Local hospital policy on H1N1 threatens breastfeeding

This post on Empowering Birth blog on the H1N1 policy at a local was quite upsetting.

First, they (the hospital) do admit that “Your home is the safest place for you and your newborn to avoid potential exposure to H1N1 or any illness.” SO TRUE! But the policy continues by saying,

“If you are admitted with suspected H1N1 – after delivery, you may be separated from your infant to protect the infant from exposure.” Ummmmm… here again is a sterling illustration of the idiocy of some (ok, MOST) hospital policies. Good grief.

Neither the CDC nor the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend separation of the infant from her mother for H1N1 or any other seasonal flu. This is REALLY disturbing. Please, if you know of a mother giving birth in the hospital during the flu season, remind her of all the wonderful benefits of keeping her baby skin to skin during those first few hours/days.

Sonogram: The New Crystal Ball?

I am So frustrated at the amount of misinformation put out there as FACT soley for the convenience of the provider! Grrrr!!!!! Some OB’s do it, some GP’s do it, some midwives do it, heck as far my experience shows some DENTISTS do it.

There was recently a comment made on my Castor Oil post from a woman who was told she was too small and couldn’t go to 38 weeks or her “uterus would rip open”. Baby was just TOO TOO big. Even if the poster got some of the semantics wrong (probably is her pelvis they are talking about not her uterus) the arguments for induction just amaze me. Of course I did not offer he any advice as to induction.

My local hospital routinely does inductions at 37 weeks. 37 WEEKS! Yeah. Ludicrous.

The main reason given to women for inductions and even cesareans is the “big baby” argument. And we have these wonderful things called sonograms to “prove” they are too big to “fit” through your pelvis. Please. Do they think we are stupid? Ignorant perhaps, but we are not STUPID.

Here is a lovely blog post by the fantastic “Unnecessarian” on sonograms and estimated size and due dates. Sonograms can be off as much as a pound either way and 2 weeks +/- for due date predictions! So if the sonogram says you are ok for an induction at 37 weeks (by the sonogram) and you induce and it’s off by 2 weeks guess whatcha get? A baby at 35 weeks with respiratory issues, breastfeeding challenges, and a myriad of other psychological implications the likes of which we have NO CLUE about yet.

And the weight predictions are just fantastical. The stuff of Harry Potter and traveling circus acts. There is some science there – just enough to be dangerous. Sure. Gaze into the sonogram screen and see your future: induction + pitocin + epidural = surgical birth.

And let me tell ya from experience: a 2nd degree tear is alot easier to heal from than a 10″ wound on your belly complete with scar tissue and a spinal headache for dessert.

I get kindof sick

… when I think about becoming pregnant again. I’d really like to, don’t misunderstand. One more baby, the end of an era, all that. But. The thoughts of thwarting all of the well-meaning yet condescending voices that will surround my scarred uterus makes me nauseous. Truly. There are so many reasons why NOT to have a repeat cesarean, yet the voices we hear are why “TO” have one. The media, the mother-in-law, the mom, sisters, friends, colleagues…

Blogs like this remind me of the fight, the comments, the ugliness that follows pregnant women in our society who don’t play by “the rules”.

But I have fought this fight before. I can certainly fight it again. This next time around though I think I’ll choose my outings more carefully.  I was so happy to be expecting last time after so long that I didn’t arm/guard myself against the inevitable comments regarding my VBAC attempt. Next time I will be more careful. Because The Voices are so powerful, even if we see the sheer lunacy behind them.

Birth Beautifully

Such a wonderful post… go read this blog post.

Beautiful. The way birth CAN be.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Here is a fantastic doctor doing what so few do (or at least they don’t make headlines). He seems to be really genuine about advocating for women in the rough spot of wanting a normal birth after thay have had a surgical one. As a VBAC mom, this gets my goat everytime.

I want to send this guy flowers.

Can you believe it?

I want to move to Canada. Ok, no not really. But still. Can you imagine the ACOG coming out with a statement to this effect?

“We want to be sure that women who are at low risk for complications receive adequate information and support to have a normal birth.”

~The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada

They go on to admit: “…the number of medical interventions used in healthy pregnancies is on the rise and could be subjecting mothers and babies to risks they don’t need to take.“

Very true. There might be a LOT wrong with the Canadian health care system (no doubt there is) but at least they are being somewhat honest about maternity care and seem to be actually encouraging out of hospital birth for low-risk women. Of course it’s about the bottom line, but that is a valid point to make. Homebirth midwives pays no administrator to tell them what to do.

Read the CTV news story here.

Canadian study supports safety of planned homebirth

This ia really exciting. The study found HERE compares not only planned homebirth vs. planned hospital birth but also throws in planned hospital birth with both physician AND midwife. I often hear, “Well, I had a midwife in the hospital. That’s about the same as a homebirth.” No, it isn’t and here is the support for that position.

Not only are the planned homebirth outcomes better ACROSS THE BOARD, but they are bett with a homebirth midwife vs. a hospital midwife. Really cool info to have when asking or arguing for the safety of planned homebirth. (This booklet from Molly also has some great talking points in it!)

This just made my day. The canadian system has it’s caveats, no doubt, but the overall theme is that planned homebirth is SAFE with a trained midwife. I could do without the “registered” midwife thrown in there because I think it undervalues the work and safety of trained midwives who refuse to register (and there are many many GOOD reasons to not register). Of course they could not participate in the study and I doubt they were asked to. Afterall, who are they and WHERE are they? That, of course, is a question for another day.

Domicilary Obstetrics

Here in the US, homebirth midwives normally seek to remove and distinguish themselves from the term “obstetrics”. It conjurs images of sterile green hospital walls, episiotomies, paternalistic care, and the dreaded bed and stirrups of 2nd stage.

I recently came across the term used in a most delightful way at the Homebirth Australia site.. It’s definition most creativily defining what homebirth midwives do:

However, domiciliary obstetrics is the ‘art of invisibility’ and without complications a woman gives birth herself, supported and aided by her midwife. -Jan Pilgrim

I would love to have turned that phrase. “The art of invisibility”. Yes! A watchful eye, careful watching, gentle hands. THIS is the art of the midwife.

Off-label drug use

I understand that the off-label use of pharmaceuticals is a normal occurrence in the medical world. I get that. What’s not cool is that this is done in maternity care as well with dire consequences.

I’m not talking about the random, “uh-oh”, I’m referring instead to the drug company themselves issuing statements saying “We do not endorse the use of this product for any use other than that described on the label.” Yeah, they’re probably just covering their b*tts but still. They said it. Yet it happens everyday in the labor and delivery department of nearly every hospital in the country. It has become so commonplace to induce labor that not only have we stopped wondering how/if this affects the baby or the mother we have now started grabbing whatever drugs we can find that give us “a better induction outcome”.

Hrrumph.

Bishop’s score be damned. God created women’s body to birth. With consideration made for the odd-one-out with pituitary damage or other disorders that truly make her body hold onto her baby long past safely, using drugs to begin labor before the body begins to open up on it’s own is risky risky risky.

Births are kindof like bowel movements. They happen on their own. Can’t plan ‘em, can’t stop ‘em, can’t hurry them along. Bowel movements happen (errr… I can’t help but think of a certain bumper sticker I’ve seen alot of right now).

Birth HAPPENS as well. Babies are born when it is TIME. If we have accepted that every other body system has knowledge to know when to open and release, then why can’t we accept the body’s wisdom in birthing when it is time?

You might have had a Cytotec induction. And so did your sister, your friend, aunt, daughter’s 2nd grade teacher… and all went well. On the surface perhaps. But what did it do to that baby’s emotional/psychological health to be so rudely pushed into the world before he/she was ready to come? And what about the women reading this who is a victim of a cytotec induction who is grieving the loss of her womb? Suddenly hurrying a baby out seems less important when faced with an emergency cesarean to save your baby’s life and a hysterectomy to save yours.

All from a couple of tidy white pills manufactured to treat ulcers. Who’da thunk?

Ok, so… Wow. This makes me SO mad.

ACOG issues bulletin allowing women to drink in labor. Finally.

Yeah, really? Permission to drink in labor? While it has been a long time coming and I am thankful for the thousands of women who will now be allowed to drink during the hardest marathon-work of their lives (duh). Come on!!!!! Are we serious???

Grown women, being treated like little children has long gotten my goat. Now ACOG is losening the reins a bit and ALLOWING women to “drink modest amounts” in labor? Really?

Geesh. Let’s put those same OB/GYN’s (male and female) on a 12 hour marathon race and not give them anything but ice chips. I wonder how many would be able to finish the race. And no food either. Seriously. This really REALLY gets me going.

Is this common sense (finally) prevailing or is it a token crumb of freedom being offered to women who refuse to play by “the rules”?

I wonder.