- For your project, I believe that you intended to explore how much knowledge people had on the topic of hospital births and what their impressions were. You explored to different hospitals to see how they handled birth, as well as interviewing multiple students at Hunter College. This topic is extremely important to me, and it should be to everyone else as well. Understanding the procedures of hospitals is essential in the woman's decision to either have a hospital birth or go with a midwife instead. It is also important to be aware of the general public's understanding of a topic like this, so one can observe what knowledge people still need to acquire in order to take an educated stance on the matter. I think you guys did an amazing job making that video! The fact that you were able to get all those students to talk to you for such a long time is impressive in itself, but your choice of questions in the interview provided very informative answers. The effort you put into this project was clear, and it showed through the observations you made in the hospitals. It would have been nice if you had been able to get the necessary information out of the hospital staff, but nevertheless, great job!
- It seems clear that for your project you were focusing on the differences between home and hospital births. Using evidence such as financial reasons and the comfort of the women, you support home birth as a solid alternative to the mechanical process of hospital births. This topic matters to me because it is something that I intend to consider highly when having children of my own in the future. Although I am not the one who will ultimately be making the final decision, having this information is essential for women that are unsure of where to give birth. The conclusions made in your project are some that should be observed by all women today. I really liked the way you were able to connect your topic to your personal life by speaking to your mother. Her opinion demonstrates the ignorance (no offense to Sheline of course) that you depict in your project. One suggestion I would make would be to incorporate the opinions of any mothers who had experienced a home birth and observed how she felt about the debate. However, I understand that for some people this might be hard to come by. Overall, good job!
- Your choice to focus on the mistreatment of pregnant women in prison was a very interesting and unique one. This topic is important to observe primarily because of how many people do not even think about it, as you stated in your project. Although it is hard for me to personally relate to it, your project was still important to me because my eyes were opened to a completely different area of pregnancy and birth that I had never even thought about myself. I really liked the way you were able to include multiple real-world situations for a topic that was so specific and rarely spoken of. If you had been able to find more statistics, that would have made your point even more convincing. Good job!
- I think that what you were comparing in your project was the differences in home birth and hospital birth as far as the woman's comfort level is concerned. This topic is extremely important to me, because I am someone who had never even heard of a home birth before reading this. I thought that you had to give birth in the hospital because there was no other safe way. It is also important for women to know the information in your post so they will know that they have another option if they do not want to have their baby in the hospital. I really liked the way you were able to interview a woman who had experienced both a home and hospital birth...I feel like it made your point a lot more believable and strong. Overall, this was a pretty good post Ben.
- Jim Harker said...
- This post was focused on observing the aspects of home and hospital births that are typically not viewed even by those who are aware of the safety differences, such as comfort of the woman. You describe the woman's comfort as being influenced by financial needs, as well as physical surroundings and previous knowledge. As a father who's wife experienced a hospital birth, this post is important to me, but not as important as it would have been 17 years ago. Although I don't think I would have changed my mind about where you were going to be born because of all the things that went wrong in your birth, the information in this post would have certainly been helpful for Tia and myself just in case. There are also many women who could use knowledge like this to save money as well as stress and pain in some cases. I especially enjoyed the section where you provided the quote from your mother, because it seemed to do a good job of represented how most people today would respond when asked the same question. For some constructive criticism, I think that you could have gathered more information from women who gave birth at home on how the surroundings effected them online. Other than that, good job. I can see you put a lot of effort into this one.
Monday, April 11, 2011
HW 44- Comments
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
HW 42- Pregnancy and birth culminating project
The debate over hospital birth versus home birth is slowly increasing in popularity as midwives are beginning to gain more respect. Both sides seem to have made clear arguments for their case. The obstetricians and gynecologists that support hospital births would argue that superior technology and more available staff make the birthing process much more safe. On the other hand, those who support home births via midwives say that both women and babies are safer in a home birth, and most of the deaths that occur during childbirth are because of unnecessary OB/GYN intervention in the first place. However, there is no point in discussing the opinions of those who support either of these sides, the real question is how do certain factors that exist in both of these environments cause comfort and discomfort for the woman giving birth, for she is the one who will need to make the final decision on which type of birth to have. The most important aspect of giving birth is that both the woman and the child can be as safe as possible during labor and birth, but considering the fact that there is evidence that points to both the home and hospital birth sides of the debate, the second most important aspect should be considered highly. That aspect is the comfort of the woman in the environment that she chooses, which is what the remainder of this project will be exploring.
There is one huge factor that surprisingly seems to be more overlooked by most than expected which can cause a woman discomfort, and that is the issue of money. Our previous unit on illness and dying showed us that over 50 million people in America are currently not covered by health insurance, and sources suggest that, "For patients not covered by health insurance, the typical cost of a vaginal delivery without complications ranges from about $9,000 to $17,000 or more, depending on geographic location and whether there is a discount for uninsured patients." (Baby Delivery Cost) For an uninsured woman, knowing that there is a good possibility that you will need to pay thousands of dollars just to have a standard birth in a hospital would create a lot of discomfort and certainly be very stressful. Even patients with insurance are likely to pay somewhere between $500 and $3000 for their standard births. Cesarian sections cost even more for any patients without insurance, and can range from 14 to 25 thousand dollars. However, when considering all of the chemical and mechanical intervention that woman experience in hospital birth, it really is no surprise that they are able to charge so much money for the process. For some women, the much larger staff of trained professionals on scene while they are giving birth can provide a sense of safety and security, which are both factors that positively contribute to the mother's experience. To quote Dr. Moritz, "Obstetrics is 98% not exciting, and 2% sheer terror...but hospitals are good for when you have that terror." (Business of Being Born) The doctor seems to suggest that it is the emergency situations that hospitals are good at dealing with, which can be an attraction for women who are afraid that something will go wrong. However, if something only goes wrong two percent of the time, then why should obstetricians in hospitals be dealing with the other 98%? The film Business of Being Born also speaks about all the unnecessary treatment that women are given in hospitals, such as episiotomies without informed consent of the patient while they are paralyzed by an epidural.
In the year 1900, 95% of women were giving birth at home. Today, less than one percent of all women who give birth choose a home birth. (Business of Being Born) The reason for this is obviously that women of this generation are not necessarily comfortable giving birth at home, for various reasons that can range from safety to having to clean up the mess in their own home. However, the majority of sources that I have witnessed (including both Business of Being Born and Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner) have insisted that home birth offers much more choice for the women than hospital birth. "Final decisions about the place of birth can be left for the woman to make during labour, thereby ensuring that she keeps all her options open. Midwifery care will follow the woman regardless of whether she needs or wants to give birth in hospital." (Home Births Information) Not only are women given the ability to make their own decisions on the treatment they receive, it should be considered that hospitals are open 24 hours a day, and if something were to go wrong in a home birth, an ambulance could be called to take the mother to the hospital. Financially, to have a birth supervised by a midwife at a home birth is much cheaper than being at a hospital, although it will cost quite a bit of money either way. "Midwife fee which is usually between 1500-3000 dollars. This fee covers prenatal care, birth, postpartum check up, newborn check up and screening." (Home Birth Cost and How to Pay for it) Although this financial advantage over hospital births provides a comfort advantage for most women, there are certainly less people on staff in case of an emergency. Other than the attending midwife, typically the only other people the mother will have for support is the family, but this does mean that she has the option to pick and choose whoever she wants to be there. These two different perspectives of looking at the company that the woman chooses to have can be either comforting or discomforting, depending on the person.
After doing research online about the factors that women consider to be comforting and discomforting, I figured it was time to talk to someone that had been through both the home and hospital birth experiences. Fortunately, a friend of mine's mother happens to be a woman who gave birth in both situations. She has asked for her name to be kept anonymous, but she is the mother of three. Her first child (who was born in 1993) was born in the hospital, but both of her daughters (born 1996 and 1999) were born in her own apartment. When I asked about how her experience was in the hospital, she responded by saying, "Well, medically everything went well, but everything felt very mechanical and not personal. In the beginning, having all the nurses and doctors around me was actually more intimidating for me than reassuring, and none of them really seemed like they cared about how I was feeling in the moment. I did eventually get used to it, though, and once I held my son for the first time, nothing that had happened before mattered." Her description of what I had researched to be a typical, healthy hospital birth inspired me to ask why she had chosen to embark on the home birth journey for her last two children. "Hmm...I guess it was because I felt like there was an emotional part of the experience that was missing," she said. "It's like I felt like I was not involved enough in the experience, as strange as that may sound. But when I had [first daughter] and [second daughter] they felt even more like...they were all mine. Honestly, I was pretty paranoid that something would go wrong and we wouldn't be able to make it to the hospital in time at first for my first daughter, but for my last child everything went smoothly, medically and emotionally for me."
Ultimately, only the woman who is preparing to give birth will be able to determine which situation is best for her, because both hospital births and home births have different appealing aspects that might attract different types of people. However, the conclusion I have made about the reasons why less than 1% of woman do not feel comfortable having a home birth is that they are either because they are ignorant or afraid. When I asked my mother why she did not have a home birth, she said, “Home birth? Why would I have? I wanted to have a natural birth, but I’m not that radical, and thank God I didn’t, because everything seemed to be going wrong when I gave birth.” My mother, along with millions of other women, seem to have chosen a hospital birth mainly because they are worried about (as Dr. Moritz describes) the two percent chance that a situation will turn into sheer terror. My mother also asked why she would have even considered a home birth, as if it was a completely foreign concept to her. This represents the extremely limited amount of knowledge that most people today have about home births, and therefore they often don't even consider them as an option.
Citations
(All citations from homework 41 post were included as well)
There is one huge factor that surprisingly seems to be more overlooked by most than expected which can cause a woman discomfort, and that is the issue of money. Our previous unit on illness and dying showed us that over 50 million people in America are currently not covered by health insurance, and sources suggest that, "For patients not covered by health insurance, the typical cost of a vaginal delivery without complications ranges from about $9,000 to $17,000 or more, depending on geographic location and whether there is a discount for uninsured patients." (Baby Delivery Cost) For an uninsured woman, knowing that there is a good possibility that you will need to pay thousands of dollars just to have a standard birth in a hospital would create a lot of discomfort and certainly be very stressful. Even patients with insurance are likely to pay somewhere between $500 and $3000 for their standard births. Cesarian sections cost even more for any patients without insurance, and can range from 14 to 25 thousand dollars. However, when considering all of the chemical and mechanical intervention that woman experience in hospital birth, it really is no surprise that they are able to charge so much money for the process. For some women, the much larger staff of trained professionals on scene while they are giving birth can provide a sense of safety and security, which are both factors that positively contribute to the mother's experience. To quote Dr. Moritz, "Obstetrics is 98% not exciting, and 2% sheer terror...but hospitals are good for when you have that terror." (Business of Being Born) The doctor seems to suggest that it is the emergency situations that hospitals are good at dealing with, which can be an attraction for women who are afraid that something will go wrong. However, if something only goes wrong two percent of the time, then why should obstetricians in hospitals be dealing with the other 98%? The film Business of Being Born also speaks about all the unnecessary treatment that women are given in hospitals, such as episiotomies without informed consent of the patient while they are paralyzed by an epidural.
In the year 1900, 95% of women were giving birth at home. Today, less than one percent of all women who give birth choose a home birth. (Business of Being Born) The reason for this is obviously that women of this generation are not necessarily comfortable giving birth at home, for various reasons that can range from safety to having to clean up the mess in their own home. However, the majority of sources that I have witnessed (including both Business of Being Born and Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner) have insisted that home birth offers much more choice for the women than hospital birth. "Final decisions about the place of birth can be left for the woman to make during labour, thereby ensuring that she keeps all her options open. Midwifery care will follow the woman regardless of whether she needs or wants to give birth in hospital." (Home Births Information) Not only are women given the ability to make their own decisions on the treatment they receive, it should be considered that hospitals are open 24 hours a day, and if something were to go wrong in a home birth, an ambulance could be called to take the mother to the hospital. Financially, to have a birth supervised by a midwife at a home birth is much cheaper than being at a hospital, although it will cost quite a bit of money either way. "Midwife fee which is usually between 1500-3000 dollars. This fee covers prenatal care, birth, postpartum check up, newborn check up and screening." (Home Birth Cost and How to Pay for it) Although this financial advantage over hospital births provides a comfort advantage for most women, there are certainly less people on staff in case of an emergency. Other than the attending midwife, typically the only other people the mother will have for support is the family, but this does mean that she has the option to pick and choose whoever she wants to be there. These two different perspectives of looking at the company that the woman chooses to have can be either comforting or discomforting, depending on the person.
After doing research online about the factors that women consider to be comforting and discomforting, I figured it was time to talk to someone that had been through both the home and hospital birth experiences. Fortunately, a friend of mine's mother happens to be a woman who gave birth in both situations. She has asked for her name to be kept anonymous, but she is the mother of three. Her first child (who was born in 1993) was born in the hospital, but both of her daughters (born 1996 and 1999) were born in her own apartment. When I asked about how her experience was in the hospital, she responded by saying, "Well, medically everything went well, but everything felt very mechanical and not personal. In the beginning, having all the nurses and doctors around me was actually more intimidating for me than reassuring, and none of them really seemed like they cared about how I was feeling in the moment. I did eventually get used to it, though, and once I held my son for the first time, nothing that had happened before mattered." Her description of what I had researched to be a typical, healthy hospital birth inspired me to ask why she had chosen to embark on the home birth journey for her last two children. "Hmm...I guess it was because I felt like there was an emotional part of the experience that was missing," she said. "It's like I felt like I was not involved enough in the experience, as strange as that may sound. But when I had [first daughter] and [second daughter] they felt even more like...they were all mine. Honestly, I was pretty paranoid that something would go wrong and we wouldn't be able to make it to the hospital in time at first for my first daughter, but for my last child everything went smoothly, medically and emotionally for me."
Ultimately, only the woman who is preparing to give birth will be able to determine which situation is best for her, because both hospital births and home births have different appealing aspects that might attract different types of people. However, the conclusion I have made about the reasons why less than 1% of woman do not feel comfortable having a home birth is that they are either because they are ignorant or afraid. When I asked my mother why she did not have a home birth, she said, “Home birth? Why would I have? I wanted to have a natural birth, but I’m not that radical, and thank God I didn’t, because everything seemed to be going wrong when I gave birth.” My mother, along with millions of other women, seem to have chosen a hospital birth mainly because they are worried about (as Dr. Moritz describes) the two percent chance that a situation will turn into sheer terror. My mother also asked why she would have even considered a home birth, as if it was a completely foreign concept to her. This represents the extremely limited amount of knowledge that most people today have about home births, and therefore they often don't even consider them as an option.
Citations
(All citations from homework 41 post were included as well)
"Baby Delivery Cost." CostHelper. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr 2011. <http://www.costhelper.com/cost/child/baby-delivery.html>.
"Home Births Information." Birthjourney.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 5 Apr 2011. <http://www.birthjourney.com/homebirth.php>.
"Home Birth Cost and How to Pay for it." Home Birth Guide. N.p., 2009. Web. 5 Apr 2011. <http://www.home-birth-guide.com/homebirth-cost.html>.
Wagner, Marsden. Born in the USA. 1st. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2006. Print.
Lake, Ricki, Prod. Business of Being Born. Perf. Dr. Moritz, Julia Barnett Tracy. 2008, Film.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
HW 41- Independent Research
Topic of culminating project: How environmental differences between home and hospital births can effect the woman's process of giving birth.
"Hospital Birth." The Center of Unhindered Living. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.unhinderedliving.com/hospital.html>.
This source provided a detailed list of the pros and cons of giving birth in a hospital, including certain environmental factors.
"Home Birth vs Hospital Birth isn't about location." Exploring the full spectrum of natural parenting. N.p., 18 Jan 2011. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.mamaeve.com/index.php/natural-childbirth/251-home-birth-vs-hospital-birth-isnt-about-location/>.
This source talked about the risks and benefits of both hospital birth and home birth, and brings up many of the points mentioned in both the movie The Business of Being Born as well as the book Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner.
"Maternity Care: Birthing Facilities: Two Choices for Your Family." UC San Diego Health System. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://health.ucsd.edu/women/child/facilities/>.
This source provides details on two different types of environments that pregnant women may choose two give birth in inside of a hospital; a more traditional setting as opposed to an ABC.
"Home Birth." Second Nature Birthing. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.naturalchildbirth.co.uk/homebirth.shtml>.
This source provides information on the ability of the body to naturally cope with the pain of labor, and explains that home birth allows the body to do this where hospital birth involves unnatural use of chemicals to cope with and speed up birth.
Griebenow, Jennifer L. "Home Birth and Out-of-Hospital Birth: Is It Safe?." Homebirth- Safety and Benefits. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.gentlebirth.org/ronnie/homejjg.html>.
This source includes even more details and statistics on home birth, and generally supports it over hospital birth.
"Hospital Birth." The Center of Unhindered Living. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.unhinderedliving.com/hospital.html>.
This source provided a detailed list of the pros and cons of giving birth in a hospital, including certain environmental factors.
"Home Birth vs Hospital Birth isn't about location." Exploring the full spectrum of natural parenting. N.p., 18 Jan 2011. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.mamaeve.com/index.php/natural-childbirth/251-home-birth-vs-hospital-birth-isnt-about-location/>.
This source talked about the risks and benefits of both hospital birth and home birth, and brings up many of the points mentioned in both the movie The Business of Being Born as well as the book Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner.
"Maternity Care: Birthing Facilities: Two Choices for Your Family." UC San Diego Health System. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://health.ucsd.edu/women/child/facilities/>.
This source provides details on two different types of environments that pregnant women may choose two give birth in inside of a hospital; a more traditional setting as opposed to an ABC.
"Home Birth." Second Nature Birthing. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.naturalchildbirth.co.uk/homebirth.shtml>.
This source provides information on the ability of the body to naturally cope with the pain of labor, and explains that home birth allows the body to do this where hospital birth involves unnatural use of chemicals to cope with and speed up birth.
Griebenow, Jennifer L. "Home Birth and Out-of-Hospital Birth: Is It Safe?." Homebirth- Safety and Benefits. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.gentlebirth.org/ronnie/homejjg.html>.
This source includes even more details and statistics on home birth, and generally supports it over hospital birth.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
HW 40- Insights from book part 3
Hey Dr. Marsden Wagner, thanks for writing your extremely informative book Born in the USA. Your ideas about how obstetricians are not necessarily the right specialists to be dealing with healthy, routine childbirths really caused me to look at the processes of pregnancy and birth in a completely different way. All my life up until I started reading this book, I was under the impression that people had to give birth in the hospital. The only story I had ever heard about a home birth was that of the sister of one of my friends, who was born on her couch at home. At the time, that story was the oddest thing, and extremely hard to grasp. Now that you have provided me with the facts, my perspective has completely changed.
My favorite part about the last third of your book was the way it was able to connect the first points relating to the differences between midwives and obstetricians to the overarching issue of the flawed American system of childbirth today. For example, you immediately started this last section off by saying, "We Americans are consumed with the need to believe that we are number one. But here's a wrenching fact: forty-one countries have better infant mortality rates than the United States does." (Wagner, 212) The second thing that you said which I particularly enjoyed was how one of the most important solutions to this flawed American birthing system was to educate the public, "It is crucial to the movement for humanizing birth that the American public understand childbirth, midwifery, and the present abuses in our maternity care system." (Wagner, 220) Finally, I thought that the way you stressed the importance of taking necessary political action to solve this issue was great, especially when you said, "Another political battle is fought in the land of insurance companies. ABC's need insurance, but some insurance companies decline to do business with them or charge higher premiums to physicians who provide backup services to ABC's. As a result, ABC's are being squeezed from both directions. (Wagner, 228)
It seemed that your main purpose in writing this book was to inform the public of the current issues that the American birthing system has, and also to describe the reasons that these issues exist as well as suggest possible solutions toward the end. In my personal opinion, you did a stupendous job accomplishing all of these goals. If you were interested in writing a second edition, however, there is one suggestion that I might make. This text seems to be designed to educate mostly adults, or young adults at the least. One way to make sure that everyone is able to comprehend all of the extremely important information that you have displayed in your book would be to have a second edition that is aimed at a slightly younger audience, for ages about 13-17. There are a huge number of young teen girls getting pregnant, and it would be a shame if they were not able to make a well-educated decision on where to give birth simply because they did not have the necessary reading skills or patience to be able to understand the valuable information that you are trying to get across. However, as far as suggestions go for your current book, Born in the USA, I don't believe I can give you any. You did a stellar job incorporating your own message and at the same time, being able to support your ideas with well-cited evidence. While reading your book, I was constantly thinking about the decision of whether to have a midwife supervise birth or to be admitted to a standard hospital to be taken care of obstetricians, and which type of people would prefer each choice. I know for a fact that I will take this information with me no matter what decision I choose to make later in life regarding childbirth, and I appreciate all the time and effort you put in to creating this amazing book.
My favorite part about the last third of your book was the way it was able to connect the first points relating to the differences between midwives and obstetricians to the overarching issue of the flawed American system of childbirth today. For example, you immediately started this last section off by saying, "We Americans are consumed with the need to believe that we are number one. But here's a wrenching fact: forty-one countries have better infant mortality rates than the United States does." (Wagner, 212) The second thing that you said which I particularly enjoyed was how one of the most important solutions to this flawed American birthing system was to educate the public, "It is crucial to the movement for humanizing birth that the American public understand childbirth, midwifery, and the present abuses in our maternity care system." (Wagner, 220) Finally, I thought that the way you stressed the importance of taking necessary political action to solve this issue was great, especially when you said, "Another political battle is fought in the land of insurance companies. ABC's need insurance, but some insurance companies decline to do business with them or charge higher premiums to physicians who provide backup services to ABC's. As a result, ABC's are being squeezed from both directions. (Wagner, 228)
It seemed that your main purpose in writing this book was to inform the public of the current issues that the American birthing system has, and also to describe the reasons that these issues exist as well as suggest possible solutions toward the end. In my personal opinion, you did a stupendous job accomplishing all of these goals. If you were interested in writing a second edition, however, there is one suggestion that I might make. This text seems to be designed to educate mostly adults, or young adults at the least. One way to make sure that everyone is able to comprehend all of the extremely important information that you have displayed in your book would be to have a second edition that is aimed at a slightly younger audience, for ages about 13-17. There are a huge number of young teen girls getting pregnant, and it would be a shame if they were not able to make a well-educated decision on where to give birth simply because they did not have the necessary reading skills or patience to be able to understand the valuable information that you are trying to get across. However, as far as suggestions go for your current book, Born in the USA, I don't believe I can give you any. You did a stellar job incorporating your own message and at the same time, being able to support your ideas with well-cited evidence. While reading your book, I was constantly thinking about the decision of whether to have a midwife supervise birth or to be admitted to a standard hospital to be taken care of obstetricians, and which type of people would prefer each choice. I know for a fact that I will take this information with me no matter what decision I choose to make later in life regarding childbirth, and I appreciate all the time and effort you put in to creating this amazing book.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
HW 39- Insights from pregnancy and birth book part 2
After reading Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner (published 2006 by The Regents of the University of California) up to about page 200, it seems that the book is organized in the way I had originally expected. As discussed in the previous post, the first 100 pages focused mainly on the dominant social practice of going to the hospital to give birth under the supervision of an obstetrician. Now it seems that the author has shifted focus and for the second hundred pages, she is discussing the less commonly practiced procedure of using a midwife to assist the pregnancy and birth process. (However, in this section there are exceptions, and Dr. Wagner will sometimes refer back to the obstetric practices) There are many interesting aspects of the second hundred pages of Born in the USA that have to do with pregnancy and birth. I learned about ABC's (alternate birth centers) for the first time in this section, as well as the author's general insight that, "In a hospital an obstetrician is in control, whereas in an ABC the birthing woman is in control." (Wagner, 133) Also, the author mentioned the fact that Midwives could save families a lot of money as opposed to hospital births, and reminded us that the right to refuse treatment is granted by both the constitution and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Finally, another interesting phrase that Dr. Wagner used was, "Doctors control women with fear. They have succeeded in convincing the great majority of American women that they cannot safely give birth outside the hospital." (Wagner, 190)
After finishing about two thirds of the book, the main argument that stood out to me was that any environment that employs midwives rather than obstetricians is more suitable for healthy, normal births. So I decided to do some research on what the author calls ABC's, or alternative birth centers. This is what the Providence Alternative Birth Center had to say about themselves, "The philosophy of the unit is to foster a natural birth experience – one that does not routinely require medical intervention – and one that respects your privacy while encouraging family involvement. The Birthing Center rooms are equipped with queensize beds, a hydrotherapy tub for relaxation during labor, birthing chairs, comfortable recliner chairs, a refrigerator and many more amenities." (http://www.stjohnprovidence.org/Women/Pregnancy/) Another quote I found stated that, "A certified birthing center offers the opportunity for pregnant women to take greater control of their pregnancy care and creating the kind of environment they prefer for labor and delivery." (http://www.parentprofiles.com/pregnancy-articles/birthing-centers-an-alternative-to-hospital-deliveries) So according to these two sources, Dr. Wagner was correct in saying that women would possess greater control over their experience outside of a hospital. So really the next question that rises from this would be if it is more important for the woman to be able to make her own choices, or is the hospital (with its more advanced technology and procedures) the better choice? I'm sure the answer to this question is different for every woman, but so far, this book has got me thinking midwives are the way to go.
After finishing about two thirds of the book, the main argument that stood out to me was that any environment that employs midwives rather than obstetricians is more suitable for healthy, normal births. So I decided to do some research on what the author calls ABC's, or alternative birth centers. This is what the Providence Alternative Birth Center had to say about themselves, "The philosophy of the unit is to foster a natural birth experience – one that does not routinely require medical intervention – and one that respects your privacy while encouraging family involvement. The Birthing Center rooms are equipped with queensize beds, a hydrotherapy tub for relaxation during labor, birthing chairs, comfortable recliner chairs, a refrigerator and many more amenities." (http://www.stjohnprovidence.org/Women/Pregnancy/) Another quote I found stated that, "A certified birthing center offers the opportunity for pregnant women to take greater control of their pregnancy care and creating the kind of environment they prefer for labor and delivery." (http://www.parentprofiles.com/pregnancy-articles/birthing-centers-an-alternative-to-hospital-deliveries) So according to these two sources, Dr. Wagner was correct in saying that women would possess greater control over their experience outside of a hospital. So really the next question that rises from this would be if it is more important for the woman to be able to make her own choices, or is the hospital (with its more advanced technology and procedures) the better choice? I'm sure the answer to this question is different for every woman, but so far, this book has got me thinking midwives are the way to go.
Monday, March 14, 2011
HW 38- Insights from pregnancy and birth book part 1
So far, the book titled Born In The USA by Marsden Wagner, the author has structured the book so that information about the roles of obstericians is revealed first, followed by the pros and cons of dealing with birth in the way that these doctors are trained to handle it. The main question that the book is trying to answer is made clear on the cover of the book, "How a broken maternity system must be fixed to put women and children first." In otherwords, this book is observing the flaws in the current system of dealing with pregnancy and birth as well as the dominant social practices, (that are not as normal as I would have thought) and looking at possible improvements to the system. I expect that many of the other books are dealing with a similar topic and question, but from what I have read of one of the other books, Born In The USA does not use as many real-life experiences (so far) and has stuck strictly to the facts and analysis, aside from the very beginning of the book and a couple other situations.
In my opinion, the major insight of (about) the first 100 pages of the book has been that although the practice of obstericians is extremely important, they should not be the ones to handle "normal" childbirth; in otherwords a birth where medical treatment is not necessary to save either the mother or the child. Quotes such as, "Many surgeons believe a surgical cut to be better than a natural tear, although scientific data has proven otherwise," (Wagner, 56) are scattered throughout the first 100 pages, and represent the overestimation of how helpful all of the obsteric intervention really is. There are many points in the book so far that have got me thinking. The author's opinion on epidural's is one of them; for example, on page 54, she asks "Is epidural block safe? Epidural can hardly be called "safe" when close to one-quater (23 percent) of women receiving it have complications." (Wagner, 54) I never would have imagined that the percentage could be that high, considering all the people I know who have recieved an epidural, including my mother. Not even the movie we are watching in class has looked on the subject in such a light. (Or at least not yet) As far as evidence goes, the author of this book has done a stupendous job so far. There have been at least five large, detailed tables of statistics to prove Dr. Wagner's point. However, the source of this information is not always clear, but the position of the author leads me to believe that the information is accurate. Also, the real-world examples that the author provides are extremely powerful. There is an extremely good example on page 84 (I won't quote it because it is too long) that deals with a young married couple who's pregnancy went smoothly when the day that the mother was due had finally arrived. The two practicing obstericians practicing in the town decided that pitocin, and epidural, and an epistotomy needed to be executed even though there was not scientific evidence that there was a problem. The baby ended up being vaccumed out and was diagnosed with severe brain damage, all because of this unnecessary intervention.
In my opinion, the major insight of (about) the first 100 pages of the book has been that although the practice of obstericians is extremely important, they should not be the ones to handle "normal" childbirth; in otherwords a birth where medical treatment is not necessary to save either the mother or the child. Quotes such as, "Many surgeons believe a surgical cut to be better than a natural tear, although scientific data has proven otherwise," (Wagner, 56) are scattered throughout the first 100 pages, and represent the overestimation of how helpful all of the obsteric intervention really is. There are many points in the book so far that have got me thinking. The author's opinion on epidural's is one of them; for example, on page 54, she asks "Is epidural block safe? Epidural can hardly be called "safe" when close to one-quater (23 percent) of women receiving it have complications." (Wagner, 54) I never would have imagined that the percentage could be that high, considering all the people I know who have recieved an epidural, including my mother. Not even the movie we are watching in class has looked on the subject in such a light. (Or at least not yet) As far as evidence goes, the author of this book has done a stupendous job so far. There have been at least five large, detailed tables of statistics to prove Dr. Wagner's point. However, the source of this information is not always clear, but the position of the author leads me to believe that the information is accurate. Also, the real-world examples that the author provides are extremely powerful. There is an extremely good example on page 84 (I won't quote it because it is too long) that deals with a young married couple who's pregnancy went smoothly when the day that the mother was due had finally arrived. The two practicing obstericians practicing in the town decided that pitocin, and epidural, and an epistotomy needed to be executed even though there was not scientific evidence that there was a problem. The baby ended up being vaccumed out and was diagnosed with severe brain damage, all because of this unnecessary intervention.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
HW 37- Comments on birth stories
TIM said...
I think that your most beautiful section in this post was when you spoke about how different it was that the 17 year old girl's boyfriend was so determined not to have his girlfriend get an abortion. When you wrote that, "Her boyfriend, who is also 17 years old, remained by her side the whole time. In fact, he did not even mention the possibility of abortion to her, and when she finally brought it up as something she would prefer not to do, he agreed 100 percent," it really made me think about how certain stereotypes that we get used to about people are not always true. I think that after reading your post I will be less judgemental towards people in general, but especially pregnant teenagers and their boyfriends.
Jim Harker said...
In my opinion, you have certainly done an excellent job portraying your mother's experience through those rough nine months in our lives! In all seriousness, however, I believe that you most thought-provoking line was, "I also think that the situation of my mother's pregnancy fits in perfectly with my idea that the best time to have children is 25 to 35, because after 25 many people are responsible enough to handle it, but if you wait too long your child won't have grandparents for long." Although I believe that this kind of statement really only applies to certain people, it was a very interesting idea to throw in and your justification for not having children after age 35 also caught my interest. One suggestion I might have made was to add a little more detail on the specifics of the notes that your father (myself) took while your mother was in the hospital. Overall, (from my perspective that is) this post is solid work.
Ben H said...
I think that your most beautiful section in this post was when you spoke about how different it was that the 17 year old girl's boyfriend was so determined not to have his girlfriend get an abortion. When you wrote that, "Her boyfriend, who is also 17 years old, remained by her side the whole time. In fact, he did not even mention the possibility of abortion to her, and when she finally brought it up as something she would prefer not to do, he agreed 100 percent," it really made me think about how certain stereotypes that we get used to about people are not always true. I think that after reading your post I will be less judgemental towards people in general, but especially pregnant teenagers and their boyfriends.
Jim Harker said...
In my opinion, you have certainly done an excellent job portraying your mother's experience through those rough nine months in our lives! In all seriousness, however, I believe that you most thought-provoking line was, "I also think that the situation of my mother's pregnancy fits in perfectly with my idea that the best time to have children is 25 to 35, because after 25 many people are responsible enough to handle it, but if you wait too long your child won't have grandparents for long." Although I believe that this kind of statement really only applies to certain people, it was a very interesting idea to throw in and your justification for not having children after age 35 also caught my interest. One suggestion I might have made was to add a little more detail on the specifics of the notes that your father (myself) took while your mother was in the hospital. Overall, (from my perspective that is) this post is solid work.
- I was inspired by the amount of interesting ideas that I had not previously thought about that you were able to fit into this post. For instance, the way you describe your mothers reasons for having a child was largely based on cultural practices was very eye-opening for me. However, your most thought provoking line in my opinion was, "At first I felt bad for her, but I learned from her that having a baby at a young age isn't a 'mistake.' At least she dosn't think so. Why does our culture put down teen pregnancy so much?" This sentence really made me realize that so many people in our society look down on teen pregnancy, and yet usually don't provide any legitimate reasoning or evidence for their opinions. Great job!
Ben H said...
- I really liked your decision to choose three women who had experienced the processes of pregnancy and giving birth in order to gain multiple perspectives on a similar situation. One of your lines that was most interesting to me was, "So she believed that having children would be the best option, and another thing she mentioned was that she didn’t want to have kids too young and she didn’t want to have them when she was too old so then was the perfect time to have children." One of the reasons this caught my eye is because I have a similar belief, and also because it sparks questions such as, "Statistically speaking, what are the best ages to have a child?" Your post certainly got me thinking about even more aspects of pregnancy and birth, great job!
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