Birth is unchanged, prettymuch. Medical practice changes every few years and lately the notion of more, more, more obstetrical interference with birth by way of more better machines has not provided the hoped for and expected results of safer birth. In fact, the opposite is true. So, why? I’ll tell you why. Birth is a fine tuned brilliant natural event that SOMETIMES needs a little assist. Modern Western birth practice assumes that the more the medical team takes control of “ the birth” the better it will be but they are incorrect. The body resists being manipulated this way and “ failure to progress” is the single greatest reason for c-sections. Failure to progress from inductions, labor enhanced with pitocin, hospital environment and practices ( not being allowed free movement , sometimes because of early epidurals ) could be avoided by ditching the ‘ medical model” of assisting birth and adopt the more naturally oriented “ midwife model” of birthing.
Posts Tagged ‘Health’
Money is not the solution to birth safety in the West.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged birth, birth costs, Childbirth, Epidural, failure to progress, Health, less expensive, medical model, Midwifery, safer birth on July 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Good News for that British “Vaccine doctor”
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Andrew Wakefield, General Medical Council, Health, John Walker-Smith, MMR vaccine controversy, Professor, Vaccination, Vaccine on March 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »
He beat the rap. I am interested to see how this impacts the ongoing investigations into autism, allergies and vaccines. I saw Prof. John Walker-Smith in an interview on the telly, and he impressed me as a calm and rational fellow. Here is the article.
Do not underestimate the power of ambience
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged birth, doula, Health, ina may gaskin, labor room ambiance, Medicine, New Age, Reproductive Health, Western medical tradition on March 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »
I am a product of East Coast skeptics, I have no faith in many of the healing charms of the” New Age “. However, the Western tradition of treating all problems as if they were only a matter of manipulating matter annoys me no end. The needs and nature of women, particularly in birthing, is so completely foreign to the western medical community, by and large, it is I believe one of the main reason we have such poor maternal and neonatal health statistics. Here is an article addressing our need for a relaxing ambience in labor rooms and the dramatic improvement in birth outcomes as a result. This relates to Ina May Gaskins ” sphincter law” actually… we do not have voluntary controll over the muscles involved in birth, we need to be ” in the mood” so to speak.
