I apologize for not posting more, I have wanted to. Things have just been a tad bit frustrating and I lacked the energy to do much other than pull my hair out.
Here is a little background for you, N and I want a natural child birth with limited interventions. I have done extensive research and am very opposed to hospital birthing because they run the delivery much like an assembly line at a manufacturing plant.
Every mother is expected to deliver within a certain time frame, to progress at a certain speed and if that doesn’t happen the doctors feel the need to medically intervene and to control the birthing situation with drugs like pitocin, IV’s, fetal monitoring and so on.
Unnecessary labor induction often results in a more painful labor and can lead to the need for a c-section and episiotomy. They can also cause breast feeding issues and can even cause postpartum depression. Those labor inducing measures are basically forcing your body to deliver when it is not ready to, this is not preferable in my opinion.
Also, continuous fetal monitoring, the use of IV’s and epidurals result in you being confined to the bed for delivery which is not the most optimal birthing position. The confinement and labor interventions are linked to the rise in c-sections throughout the country. Oh and c-sections make more money for the hospital… Lots about the system is just not right and I want a say in how I deliver my baby.
I believe childbirth is a natural normal thing that our bodies already know how to do and that we should trust that and allow labor to play out as normally and naturally as possible in low risk pregnancies. Sure I want a trained professional to be there to monitor it all and jump in if a life threatening complication arises but only after I have been allowed to try things naturally. I could go and on about my reasoning but that is not the point of this post.
The point of this post is that I am outraged by the lack of choice a woman has when delivering her baby. When you are at the hospital and you have a life threatening issue that can be remedied (like heart surgery) you cannot be forced to have the surgery. If you decline heart surgery and are fated to die as a result the doctors MUST honor your decision.
When you are in delivery and have certain views or wishes regarding what is or is not done to you the doctors do not have to honor you wishes as it is their responsibility to keep the baby alive. They’ll do what ever it takes to protect themselves from possible malpractice claims which often means getting the baby out as fast as possible however they feel is best, this is managed birth.
Unfortunately there is much debate about the real benefits of managed births. Women experience much more pain during labor and often are left with awful birth memories and depression as a result of managed birth techniques. Many women are pressured or forced to do what the doctors think is best regardless of what she really wants which results in both emotional and physical scarring.
For example, I don’t want to be hooked up to an IV, a continuous fetal monitor, a catheter or pain meds because I don’t want to be confined to the bed for delivery. Upright laboring positions are better and I want to have the freedom to try them out. Being connected to all those machines prevents me from doing that and many hospitals wont allow you to birth “unplugged” because “what if you need to be rushed to surgery and you aren’t hooked up?”, it is all a liability issue for them.
I basically determined that hospital birth isn’t really for me and that I would be better off doing a home birth and having a midwife attend. Problem is I can’t find a midwife in Evansville that will attend a home birth, because there are certain laws here preventing the traditional practice of midwifery.
You see direct-entry midwives (those midwives who are not registered as a certified nurse midwife) are illegal here in Indiana as they are in about 12 other states as of 2006.
“Indiana prohibits the practice of midwifery by individuals other than licensed doctors and nurses (<cite>Kaiser Daily Women’s Health Policy Report</cite>, 4/4).”
I have found a few nurse-midwives that are listed on my insurance plan provider list that are practicing legally but they are working in a hospital setting under doctors and must comply with the hospital and doctors wishes. I have also contacted past patients of these nurse-midwives and have been told of how despite their midwife title they are practicing just as any other nurse in a hospital would with regards to managed birth.
So if I don’t like the managed birth philosophy of doctors and nurses and direct-entry midwives are illegal what options do I have? I can have an unsupervised, unassisted home birth but that is not preferable considering this is my first delivery and I don’t know what I am doing, I can try hiring a birth advocate (a doula) and delivering in a hospital where I’ll be fighting tooth and nail to get some of what I want or I can hire an illegal direct-entry midwife to attend my home birth. Perfect! Reminds me of the days of back alley abortions. I am just not a happy lady right now!
So do you think everyone should have a hospital birth and that there should be no options for alternative birthing? Anyone delivered in a birthing center or at home here on gather?
Sources:
- http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/may/09/health.medicineandhealth
- http://www.kemplog.com/2006/06/16/legal-status-of-unlicensed-midwives-in-indiana/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_birth
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwifery
- http://www.thehypnobirthingcentre.co.uk/blog/2008/09/what-about-the-baby/
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Comments: 31
I delivered my daughter at an alternative birthing center, with midwives in attendance. We had a waterbirth, it was fantastic. I had all the same concerns about hospital birth that you do, and the same concerns about her being my first. I was glad to have the alternative birthing center as an option.
I had to fight for that right, our insurance did NOT want to cover it or the midwives I wanted, but we used the system in place at the time and got it approved. Later, with other patients, the powers that be here jacked them around so much, first approving them, then refusing to pay, and finally settling outside of court to end litigation for them to have the right to serve the county's low-income women just to turn around a short time later and yank the contract and refuse to pay, that they decided they couldn't keep fighting that dirty fight and left. Very sad for this county's women. They were so good, by word-of-mouth they had a majority of the birth business here, which of course the docs couldn't tolerate and the docs were the ones in charge of who could treat under medicaid and who got paid.
My sons were each born by emergency c-section before their date due to pregnancy complications. I have horror stories about one birth, but the actual doc who handled it all was terrific and the hospital and nurses were great with me, it was just one midwife that was working with the hospital that was a total nightmare. I haven't really had a "typical" birth, for which I'm grateful.
Are you on Motheringdotcommune?
I know my OB/GYN did a C-section; however, he was very respectful to my views about a C-section for my first child, after I was told I would never have children. However, my OB/GYN wasn't the one to first opt to say "OK, we will do that". Instead, he thinks and has the views that natural birth and/or regular delivery is the best; however lets women opt in most of their decision making in the birth plan. Which means, if I tell him I want such or such, then he will reason with me and ask me why I think the way I do and then he will tell me what he thinks should be done (be respectful about it), but leave the decision open for me to decide. He is pretty laid back and will he thinks the longer the baby is inside of you (the better) the outcome, and when I was pregnant with my first he would keep asking, "Can you hold off another week?" He also wouldn't let me go C-section for my first delivery. I'm not sure if it is because of the hospital's way of doing things, but he told me he wanted me to FIRST try the natural birth way, but if I wanted medicine, it was left up to me. I chose to have an epidural due to my high anxiety and with my high risk pregnancy, he still had me try going natural and tried EVERYTHING else first before going to C-section. He is the type to avoid surgery, medicine and all that if needed.
The only reason he did a C-section for my first was because she got stuck and it became VERY dangerous that surgery was NEEDED after he made me push for 6 hours and she still wouldn't come out, he tried doing many procedures and it became dangerous after pushing for an extended time. The normal push time is 2 hours... So, anyway, I would recommend my doctor for you or possibly my nurse just because they're great and I think if they cannot help you would refer you to someone that can help you with a home delivery or help you find a midwife. You can call their office at (317)-887-1500 ext. 2 ... The office is called South Central OB/GYN... Ext 3- is the nurse and her name is Rita and you can ask for her. Ext. 2 will put you to Bonnie; the receptionist.
They have a choice in Pa.
Thankfully, home birth is a viable option in many states. In those states where one cannot legally have a midwife attended home birth, I would encourage people to hound your politicians until they fix antiquated laws that were put into place to pad doctors' bank accounts.
No drama. A beautiful natural birth.
So, I'll have to pay it all out of pocket with no hopes of reimbursement (since these types of midwives are illegal here) and I'll be in a world of trouble if I do need to be transported to the hospital once labor is under way...
All three of our kids were born in a hospital and my wife never discussed or brought up the idea home based birth... I wonder if she even knew it was possible or not?
Best wishes to you, and I hope you find an alternative.
*nods* They were the only resource I could think of that might be able to offer you answers. I'm sorry you're in this situation, it's just wrong. Every woman should have the right to birth as she wishes, with full support.
I was induced on two of my children. One I didn't have a choice I had to have an induction. The other I went into early labor.
The last child I got induced.
I don't know what I'll do next if I decide to have another one.
Oh and yeah I posted this topic on my blog harvestofdailylife.com a few weeks back.
http://www.harvestofdailylife.com/trying-to-have-a-home-birth-in-evansville-indiana
http://www.theholisticoption.com/Pages/News_Holistic_Moms_Network_Denounces_AMA_Resolution_Against_Homebirth_161.aspx
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The next time I again checked out the hospitals and found one nearer to me with a pediatrician on staff 24 hours. I delivered in the car on the way to the hospital.
I'd have a long talk with my OB. If the OB is receptive, I'd write down exactly what you want and why. The places that offer natural childbirth classes are likely to know a doctor who respects your wishes.