The movie was effective with it's propaganda, as it did make me question the logic of having a child in a hospital, however fleeting that moment was. It even goes into conspiracy theories about the medical industry, which was amusing at best, dishonest at worst. It reminded me of a Glenn Beck show, where he spews all kinds of mis-information, and when called on it he claims he's just asking questions, as if those inquiries aren't part of promoting a political agenda. Clever as they may be, it's still dishonest as it is disturbing.
Now home birth advocates have a lot in common with homeopaths in that their arguments for their use of medicine are almost exactly the same. Let's list a few shall we?
- Big pharma is corrupt and would rather keep you sick than heal you, especially when they reject what I believe is sound science. - This argument is appalling to me, as they drag peoples' names through the mud for no reason other than to hock their reasoning. It's like they believe that there are a bunch of overweight men sitting in a room smoking cigars they light with 100 dollar bills thinking up ways to get rich while helping you die, and convince all medical practitioners to get in on it. Plus they have absolutely no evidence for any of this to exist.
- I've done my research, and clearly my choice is the safest one. - This is bogus, especially in the case of home birth advocates, because as we now know, home birth deaths are clearly on the rise and the rates are higher than hospitals. And these numbers don't account for deaths that occur when patients transfer from the home to hospital. You've drawn what you believe is a logical conclusion well before you decided to research, and you've stubbornly refused to accept anything that points otherwise, data be damned.
- OBGYNs just want to perform c-sections, and will force you into one. - Again with dragging peoples' names through the mud. It's as if they think doctor's are wringing their hands together forcing mothers to have major surgery so they could go play golf or something. This probably doesn't need to be stated, but no doctor can force anyone to do something. You are the customer and can refuse any treatment. Most doctors would not want to perform c-sections, as it's risky. My wife's OBGYN asked us to steer clear of c-sections, as she wasn't a fan of the procedure. Most are performed nowadays are because the women choose it, whether they want to save the aesthetics of their nethers or just have no interest in, or scared of, labor. But hey, you're all about choice right?
- For most of history, humans didn't have hospitals and we survived as a species. - Yes, humans also didn't have vaccines against polio, or have the luxury of modern science, which has doubled our life expectancy. I mean if we really want to go all earthy and natural, why not cave births?
- Europe has a lot of home births, and they have a lower infant mortality rate than the US. - While this is true, Europe, unlike the US, requires mid-wives and the like to a) complete almost as much education and training as an OBGYN and b) register with their respective governments and c) are normally required to continue their education. The US hasn't caught up with them, and in some states you don't have to register at all.
- If something goes wrong, we can simply call an ambulance or transfer to a hospital on our own. - Sure you could, but why take that risk? In a medical emergency, seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Sure the odds are low that something fatal will occur, but shouldn't parents be most concerned with the safety of their child?
- Home birthing is cheaper. - It certainly is, but like anything, you also get what you pay for.
- I know many people who've chose home births and everything was fine. - Your anecdotes aren't data. Never have been, never will.
- I want to experience the miracle of birth naturally. - You can do that in a hospital and if something goes wrong you can experience the miracle of modern medicine. Plus, before modern prenatal procedures, your chances at living were about 1:100, as opposed to now being 11:100000. Nature is not as it is portrayed in a Disney animated film, it can and will kill you whenever it gets the chance.
I sometimes think that parents automatically think they're right about everything when it comes to child rearing the minute they get pregnant, or they try to make you believe they do to cover up that fact that they're completely clueless. Believing that you're on the side of the good fighting the evils of big business and the FDA is empowering and has the effect of making you feel smarter than you really are. We could all humble ourselves and accept a healthy dose of skepticism even, and especially, when it comes to our own beliefs.
"And while journalists interviewed midwives and obstetricians, not a single one thought to interview a pediatrician or a neonatologist to determine whether the people who actually care for babies think about the dangers of homebirth to babies." - Dr. Amy Tuteur, The Skeptical OB
Such an interesting post. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with your point about c-sections. I had two natural births with my OBGYN in a hospital. They were inductions and were pretty easy. However, my third birthing experience ended up in a c-section. I had an on-call doctor who was clearly anticipating getting out of the hospital by his 7 am shift change. BTW, his name is Dr. Gershwier and I will be dragging his name through the mud because of his incompetence. He had me start pushing before I was dilated to 10cm. He played beat the clock from the time I met him. I had 'ten more minutes' to birth a baby (when she was not even in the birth canal) before he would do a c-section. The nurse even said that she didn't want it to become an 'us vs. him' kind of thing, but he is wanting to do a c-section period. My husband and I argued with this highly educated and experienced medical professional through 3 hours of intense pushing. In this type of a circumstance, when you are hooked up to machines and have an epidural, you have very limited options. I couldn't just walk out of the hospital. After I pushed for 3 hours, I was exhausted and caved. So yes, I chose to have a c-section. He said, "This isn't my first c-section." I replied, "But it is MINE, and it is my body."
ReplyDeletePiper weighed 8lbs 8.0 ounces. My eldest daughter Sadie weighed 8 lbs 7.9 ounces. Piper was born via c-section, Sadie was born with in 15 minutes of calling the doctor into the room while she was having lunch in the basement. The difference is that my body was used to determine when Sadie was going to be born, Piper was born in a time frame that best suited the doctor.
Up until Piper's birth experience, I loved the idea of modern births in the hospital. Looking back, I should have gone to the birthing center where a c-section would have been viewed as a last resort, not something to get the baby out faster.
Almost three years later, my body is still in recovery. I exercise a lot, and just started boot camp. I can feel my incision every time I do throw backs, planks, and even squat-thrusts. A nice reminder of a doctor's decision to manipulate a c-section. Let's not even talk about how much more he made because he performed a surgery versus catching a baby.