Comments on: An Essay on the Factory Model of Childbirth

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:03:24 +0000

The nonsense about prenatal care drives me crazy. I’m pregnant. I eat well. I get exercise. I try hard not to stress out (even though I’m having a c-section I don’t want, and it causes me a lot of anxiety). I try hard to get enough sleep. I don’t drink or smoke or sit in hot tubs, etc. etc. THAT is prenatal care. Going in once a month to stand on a scale, have my stomach measured, pee in a cup and have my blood pressure checked is prenatal *monitoring*. It may have its place, and it can certainly help identify some serious problems before they become life threatening…but it’s not “care”…not at all. I do my own prenatal care.

By: mrs spock

mrs spock — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:48:24 +0000

When I worked L & D, I found that most OBs had jam-packed schedules that included birth coverage, routine outpatient surgeries, rounds, and office hours. There was enormous pressure on we nurses to “get ‘em laboring, get ‘em delivered, and get ‘em out of there” in order to stick to those schedules as much as possible. The tone of a unit is set by the physicians who work there, and the hospital administrators that refuse to provide 1:1 nursing care throughout a labor to “control costs”, at the same time they are building new wings. There is a huge need to respect the individual timing of birth. What is so hard about having a “lazy day” of being scheduled at the hospital for any births, and refusing to have procedures scheduled that day as well?

By: Jill--Unnecesarean

Jill--Unnecesarean — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:31:41 +0000

“Is it not the opposite of autonomy to support only those choices which increase the woman’s reliance upon the physician?”

Wow. That says it all.

By: Sheila

Sheila — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:26:00 +0000

The staffing and scheduling patterns for a 50% cesarean rate, as well as administration plans for hospital length of stay, can’t be turned on a dime…If we normalize this industrialized approach to childbirth, we are likely to be stuck in it for a very long time indeed..

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Please remember that Choices in Childbirth, an advocacy org in NYC, just released the national version of their city guides to a healthy birth. These free guides can help women become educated consumers before they step into the hospital. http://www.choicesinchildbirth.org/

Thanks, Rachel, for your terrific eye on maternity care issues.

By: liberality

liberality — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:05:53 +0000

Although doctors have been known to say they are just more cautious because they might get sued for malpractice, it is really just the profit motive that is involved. They make money every step of the way and women will continue to be victimized (chopped upon) until the profit motive is taken out of the equation for good.

By: Trisha

Trisha — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:22:41 +0000

Thank you for the continuing coverage regarding the current trends in birthing/labor. I am encouraged by the studies and numbers that show the true picture of what women must endure around the country. Although the numbers are grim, I have hope that with education our country will turn itself onto a healthier path.