Unassisted Birth... A Good Thing?

Unassisted Childbirth (sometimes called UC for short) seems to be growing by leaps and bounds in popularity. Is it a trend that we want to encourage and "sell" people on?

Did any of you watch the Discovery Health Feature about it a couple of weeks ago?

I've been thinking about commenting on the trend, but have 'til this point, decided to leave that controversial topic alone. I know that both sides of the debate have equally strong feelings... and to even venture to state my opinion on the whole matter is risky.



What shapes my opinion on the matter?
A lot of things.

~I was born unassisted, with only my dad and grandma there, in the early '80's.

~The first birth I ever witnessed was my little sister's unassisted birth.

~I'm now a hospital doula and a homebirth midwifery student.

~I'm friends with mothers who choose completely unassisted birth, non-professional (i.e. a crowd of friends and family) attended births, midwife attended home birth, midwife attended birth center births, midwife attended hospital birth, physician attended homebirth, physician attended birth center births, and physician attended hospital birth.

~I've spent more than my share of time dealing with birth-related policy issues through my work on midwifery and birth-related legislation.


Yes, I have a lot to say about unassisted birthing. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm not.
I'll tell you what I think in a future post, as soon as I get my thoughts formatted.

In the mean time, though, why don't you tell me what YOU think about unassisted childbirth?

Check out the poll I just put up!

On Birth Plans

Sometimes I don't have to be original and write my own posts. Someone else has already written a great one.
This time it's Rebecca from Becca's Baby Blog.

Check out her excellent post on birth plans

here

What Do Women Really Want in Birth?

What do women really want in birth?

The answer to this question influences billions of dollars of business in our country every year.

Every wise business person knows that in order to be successful, s/he must develop a product that is what the consumer WANTS and/or NEEDS.

If the consumer wants it, but doesn't need it, s/he may or may not buy it.

If the consumer needs it, doesn't really want it or find the product attractive, s/he probably will go elsewhere to get what they need.

When you combine need and want, you have a powerful product.

Our current maternity care system has convinced most of their customers that what they offer is what the customers need and want.
But is it really?

What basic things have they convinced the majority of mothers to need and want?

Safety

Avoiding unnecessary pain

If you ask nearly any woman why she's having her baby in the hospital, her biggest reason will be "safety."
Ask her what other reasons, and you may get an assortment of answers, but most likely the most frequent answer will be "for pain relief" if she takes a moment to think about what her hospital and obstetrician offer her.

These are two good things for women to want.
Who wouldn't want their baby to be safe?
Who wouldn't want to know that if anything goes wrong, someone will know how to fix it?
And who wants to suffer unnecessary pain?

But are women really getting what they think they are?

Sometimes I see many pregnant women in our society akin to a man who keeps driving his little Chevy truck that breaks down frequently, and is convinced that his truck is the best that can be had, because all of his friends say so. Even books about buying a good truck say so. The man who sold it to him told him that it was the best kind of truck he could drive. Sure, he doesn't like the breakdowns, but he's been told that his truck is the best, so he does his best to live with the aspects he doesn't like and pride himself that he is driving the best truck anyone could buy.

How many women are taken by the marketing that occurs in this country? We tell them that if they would only come to the hospital, they might experience a few breakdowns and inconveniences, but their experience will be the best they will find anywhere - safe and comfortable.

That's what we say.
But is it true, or is our modern maternity care system not all its cracked up to be?

Why Do Women Put Up With Birth the Way We Serve It?

The question deserves raising: Why do women put up with [the options they are offered for childbirth]?
"Americans trust doctors and they trust hospitals, and they equate the two with health. And people want what's best for their babies. They assume that you decrease your risk by going to a hospital and having a top-flight doctor. What they don't understand is that obstetricians are surgeons, and they know pathology, but they really suck at wellness." (-Judith Lothian) They are trained to sew up a tear, but not to prevent one.

- Excerpted from "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth
and Modern Maternity Care,"
by Jennifer Block

Photo Credit: photographer Lindsey Woessner, copyright Molly Remer