01 January, 2009

various & sundry birth notes

I'm on call for an imminent birth and I'm leaving in 5 days. Am I sleeping? No. Packing? No. Watching my Spanish DVD? A little. What I'm really doing is eating chocolate, browsing and blogging.

Thanks to Citizens for Midwifery I've learned that Sheri Menelli's book Journey Into Motherhood is a free e-book now. Every pregnant woman would be wise to turn off "A Baby Story" and read this positive, empowering, inspiring book instead.

This quote on the Unnecesarean blog made me chuckle, at first:
"Most American women have already had an OB rip them a new one with no evidence to back their decision—it’s called an episiotomy."

Then it made me sad.

There is some debate whether episiotomy or hysterectomy is the most frequent surgery performed on women. There is no question that most episiotomies are cut without a woman's fully informed consent.

Bewildered by this news story making the rounds. A woman gave birth on an airplane and the attending doctors are lauded as heroes. I think the woman is the true hero!

  • the birth went fine, but upon landing the mother and baby were rushed to the hospital, strapped to a stretcher and bundled in what appears to be a giant carpet. what was the emergency, pray tell? it's too bad the doctors did not pronounce mother and baby healthy, sending them to their destination in a more peaceful fashion.
  • one of the doctors reports: "we took the baby out...we took the placenta out." How powerful you are. Did you really remove these items from a passive woman's body, or were you perhaps honored to receive them as she gave birth?
  • I'm ever so grateful somebody onboard donated some formula. Whatever else would the poor, starving newborn be able to eat?!!! (Imagine the headlines: Mother Gives Birth In Flight and Breastfeeds Infant. Scandalous.)


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