tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post4616562770313239105..comments2024-03-05T11:36:50.299-05:00Comments on Stand and Deliver: Is autonomy just for the natural birth crowd?Rixahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908864785513937876noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-75680395047314095232014-12-25T15:52:41.778-05:002014-12-25T15:52:41.778-05:00a completely ridiculous and false dichotomy, as if...a completely ridiculous and false dichotomy, as if the doctors are god or something and always do whats right for the patient.kisaritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18181012456635737873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-92160104788953702252014-12-25T15:50:00.006-05:002014-12-25T15:50:00.006-05:00you don't know much about fetal monitoring do ...you don't know much about fetal monitoring do you? loss of variability is a late sign, decelerations begin beforekisaritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18181012456635737873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-87575025385097708532012-05-28T22:22:44.995-04:002012-05-28T22:22:44.995-04:00It is nor plain and simple, actually. Many midwiv...It is nor plain and simple, actually. Many midwives do carry malpractice insurance, usually in states where they are required to be licensed, even home birth midwives. Now I would agree that midwives, esp home birth midwives, work with a lower-risk population, a self-selecting group of typically healthy educated women, and if a woman is or becomes high risk a midwife can refer them out, while doctors esp OB's are trained to deal with high risk and therefore see more of these pregnancies. That would be a reason why midwives do not get sued as much. But I still do not think this is the whole reason.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10529332497757439059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-53888111420641060482012-05-28T22:18:40.473-04:002012-05-28T22:18:40.473-04:00Agree, there was a study that showed some doctors ...Agree, there was a study that showed some doctors NEVDER get sued while others are sued more often. Didn;t seem to correlate with skill, though. It correlated with bedside manner. Patients do not want to sue a doctor they like.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10529332497757439059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-3514932809551072912011-07-30T03:23:23.026-04:002011-07-30T03:23:23.026-04:00Of course women who birth in hospitals are interes...Of course women who birth in hospitals are interested in autonomy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-257031454886831692011-06-15T02:26:52.532-04:002011-06-15T02:26:52.532-04:00Holy Moly, I'm mainstream, not by choice- I wo...Holy Moly, I'm mainstream, not by choice- I would have rather had home births, and I TOTALY CARE about my freedom of choice! I hate being told you HAVE to have an IV, you have to have EFM, You have to stay in bed, and we HAVE to pick and poke and nuke your baby! (they X-rayed my 1 hour old baby at the hospital against my wishes)<br /> I will darn sure make sure my daughters and daughter-in-laws of the future get the whole shebang of autonomy, I can garuntee that! Great post Rixa!LisaJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09522420008436130132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-54754406728783439212011-06-13T12:59:18.450-04:002011-06-13T12:59:18.450-04:00Absolutely! - I think that every woman should have...Absolutely! - I think that every woman should have the right to make her own decisions, especially when it comes to her health. It disgusts me that women are treated little more than birth pods as soon as we get pregnant, and are told to "just get over" so many horrible things done to them. It does not matter where a woman gives birth, she has a right to being treated like a human being.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11784470497181737200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-33129977819423603472011-06-12T20:32:30.618-04:002011-06-12T20:32:30.618-04:00Comments like "Mainstream Mommy" April&#...Comments like "Mainstream Mommy" April's and several "anonymous" defenders of the medical establishment are depressing to read, not least because they are, indeed, mainstream. <br /><br />Let's see. Why, certainly, "average" birthing mothers get lots of autonomy and informed choice. They make choices based on What To Expect, Baby Story, Deliver Me, ACOG pamphlets, and what their (trained surgeon)care providers tell them is necessary for their safety. And what their friends say, of course. And their families.<br /><br />They get to decide what DOCTOR (or, if they are very daring indeed, nurse midwife) to see, what place of death/sickness/emergency/injury/healing to "deliver" in (er, hospital, I mean to say, hospital!), and make up birth plans to show that they are indeed making informed choices, although of course in case of emergency the plan must be scrapped. <br /><br />They will try for a vaginal "delivery," but if that doesn't happen, oh well, c-section is just another way to give birth.<br /><br />They may try to give birth "naturally" (in this context, that means "a vagina is involved, and no epidural" - nothing else about typical hospital birth can be framed as remotely natural). But they'll keep an open mind, just in case the pain is bad enough that they feel a need for an epidural.<br /><br />And whatever the doctor says, goes. They make the "choice" to have, what is it? "just ten hours of following medical advice" (unquestioningly, experts know best!) and at the end they get a precious little baby who they will make the choice to raise per the recommendations of medical experts, educational experts, relatives, friends, and pastors. It's the RIGHT CHOICE. All that matters is a healthy baby!<br /><br />Except there is no choice. There is never a choice when one makes choices based on misinformation, propaganda, conventional wisdom, and other forms of controlled input.<br /><br />We have the most advanced, safest medical establishment in the world! It's so much safer to give birth in America - not like it is in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, or Japan, where mothers and babies die in droves because of unsafe, noninterventionist, superstitious midwives, and uncontrollable nonmedical settings like homes and birthing centres - and American women are delivered from pain, too! Really, our way is the best and safest. Only a martyr goes without an epidural, only a smug extremist hippie brags about how she didn't need one and neither should most other women, only a crazy, selfish, foolhardy woman risks her life and the life of her unborn baby by birthing at home...<br /><br />Oh. Wait. We don't have very good maternal/foetal outcomes, compared to other countries, do we? And mothers and babies don't die in droves from homebirth, and mothers who have adequate support and things like freedom of movement, available food and drink, water therapy, no pressure, and who don't spend their labours lying on their sides and backs for continuous monitoring don't tend to find labour unbearable and beg for epidurals. Oops.<br /><br />So, which pill do you want to swallow, the red one or the blue one, mainstream mothers of America?<br /><br />I see. That's what I thought. SIGHSarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03668391511544371039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-61701324211412331112011-06-12T07:42:40.284-04:002011-06-12T07:42:40.284-04:00You do know that the reason that MD's induce a...You do know that the reason that MD's induce after 41 weeks is because of statistical increase in fetal distress and demise, right? That you can't "see" fetal distress with intermittent ascultation? That beat to beat variability is damned near impossible to hear at 160 beats per minute?<br /><br />There is nothing good that comes of homebirth besides dead babies. DEM's of any stripe cannot be compared with European educated midwives, and the Netherlands have an atrocious perinatal mortality rate. Stop lying, for pity's sake, and own up to the fact that you don't promote intervention because you can't offer interventions and therefore can't make money off of them. Your own birth video, with that pitiful limp blue baby in the water, is proof that sometimes you get lucky. Don't bet the farm on luck, though---or your baby's life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-76390465435362272362011-06-11T13:37:56.460-04:002011-06-11T13:37:56.460-04:00I got interested in natural birth because of exper...I got interested in natural birth because of experiences in medicine (in general, not just maternity-centered) that opened my eyes to a need for autonomy and respect. Too many experts doing things *to* me, rather than *for* me, with my permission and understanding. And the kicker? They were often the "wrong" things: either because I didn't need them, didn't want them, or because they were risky, pointlessly painful, or clearly contraindicated. So I realized that I was allowing other people to be in charge of me, my health, my body, and even my goals. And that it had to stop. <br /><br />It was only after I realized that I was in charge of my health and would would fare better if I operated on that understanding that I became interested in natural birth, as an outgrowth of my interest in taking responsibility for my health and retaining personal autonomy.Melissanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-30500911205886238492011-06-11T09:24:43.476-04:002011-06-11T09:24:43.476-04:00Where I live there are very limited choices when i...Where I live there are very limited choices when it comes to childbirth. There are no homebirth midwives. There is one hospital (not natural birth friendly at all). There are only a hanful of OB practices. The next closest of any of those things is about 200 miles away.<br /><br />I had a baby two months ago. At one point I went to the hospital in what many would call "false labor." The doctor was going to break my bag of waters because it was "a little bulgy" and I was at four centimeters. I told him no. (He didn't ask. He was just going to do it.) I stayed at the hospital overnight for observation. Contractions had died out by morning with no additional dilation. He ordered pitocin. I opted instead to go home.<br /><br />It was more than two weeks before I had the baby. He just wasn't ready to come out yet. If the desired interventions had been performed, most likely the labor would have been a lot longer and more difficult, there may have been complications, and the baby may not have been as healthy.<br /><br />The doctor acted like the situation was strange and unusual. Apparently breaking the waters from the start is so routine to him that he considers false labor unusual (he has been in practice 30 years).<br /><br />We have a friend who works in the OB department at the hospital. She said I was much talked about by the nurses for telling the doctor no. Apparently that is a very rare thing.<br /><br />I found out that most of the reasons doctors give for inducing are not even recommended by the ACOG. When pressed for a reason, my doctor didn't even pretend it was medical. He said right out that it was for his own convenience. I was made to feel inconsiderate for wanting let the baby come in his own time, rather than when the doctor wanted to do it. That was more important than the well-being of myself or baby.<br /><br />That is just one example of why I feel I not only have the right but the responsibility to educate myself as thoroughly as possible and make my own decisions rather than blindly trusting a doctor, just because he is an "expert". I have come to wonder how many childbirth complications are the result of routine practice by doctors stuck in their ways.Evensporhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17005685575858296425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-58768930084285381062011-06-10T19:31:52.708-04:002011-06-10T19:31:52.708-04:00I believe autonomy is about freedom of choice... i...I believe autonomy is about freedom of choice... informed choice. Luckly, women are slowly learning that they do have a right to make choices determining how their labor and delivery should go. HB just seems to facilitate choice more than the hospital setting. If you choose to HB, that's okay. If you make the informed decision to have an elective c-section, it's your choice to make (not a choice I would make that but that's not the point.) Autonomy is just one side of the birthing coin. Some people feel more comfortable handing over control to someone else. <br /><br />Hopefully, as people begin to trust birth and their bodies more -- and we get away from the misconceptions that are thrust upon us -- more women will stand up for their birthing rights.Ryannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18113208893129663595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-7215237475195301872011-06-10T16:46:55.627-04:002011-06-10T16:46:55.627-04:00Regarding April's above comment that: "I ...Regarding April's above comment that: "I respect the fact that [doctors] know a lot more about birth than it would even be possible for me to learn from reading some birth books while pregnant."<br /><br />Fair enough, but most doctors know a lot about *a certain kind* of birth--an epidural, intervention, c-section kind of birth. They DO know more about that stuff, and if I need a c-section, I trust that most OBs would do an excellent job. <br /><br />I once spoke to an intern from my local university hospital who said that all she had ever seen was c-sections. She had no idea what non-cesarean birth looked like. Doctors need training in surgery and she was getting it, but non-surgical or low-intervention birth was something she was not being exposed to--despite the fact that she would someday be required to attend these kinds of births as well. I would think this kind of training must condition doctors toward surgical approaches. <br /><br />That particular intern actually contacted a couple homebirth midwives and went along to some births, so that she could she what vaginal and non-medicated births were like. <br /><br />This hospital also has an 80% epidural rate (90% for first time moms), so any non-surgical birth exposure the intern might have eventually acquired was almost certainly going to involve an epidural. This would also condition the doctor's style of practice, I think. When a non-epidural, non-surgical birth is encountered, what is that doctor going to do? How do you competently deal with something you've never seen? A few women will choose not to have an epidural--how will the doctor know what to expect during their births?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-18850254534901173392011-06-10T15:37:13.496-04:002011-06-10T15:37:13.496-04:00@Brittany, unfortunatly you cannot compare europea...@Brittany, unfortunatly you cannot compare europeans midwives , with extensive university education and hands on training,to our americans ones, unless you speak of CNMs specifically.<br />Florence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-42184072769041013692011-06-10T12:32:55.487-04:002011-06-10T12:32:55.487-04:00@JM - I have looked a little at the research on 3r...@JM - I have looked a little at the research on 3rd stage, and I believe most of the research has been flawed because it did not use true expectant management. A recent study in Australia found a higher risk of PPH with active management than what they called "midwifery guardianship of the 3rd stage." However, I think you have a point about some women's decisions being dictated by "natural childbirth ideology" over evidence. I think (hope?) that the natural birth community is becoming more aware of things like common midwifery practices that are not supported by conclusive evidence(the Brewer Diet, evening primrose oil for cervical ripening, black/blue cohosh induction, etc) and the variations in midwifery skill in the U.S. that can make a big difference in whether the person you trust to help you decide whether it is going to be safe for you to give birth at home is really trustworthy.<br /><br />@Atina, my midwives don't do breeches at home because of the risks. I am in the camp that believes homebirth should only be for low risk birth, and a footling breech does not qualify, IMO. The research we have (including a very large study out of the Netherlands) shows no statistically significant difference in mortality and morbidity rates between planned homebirth for low risk women with a qualified attendant and hospital birth. If the hospital is really the only place to be when a complication arises, these statistics wouldn't be what hey are. Many complications that occur in hospitals are iatrogenic (for example, there is more space for the head to be delivered in a breech if the woman can be squatting or on her hands and knees--doesn't guarantee that the head will never get stuck, but decreases the risk) or occur in births that SHOULD be in the hospital because the mother is high risk. The same rates of complications don't occur at home for women who are good candidates for homebirth.<br /><br />@Florence, I agree with you that women with certain risks should not birth at home, and most midwives I know practice accordingly--they do not take diabetic patients, they transfer women past 42 weeks to a physician, they risk out women with symptoms of pre-e, etc. (And GBS antibiotics actually can be given at home by a midwife). I do think there is good data about homebirth, though most of it is from other countries where the homebirth system is very different.<br /><br />@BettySue, I liked your comments. Some of the comments were getting me depressed before I read yours :)Brittanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00621569580858604541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-14768132782575595992011-06-10T11:55:26.952-04:002011-06-10T11:55:26.952-04:00The doctors have autonomy also; and some of them u...The doctors have autonomy also; and some of them use it to practice in a way that reduces their risk of lawsuits, whether this is in the interests of the individual women or not.<br /><br />The interactions of autonomous persons need not always be antagonistic, as the presentation in the original post showed.Peggyhttp://crazybutable.com/zateraul/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-12085170835182459892011-06-10T11:38:26.083-04:002011-06-10T11:38:26.083-04:00@ Anonymous/Florence - Preventable death is someth...@ Anonymous/Florence - Preventable death is something that is hard to identify. All people will die at some point, mums all need to know that yes their babies WILL die, however it is when this death takes place and why that is most important (to me at least). <br /><br />Regardless of maternity "care" diagnostic tests the biggest predictors of a baby's health and chances of death are the mother and father's preconception health, possibly their genetic history and their lifestyle during conception and gestation. If my baby died despite me being informed, prepared, supported, being holistically healthy and having an unhindered birth I would have not choice but to accept that for some natural reason that child was not meant to survive. <br /><br />The way I see is if I can't accept the very small chance that death with be the outcome of my birth then I should avoid reproducing altogether because any human being (maternity health care provider) that can grantee the life of myself or my child is a liar. The same way I choose to eat food that I trust I can digest unaided, is similar to my thoughts that if I naturally conceived and gestated a child unaided then I can give birth to it that way too.Michellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-1697140939437636332011-06-10T10:45:21.364-04:002011-06-10T10:45:21.364-04:00I have had four hospital births that were good. I ...I have had four hospital births that were good. I didn't even have stitches (great OB!)! Autonomy? didn't even think of such an idea (though I was getting a little less satisfied with them whisking my baby away immediatly by the time of #4). You just do what the Dr says, right? Then we moved half way across the country. I had done enough research to know the chances of my getting another Dr who wouldn't automatically do an episiotomy or c-section was slim (mid 30s, 5th baby, all big...many dr's would even consider "letting" me "try" for a natural birth). After a great deal of research I found a midwife and had a homebirth. In fact I am now planning my fifth homebirth. As long as I stay low risk I will stay home.<br /><br />The reason to stay home if your priority is baby's health? You are LESS likely to even have an emergency at home. The interventions in the hospital CAUSE many of the emergencies we hear about. Breech at home? #7 surprised us by turning over at the last minute. Didn't know she was breech until it was too late to get to the hospital. Midwives are trained to deliver natural breeches, though, so it was no big deal. Even though she was 10 pounds, she didn't get stuck or hurt in any way. In the hospital there would have been mass panic and drs who weren’t trained in natural breeches which would have caused all sorts of problems. #8 had a shoulder dystocia, but it resolved with little fuss. Frankly, once you have a SD or a breech with all but the head out, the hospital has no more tools than the midwife. It's too late for a c-section. <br />As for midwives being untrained, it is true that they don't spend 7years studying male anatomy, geriatrics, pediatrics, cancer, etc. OBs only spend a year or so focusing on pregnancy and most of that is studying surgery and problem pregnancies. Midwives spend a minimum of 2 years studying nothing but normal pregnancy and how to prevent problems. An OB often only catches one baby before setting up his practice. A midwife (CPM) must catch at least 20 babies before she can be certified. <br /><br />All this to say that most of us come to homebirth because we have done the research and recognize it as the safest way to have our babies. The hospital way of having babies causes problems way more often than the homebirth way.<br /><br />And autonomy? If a woman is given the true options and told the true risks of those options and is not pressured into making a choice one way or the other (“Your baby will DIE!”), she has autonomy even if she has a c-section. But what happens most of the time in a hospital is that the dr presents just the option he wants her to take or only tells her the bad things that happen with the options he doesn't want her to take. Because he talked to her, she thinks she had informed consent when in fact it was blatant manipulation. Dr's don't have to take the baby home after the birth and deal with the results. Mom does. Dr's have other things to worry about, too, besides mommy and baby (and, yes, midwives do to). That is why it is essential that the woman be the one making the decisions no matter where she births. She is the one who has to live with the consequences.<br /><br />You know, our courts have declared that a woman has the right to kill her baby inside the womb because she has the right to control her own body. We shouldn't have to give up that right when we decide to give birth to that baby. The place you are most likely to receive all the information and truly have control of the decisions is at home. It is possible in the hospital, but because of the factory-line atmosphere, it isn't nearly as likely. <br /><br />Being home doesn’t give any guarantees anymore than being in a hospital does. Having the right to make decisions about your own body doesn’t give any guarantees either. But home and autonomy do increase your odds of a good outcome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-2585434459282544422011-06-10T10:40:57.863-04:002011-06-10T10:40:57.863-04:00I find it hard to relate to this comment at all. ...I find it hard to relate to this comment at all. I think whether you get involved in your care or not, you're somewhat culpable for the outcome(s). Just because you choose to trust a birth professional does not ensure a good outcome. Iatrogenic injuries and deaths should be pursued legally and institutionally. Ideally, accidental naturally occurring injuries and deaths would not need to be pursued legally. (I have mixed feelings about tort reform.)<br /><br />As I am now 37 weeks pregnant, I'm having to really work through some 'hang ups.' When push comes to baby, I know that I bear the bulk of the responsibility. This is where Faith comes in, for me.<br /><br />(I apologize if this seems vague. I just don't have a lot of time this am to be terribly articulate!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-28211525981663153252011-06-10T10:34:14.878-04:002011-06-10T10:34:14.878-04:00Anon 10:07, I think you can be very autonome and...Anon 10:07, I think you can be very autonome and still give birth in a hospital, ! i would say that woman who have known risks, such as diabetese, or GBS+, or are over due( past 42 weeks and 1day) do take a risk by staying at home, now it is my opinion and I base it on scientific facts, we can argue all night about it in the end numbers dont lie. The problem with HB in general is that the numbers are very small, data isnt collected dilligently. So for anyone to say this is right way to do things VS any other way is only based on gut feelings and anecdotal experience.<br />Florence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-89528368138385051042011-06-10T10:23:35.026-04:002011-06-10T10:23:35.026-04:00@Michelle, you said :"I think "autonomou...@Michelle, you said :"I think "autonomous" women understand that they (and their pregnancy) are a part of nature ( I mean we are all mammals after all!) and that nature has a balance with consequences - So if you try to control it or even override them, it is natural that nature will eventually "push" back." <br />Does that means you would accept your child dying of a preventable death in the name of nature's balance?<br />FlorenceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-39418964013782510412011-06-10T10:07:37.463-04:002011-06-10T10:07:37.463-04:00I think that the prevalence of ignorant, uninforme...I think that the prevalence of ignorant, uninformed, and vicious people like the person who left this comment causes many more "mainstream" women to question their right to autonomy. Because these people know so little about the truth of medicalized and non-medicalized childbirth, they make women feel that only those who "don't are about their baby's safety" would ask for autonomy in the matter. It saddens me that people like this exist, and that some women are made to feel that they are bad mothers if they want some measure of control (and information!) over their experience. Shameful. Thank you, Rixa, for continuing to try to educate people like this!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-14858668165651120702011-06-10T10:07:14.753-04:002011-06-10T10:07:14.753-04:00I guess you firstly need to define autonomy - for ...I guess you firstly need to define autonomy - for me this starts with the woman knowing what she alone wants for her childbirth experience. This decision would really need to be based on a prior understanding the vital importance of having the most natural childbirth for her and her child's future health. <br /><br />The fact is she would have to agree with the notion that a "natural childbirth", an " externally managed childbirth" and a technologically intervened childbirth" are not all equally weighted choices - it is like someone offering you a meal of organic fruits and vegetables, a meal replacement shake (drink) or deep fried GMO fast food verses them offering a choice of either organic apples, pears or potatoes. The former choices are vastly different but without up to date nutritional education you might feel like it did not make a big difference which one you "picked" because surely they would not be offered if they weren't as good as the other options, right? <br /><br />It is this belief or initial choice that I feel guides a woman's subsequent choices in maternity care; personal responsibility for the life of herself and child and begins a path against the mainstream 'grain'. So many people focus on the birth outcome and location in isolation but in reality a woman planning for a natural home birth is completely different to one that didn't but had a natural homebirth 'by default' of a fast labour or becoming educated and changing her "plans" at the end of her pregnancy. I think "autonomous" women understand that they (and their pregnancy) are a part of nature ( I mean we are all mammals after all!) and that nature has a balance with consequences - So if you try to control it or even override them, it is natural that nature will eventually "push" back.Michellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-73718001445147596272011-06-10T08:09:36.394-04:002011-06-10T08:09:36.394-04:00Short answer: no. Long answer: I transferred to a ...Short answer: no. Long answer: I transferred to a hospital after having planned a home birth. I did not leave my autonomy at the maternity ward door. I listened to what the doc said because I was there to seek his care, but I still had final say (with the consultation of my midwife, labor nurse and husband). <br /><br />When I first came in the door the doc said, "c-section". I asked questions about how the baby was doing, how I was doing and if the section was needed immediately. Answer, no. So I declined the c-section.<br /><br />I did this a couple more times throughout the day. My baby's heart rate was fine, I was fine and my labor was progressing, albeit slowly. Eventually, I felt I reached my limit for trying to push the baby out, and consented to the c-section. <br /><br />Still exercising my (our) autonomy, my husband requested and got to hold our daughter skin-to-skin shortly after she was born. I also breastfed at soon as possible, and refused formula. <br /><br />I actually found my experience in the hospital to be not that bad. I had expected the worst because I had heard stories of how poorly many women are treated in the hospital. My experience was good because I was given my autonomy to make informed decisions and give consent before any procedure was done to me or my baby.Oliviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01828516083662339236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-66032716793009579132011-06-10T00:50:38.688-04:002011-06-10T00:50:38.688-04:00Anonymous 12:25 am: Right because I'm so ignor...Anonymous 12:25 am: Right because I'm so ignorant about birth in general and say breech birth. Here can you stomach this video of a footling breech getting stuck? What would you do if this happened at home? FFS. http://www.airahospital.org/?tag=complicated-breech-delivery <br /><br />And nice job calling people out on being stupid, but hiding behind an anonymous tag. Brilliant.Atinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12881915648383193202noreply@blogger.com