Friday, September 26, 2008

Patients DON'T Know Best - A Dr.s Rant on Homebirthers


I found this physician's blog post and the ensuing comments to raise a lot good topics for discussion! While I can see the frustration of an OB who sees a woman is refusing what he believes is the best medical care (whether or not s/he is right!), I certainly don't agree with him that most women choosing natural/home/vaginal/fill-in-the-blank birth are doing it for any reason other than that they believe it is the very BEST choice for them and their baby.

"Call me old fashioned, but I am not alone. I often believe that patients don't have the capabilities to make proper decisions about their clinical options. When the issue is childbirth, excuse me, patients are often nuts. Just witness the epidemic of homebirths!" - Dr. Diastolic

Check out the whole post here.
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6 comments:

  1. MSeptember 29, 2008 at 2:30 PM

    Ha! The "homebirth epidemic"?! What about the cesarean epidemic? Typical OB with a god complex. Makes me sick.

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  2. natalieSeptember 30, 2008 at 7:57 AM

    I definitely didn't pick homebirth because of the experience. The fact that I was in a familiar environment where I was comfortable, and that I could curl up with my baby after birth in my own bed, was just an added perk. I chose a homebirth because I wanted to avoid a c-section or other unneeded interventions.

    If his patients don't "have the capabilities to make proper decisions about their clinical options" maybe he should spend more of his time with them at visits and educate them! And also educate himself about the alternatives they're asking for.

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  3. KrisOctober 19, 2008 at 2:10 AM

    Wow. This doctor's attitude is appalling. My second child was born under the care of an OB like this, who barely believed I was in labor, and thankfully did not even attend me until my baby's head was already slipping out. Soooo...the next time I chose a sensitive care provider had a HOMEBIRTH!

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  4. TheFeministBreederOctober 27, 2008 at 12:09 PM

    That post made me vomit a little.... so I commented, of course. This just makes me remember exactly why I've come to hate "modern" medicine.

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  5. Dou-la-laJuly 13, 2009 at 3:15 PM

    (I know this is old news, but I'm just now perusing your blog for the first time, thanks to Unnecessarean.)

    Truly appalling and infuriating - but it was all worth it for the comments! Man, did he get served. My fist was in the air.

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  6. flowersOctober 28, 2009 at 3:09 AM

    ack!

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