birth

Who decides?

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Next week is the Anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision which upheld a woman’s right to an abortion. In preparation I’m going to blog about some more reproductive rights centered topics leading up to next week.

First off is a shout-out for the just released NARAL Pro-Choice America report Who Decides? The Status of Women’s Reproductive Rights in the United States. The report gives a state-by-state breakdown of the laws affecting women’s ability to choose abortion, access emergency contraception, get insurance coverage for reproductive health services, among other things. They give each state a grade that corresponds to these issues.

For example, my lovely home state of North Carolina receives a D+ from NARAL for a variety of reasons including that 83% of counties in NC have no abortion provider (which is consistent across the country, by the way). You can see what grade your state gets here.   

They also have some awesome maps that give an overview of certain restrictions across the country, like this scary one about states with almost total abortion bans (even though they are unconstitutional) on the books.

What would be really awesome is if next year, NARAL could add some information about birth–which states allow midwives to practice and which allow home birth. I know a lot of you would agree that how you birth is a fundamental reproductive right as well.

The Business of Being Born

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I finally got to see the movie that has been garnering a lot of attention in these past few months tonight.

I’ve seen my fair share of birth movies, but The Business of Being Born is definitely worth the hype. I highly recommend it. It does an incredible job of summing up a lot of what is wrong with birth today, particularly in regards to hospital-based maternity care. There is also footage from a couple of really beautiful home births (no matter how many births I see, whether in person or on tape, I still tear up every time).

I have to say that even after all this time in the birth activism world, it still gets me so fired up to hear about just how absurd it has all gotten. 70% of births in Europe and Japan are attended by midwives, compared to less than 3% here. Maternal and infant mortality rates are not good compared to other developing countries. Interventionist hospital practices create a domino effect that ends in an “emergency” c-section that is actually a result of the interventions in the first place–for one in three births. I could go on and on. Ricki’s movie does, and everyone should see it.

While it doesn’t say anything new, or anything that hasn’t been said by midwives, doulas or activists in the past, she does have the possibility of reaching a new and broader audience thanks to money and fame. Hopefully more women, men, doctors and medical students will start to see the light on this epidemic.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the movie, from Marsden Wagner, the author of Born in the USA:

The best thing to do if you want a humanized birth is get the hell out of the hospital.

Amen.

Thank you Ricki Lake

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Thank you Ricki Lake for bringing so much attention and media to the homebirth issue. I haven’t yet seen The Business of Being Born (I’m seeing it tomorrow so I will report back) but it certainly has gotten some significant attention in the press.

On Good Morning America they had a segment yesterday on Do-It-Yourself (DIY) births, or unattended homebirths. You can watch here. It’s a really good segment, until the a-hole doctor goes off an a fetal personhood tirade.

“What women need to appreciate is that the few hours of labor are the most dangerous time during the entire lifetime of the soon-to-be-born child,” said Dr. Frank Chervenak, Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. “Because of this, I would argue … all soon-to-be born children have a right to access immediate Caesarean delivery, and women who are denying this right are irresponsible.”

This kind of thing is EXACTLY why birthing rights activists NEED to work with reproductive rights and abortion rights people. These kinds of arguments, which basically imply that the unborn fetus has rights that trump the needs, desires and even health of the mother. Also framing childbirth as the most dangerous hours of an unborn childs life is problematic to say the least. And this guy isn’t even a pediatrician! He’s an OB-GYN. Oh sorry, I thought their concern was supposed to be the MOTHER. Nevermind how much people think medical interventions are hurting fetuses and mothers.

There was also a review in the NYTimes of the movie, which is super positive and supportive of home birth! That’s exciting. Also here you can see the trailer of another forthcoming film about homebirth in NYC.

New Year’s Baby Madness

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Every year, hospitals and media outlets go crazy about the first baby born in the new year. Apparently parent’s also strive for this honor and maybe even plan their births around the midnight countdown. Some even try to squeeze out the baby just before the ball drops, so they can claim the child on their 2007 taxes.

For babies whose births coincide with the changing of the calendar, there’s a financial interest for parents: Children born before Jan. 1 can be declared as dependents on 2007 tax filings. A nursing staff member at Inova Alexandria Hospital said a mother decided to deliver 15 minutes before midnight to make that deadline. But, she added, the safety of the child is always the primary concern.

Of course of course, the child’s safety! It’s a little absurd what people are willing to plan their births around these days. The mother mentioned above who decided to deliver 15 minutes early must have had a c-section, otherwise she has amazing control of her own body.

Apparently one couple even stole the new years baby title two years in a row.

Want to learn more about the new years babies? Articles from Boston, Washington DC and even a Babies R Us sweepstakes.

More evidence against elective cesareans

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I’m still waiting to see statistics on how common the elective cesarean trend really is, but in the meantime another study to add to the “reasons not to schedule” pile. A Danish study says that the risk of breathing problems is four times as high for babies who are delivered by scheduled c-sections (as compared to vaginal and emergency c-sections).

One explanation is that hormonal and physiological changes associated with labour are necessary for lungs to mature and that these changes may not be present in infants delivered by elective caesarean section. Gestational age at the time of elective caesarean section may also be important.

It makes sense when you think about the inaccuracy of measuring gestational age, and the just the common sense of not beginning a process before the body (and all the delicate physiological systems) have decided its time. Plus the added factor of who knows what really happens during labor and delivery that is good for moms and babies. But maybe by this point I am preaching to the choir.

Orgasmic Birth

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I have posted about this before, but I want to highlight it again because the project is nearing completion. Debra Pascali-Bonaro (my doula trainer!) and a group of really awesome people have put together a film called Orgasmic Birth. The film is being released in January 2008, and hopefully will start to make its way to US film festivals. About Orgasmic Birth:

Orgasmic Birth is a documentary that examines the sexual and intimate nature of birth and the powerful role it plays in women’s lives when they are permitted to experience it.

You can see Debra talking about the film here.

Blog spotlight: Pushed birth

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The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care

Jennifer Block, author of Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care has a new (started in August) blog about childbirth. Check it out at pushedbirth.com. She defines a pushed birth as:

A pushed birth is one that is induced, sped up, and/or heavily medicated for no good reason, and all too often concludes with surgery, invasive instruments, an episiotomy, or a bad vaginal tear — outcomes you don’t want.

Cool stuff. She has a sweet map on the site showing in what states midwifery is legal and illegal.

Suggestions for good pregnancy books please

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When I was in college, I wrote a chapter of my thesis (entitled Managing Birth: Hospitals, Mothers and their Meaning in the United States about my work as a volunteer doula) on the best-selling pregnancy book What to Expect When You’re Expecting. In brief, I wrote about why it is terrible, and scares women, and should really be called What to Be Scared of When You’re Expecting. Not to mention that it is very much based on the doctors are better paradigm (my favorite quote, from the introduction, was something to the effect of how modern medicine had moved birth from the kitchen table to the hospital. wtf).

What I didn’t do when I wrote that chapter was recommend a good pregnancy book alternative. Now I’m looking for suggestions from you all, for good not scary midwife and doula friendly pregnancy books. Suggest away!

Feeling comfortable with discomfort

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you are taking some moments to reflect on what you are thankful for and how to find peace in your life. I went to a Thanksgiving yoga class this morning, and the thought from the teacher (and the practice of Yin yoga) that I want to share is the idea of feeling comfortable with discomfort.

This concept has relevance in many aspects of our lives, from dealing with grief, conflict or unrest to dealing with pain (like in labor). We as a society are extremely uncomfortable with discomfort and we focus on eradicating all pain or discomfort in our lives, whether through medication or other numbing techniques (avoidance, alcohol, drugs, etc). I think it’s an important thing to reflect on–what does it mean for us to try and be comfortable with the discomfort in our lives? To sit with negative feelings, pain, let them overwhelm us, feel it deeply and let it go.

This is what we ask of women in labor–to use the pain of contractions, allow it to carry them forward, rather than numbing the pain or giving into it. I think we can all learn a lesson from what we ask women in labor to do, and try to apply it to our emotional and physical lives as well.

News Round Up

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It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these, but I’m taking advantage of a day off to catch up on the news. Enjoy!

Lower back tattoos interfere with epidurals? Doctors say no.

Story of a water birth in West Texas, and another article about water birth.

Midwife assisted births on the rise.

The Today Show online investigates alternative pain mediation techniques.

80% of people in the UK oppose a bill which would remove the legal requirement that a doctor consider the child’s need for a father when performing IVF procedures.

More love for midwives in Wisconsin.

Opinion piece about the financial waste caused by intervention and over-hospitalization of birthing women.

43% of women in California breastfeed exclusively.

One hospital in Houston considers outlawing VBACs (vaginal births after cesarean sections) completely.

Study says that curvy women live longer and have smarter children.

NYTimes article discusses the declining enrollments in childbirth classes.