Britain's
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has just recommended that "all expectant mothers should be offered a water birth for the safest form of pain relief." Birthing pools are the most effective non-pharmacological form of pain relief and second-most effective overall. NICE has published
clinical guidelines on intrapartum care. You can also read a
summary of its findings here.
Ah, for the day I read, "ACOG has just issued a recommendation that all women be offered a water birth..."
ReplyDeleteWhen will we (being the US) catch on that we're not top dog when it comes to birth??
Dont hold your breath. Theres no big money in "letting" us Americans control our own lives.
ReplyDeleteThe big money is in the hiding of facts, the infantilizing of grown ups and the continuing co-dependance we have on The Experts and their Secret Powers.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
thats all it is.
I put my money in my midwives and my homeschool groups and in local produce and try to vote for the future generations, try to blog, try to get messages out...Waiting for ACOG or anyone else, well I just have no hope right now.
We have a consumer soicety whose major consumer base is more than willing to acceot inferior products and services even if they are expensive because we are too dulled, complacent, over worked, poorly educated and entranced and distracted by the shiney shiney TV and tabloid mags to bother to do anything besides shrug our shoulders, finding comfort in anti depressants and fast food and the knowledge that we are just like the lady down the street--she had a c section too and she is "HAPPY".
ranty rant
What really irks me is ACOG's supposed support of women's right to make informed choices at birth--but then they negate any choices they don't approve of! It is incredibly paternalistic.
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