Sunday, May 11, 2008

Some Letters to the Editor in the May 12, 2008 issue of Time magazine. I'm copying them here because I couldn't have said it better. If you are a woman who was bullied, coerced, or assaulted during labor, or are a doula who has witnessed this, it is important that your voices be heard so that we can change the prevailing attitude in the medical industry that the physician's convenience is more important than the mother's well-being and that women are easy to marginalize, so if they have anything to say about it, the final word is that they're hormonal or have post-partum depression, etc.

"I am a former labor doula and am currently leading the national effort to reverse hospital bans on vaginal birth after cesareans. Mothers never tell me that they chose a medically unnecessary cesarean. Rather, their cesareans were ordered, coerced or bullied by their doctors because labor was too early or too late, mom was too small or too big, baby was too small or too big, mom had too much or too little amniotic fluid or for myriad other reasons sometimes verging on the bizarre. Plus, let's not forget that many hospitals in our country forbid women who have had cesareans from choosing vaginal births in later pregnancies. As for the woman featured in this article, I'm glad she is happy with her cesarean because chances are she won't be allowed to opt out of one the next time." --Barbara Stratton, Baltimore

"Nowhere in your rosy article about elective cesareans do you discuss the effects, infection, mistakes made during the operation, longer recovery, time lost from work for family members needed to support a mother who can't pick up or carry her new baby, etc. You discuss the cost of lawsuits to doctors who don't perform the operation but neglect to mention the cost to insurance companies or public funds when a cesarean is done--a cost significantly higher than for a vaginal birth with or without medication. I would expect a higher level of reporting from Time." --Morgan K. Henderson, Wellesley, Mass.

"After giving birth vaginally, by cesarean, and then vaginally again, I nearly lost consciousness reading 'Womb Service.' The line "Pretty tidy way to conduct the often messy business of childbirth," about Euna Chung's elective cesarean, was the most disturbing. Trust me: suffering the effects of major invasive surgery is not a tidy way to do anything. Vaginal birth has been proven to be safest for moms and babies. It is irresponsible for Time to suggest otherwise." --Alana Brown, Avon, N.Y.

1 Comments:

Blogger Knitted_in_the_Womb said...

Could you please e-mail me?

I'd like to start a blog where women, doulas, and childbirth educators can name the names of the abusive Dr's...like you have done at this blog. But I want to ask you some questions first about any "threats" you may have gotten for naming names.

Thank you!

2:32 PM  

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