Pushed

I just finished reading this AMAZING book called Pushed: The Painful Truth about Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care by Jennifer Block. Some parts of it scared me, some parts made me so angry and some parts made me really excited to start a family (but not yet ;) ). Of course it was biased towards natural birth, but it brought up a lot of interesting points on both sides of the issue. I was already familiar with a lot of what was said, but I also learned a lot of new stuff:

*If you are having twins or your baby is breech, you are very likely to have a c-section whether you want it or not. Delivering breeches vaginally has become so rare that a lot of doctors don't even know how to do it--which is one of the criticisms I've heard about Canada's decision to begin allow vaginal breeches last week. However, the book provides extensive reasoning as to why delivering vaginally for both of these, and VBACs as well, can be very safe.

*There is an extensive illegal midwife network out there. You live in a state that doesn't allow midwives? Well there are probably practicing ones in your area anyway. It's just more secretive and they don't sign the birth certificates--on paper you delivered at home unassisted. These women give up a lot for their jobs: they are on call 24/7 and they even risk going to jail.

*I already knew I couldn't just walk into a hospital and allow all the routine interventions they use (EFM, lithotomy position, no moving, no eating, episiotomies, pitocin/amniotomy or other methods of induction, epidurals, forceps/vacuum, IVs, directed pushing, c-sections, lots of vaginal exams, no immediate skin-on-skin contact and breastfeeding, formula supplementation, no rooming-in, etc.)--but this book kind of drove home the point that unless you are really lucky in your choice of physician/on-call doctors and nurses, you don't have a lot of choice in what happens to you once you check in. Hospital regulations will stipulate that you can't move or eat and that you have the IV and exams, and really, what can you do unless you have merciful nurses and doctors? I'm starting to think maybe even a doula isn't enough. I'm thinking of birthing centers now, assuming I'm low risk and all that, since I think you have a lot more say over what happens to you there. Eventually I think home birth would be a great option too. All I know is that I am absolutely terrified of going to the hospital, having unnecessary interventions that slow or stop my labor, and then being sent in for a c-section for "failure to progress" or because my time limit is up.

It is so important to know your options and be aware of what is out there. Informed choice! I'm not trying to sound radical or offend anyone, but this is an issue I've been thinking a lot about in the past few months. Every woman should have a wonderful birth experience. All too often we hear that it doesn't matter what happens as long as the baby is healthy and yes, that is the ultimate goal: a healthy, beautiful child. But why do women have to suffer so much and often so needlessly for it? Some women who have terrifying birth experiences actually develop Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, besides those who have Post Partum Depression. A c-section is major abdominal surgery with all kinds of risks and simpler interventions like episiotomy still require long, painful recoveries, sometimes with lasting side effects. And yes, I know I might be singing a different tune when I'm this position myself, but I think it's like what they tell you about being chaste and keeping the Word of Wisdom when you're in Young Women's: just do your homework and make the decisions beforehand and it's a lot easier when the moment of choice comes.