Because she can say it so much better than I can, here is the latest from SageFemme on due dates and the oft-misunderstood/misdiagnosed pre-eclampsia.
I often wonder how much all the induced babies would really weigh, if left to their own birth-days.
I often wondered why so many homeborn babies were 9lbs+ rather than 6 or 7lbs. Nutrition? Or lack of pitocin on day one of week 40?
I often wondered why every 3rd trimester mama who had elevated blood pressure was being told they were pre-eclamptic when I read myself in Anne Frey's book as a teenager that there was a normal blood volume expansion at 28 weeks. Same for the "anemic"--everyone's anemic, right?
I started some fun threads on my message boards back a couple of years on Mothering Dot Commune with titles such as "Is Gestational Diabetes Bullshit or Not?" and got over 100 responses. I should go back and try to find those...
I often wondered why, in a book that I foolsishly lent out and never got back, which was written in the 1930's, it showed a type of a Bell Curve for babies birthdates as somewhere between 7 and 11 months (!!!!), and whatever happened to that mentality. It seemed cool to me.
I often wondered about those pee sticks and the weighing of the moms and was delighted and impressed when the weighing was optional with my midwives and the pee sticks were handed to me to take home. What? I am competant enough to go pee-pee on a piece of paper? And then be able to match colors and read a label? Sheesh next thing you know you'll be telling me I am competant enough to raise a child! Yikes!
I often wondered why some of the moms who were somewhat swollen with high-ish b/p's weren't told to go home, lay in their left side, eat some cucumbers, rest and hydrate themselves...nope, straight to the induction chambers you go, in most OB practices at least! Get that pesky pregnancy over with so we can put another check mark under LIVE BIRTH.
Data, data , its all about the data. The numbers. The quantification of something so so so outside the realm of that. Hospitals just really, really aren't well suited for what normal birth is all about. To put it mildly. Doesn't mean YOU didn't have a fine old time at your hospital. Doesn't mean YOUR one PAL/sister/cousin/neighbor/chick at work didn't "totally have to get a c-section"....just means that in general, it is well outside of the hospital realm to properly, holistically be a place where normal birth can best be unfolded.
4 comments:
I'm with ya! I had a false pre-E diagnosis that lost me my job and all sorts of drama, all because my docs nurse couldn't take a BP correctly! Here I am at 24 weeks at a normal "check up" and the OB walks in all somber and has my confused husband with her and gives me some talk about how I have to go the hospital now, tells me I have pre eclampsia, and that the only cure is for the baby to come out...she then "prepares" me by telling me that my baby probably will die because he's too premature!!! Of course I freaked! This was my first pregnancy! I then went to the hospital where I was attached to a digital BP cuff that went off every few minutes and guess what? No protein, no liver problems from the blood test, and my BP was PERFECT for 5 hours! I should have fired the OB then instead of waiting to 36 weeks to can her stupid ass...sorry for the language. =)
Nothing wise to say from me, just wanted to let you know that I really liked this post. Love the way you write.
Creepy UC Mama--
I am so sorry holy cripes! I never heard this story from you--what a joke. Nothing like a nice YOUR BABY'S GONNA DIE to lower the ole b/p, huh?
Angi--thank you! Stuff that I alwasy think but never sem to type usually comes out the most like the way I want it to. This was one of those.
Ahh mama Joy, I keep trying to forget that story...yay, it certainly made for a bright sunshiny day for me. (note sarcasm) Was glad to avoid that song and dance the second time around, that's for sure.
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