous event!

If in the end you decide to go ahead and take Castor oil or other such induction methods, I advise you to only do it with the approval and awareness of your birth attendants (if you have any), as they need to be ready, willing, and able to respond to any emergencies it might cause, as well as being able to organize their care around your plans (for example you wouldn't want to cause the baby to be born when your attendants were planning to be away for the weekend if you don't want to give birth without them, and for another example, you wouldn't want your attendants to unknowingly combine induction methods that are incompatible.) Still, I hope you'll seriously consider trusting in the inherent wisdom of your miraculously made body and enjoy a joyous, empowering, complication-free birth.