Why are people still giving birth in a place where people die every day? Birth needs to be moved out of the hospital, period. Yesterday on KQED's Forum, there was a discussion about hospital infection. It is scaring me to go to a hospital when I am legitimately sick, and pregnant women most certainly are NOT sick. One of the worst things we've done for women's culture is turning pregnancy into a medical condition.
The AMA had a strong hand in this during their early years because they saw midwives as competition for their services.* We've lost a great deal of women's culture to the hospitalization of birth and the elimination of midwives as a normal part of pregnancy. Furthermore, at this point, hospitals have become dangerous places even for healthy adults. Why expose a newborn child and her healthy mother to hospital infections? And let's not even get into birth on the back and forced episiotomies.
The alternative to hospitals are NOT home births, however. We needn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Medicine has done a lot to improve pregnancy and birth, but it doesn't mean that it is THE way to give birth. Birth needs to be moved out of the hospital and into another building, at the very least. The other option is using alternate institutions that are specifically designed to assist women give birth. Assist women and be there for complications, including cesarean sections. In the 21st century, with irresponsible doctors giving out antibiotics to people who don't need them, with people clustered into closer and closer conditions, there is no reason that this is not a good idea, there is no good reason to keep maternity wards in the same building with MSRA.
*I noticed that they did not do the same thing with the dental profession, which was largely male.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Taking Birth Outside of the Hospital
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5 comments:
"another institution that is specifically designed to assist women give birth."
http://www.birthcenters.org/
I know about those, they were mentioned in the show.
I'm all for a birthing center, but personally, I love my doctor and the hospital I go to for having my babies and will stick with that.
Just a few thoughts: usually the pregnant/birthing/baby sections are totally separate from old, and/or disease, sick, and dieing people. You should tour some of the birthing centers at hospitals. They are becoming almost hotel like. The newest in the Appleton area even has fire places in the rooms. I've been in regular hospital rooms and birthing rooms and they are nothing alike - other then the fact they are in the same building, but sometimes not - same campus maybe would be a better word.
The whole episiotomy thing really boggles my mind. I guess here's what I think based on my own 2 birthing experiences. Seriously, I would rather have the doctor cut me then to have what happened to my sister - she tore a jagged nasty tear that took longer to repair then it did for her to give birth. When the babies are to that point a C-section isn't a choice and the baby is coming out no matter what. The question is would you rather have a clean cut, easy to repair, and heal tear, or a natural cut that will take forever to repair and even longer to heal?! Give me some other options?! Break the baby's shoulders? I've heard that happen (literally) - the woman in the room next to me when I had Ella had to have an episiotomy and it wasn't enough so they had to break the baby's shoulders and collar bone so he could fit out of her! It's not like doctors say okay let's just slice and dice - usually it's a last option type of deal. At least this is the case with the doctor I see. I'm pretty sure the birthing mother has the ultimate choice, too - otherwise I think we would be seeing a lot more moms suing doctors/hospitals.
I guess my 2 cents are a long 2 cents worth, but I kind of feel qualified since I've been through this deal a few times around!
There was a recent case in a Bay Area hospital of a nurse - I believe wearing something - carrying TB and possibly infecting a number of newborns. I believe one baby actually had TB and the hospital sent a notice out to all of the other people who had recently given birth at that hospital.
I'm with Lisa on this one. Have birth centers adjacent to the hospital. If I ever give birth I want to be surrounded by medical professionals.
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