The Doctors (TV show) and Natural Birth --- Grrrrrr

[KandyKinz]

I was watching "The Doctors" this evening.... not sure why cause they almost always p*ss me off...

Anyways today their ob/gyn was at a store interviewing pregnant women... and she asked one woman whether she had a birth plan or not... and the woman said "yes, I'm planning on having a natural birth" And the ob said "what do you mean by a natural birth, are you gonna eat granola?" and the woman said "No, I'm planning to do it without meds" Then the ob said well I have to show you about epidurals... and took her over to a poster which showed a diagram of a woman getting an epidural... the ob then went on to say that it is a very simple procedure that barely hurts at all, that it eliminates the pain of labour and then she commented that it has absolutely no effect on the labour or baby.... WTF???? No effect on labour or the baby??? Absolutely lovely, that's she turned a blind eye to the several studies which have demonstrated otherwise......

UGH it just pisses me off that's there's so many women out there who were watching this show and are actually believing the bullshit they're saying!

 

[readynwilling]

Thanks for pointing this out. I hadn't looked at the risks of epidurals before - and now i need to rethink my strategy (i have lots of time )

 

[Sophist]

I was reading a book my insurance company sent me when I was pg with my daughter and it was unbelievable some of the stuff in there. It said the same thing about epidurals!

 

[dannyboygirl]

That d... epidural burns like fire in your back n it makes you itchy..I told the nurse about that happerning last time with my ER csec n she said oh dont worry about that its common. i was like i dont want it again

 

[November1984]

I'm all about the pain control for myself but I don't like the pushiness at all that you are describing here. Why mock her? Ugh, they should have been supportive. We are big girls and can decide to give natural birthing a go if we please.

 

[kfarb]

I don't get why doctors seem to be so against natural...well I guess I do. It's stupid though. I hope I don't have to fight too hard to keep my birth natural.

 

[KandyKinz]

I'm all about the pain control for myself but I don't like the pushiness at all that you are describing here. Why mock her? Ugh, they should have been supportive. We are big girls and can decide to give natural birthing a go if we please.

I completely agree.. I definitly see pain control as a positive aspect of medical care in labour.... However.... I think women should be supported in having a natural birth and not be patronized as being "granola" and there are plenty of benefits to having fewer interventions... And while there are situations where having an epidural can be beneficial (eg when there are pre-exisiting labour progress issues) there are still risks and disadvantages involved and those should be mentioned...

So if you're gonna talk about epidurals then women MUST be given all the information about the potential risks whether it be the extremely rare risks of things like nerve damage or paralysis, or the relatively uncommon risks but it still happens like spinal headaches, or the more common risks like increase in instrumental deliveries (use of vacuum and or forceps) in addition to increased risks of experiencing breastfeeding difficulties.

 

[Rmar]

Oh yeah, going without drugs makes you a granola eater (actually, I am, it is really nice). That is an obvious poke at the whole natural birth 'movement'. That show pisses me off. Especially Lisa. I have heard so many bad things about her and when I hear her talk about vbac's or anything remotely related to making birth an empowering experience I just wanna throw something at my TV. They throw out a bunch of propaganda crap that most people eat out their hands without questioning it because there is always the nasty doctor, the in between and the nice doctor who sounds like they could be on either side but feeding through an incredibly biased view throughout and being doctors, they must be in agreeance with all other doctors and it is fact not opinion and they must be correct. I pisses me off so much!

 

[milkmachine]

I don't get why doctors seem to be so against natural...well I guess I do. It's stupid though. I hope I don't have to fight too hard to keep my birth natural.

because its cheaper and they are out to make moneys

 

[KandyKinz]

I don't get why doctors seem to be so against natural...well I guess I do. It's stupid though. I hope I don't have to fight too hard to keep my birth natural.

because its cheaper and they are out to make moneys

Good point! Everytime a woman gets and epidural and anesthetist gains one to two hundred dollars!

I also think another factor involved is that some doctors and nurses prefer it when laboring woman are immobile and are one continuous monitoring.... That way they can just watch the strip from the main desk and they don't have to fight with the woman to lie down so they can gain access to her vagina... sad but too often true.

 

[goddess25]

Birth in the states is such a medicalised procedure... that they push for medicated births lying on your back labouring in a bed to make it easier for the doctors. I hate that woman on the Doctors she is very opinionated and almost always i disagree with her...

 

[goddess25]

I don't get why doctors seem to be so against natural...well I guess I do. It's stupid though. I hope I don't have to fight too hard to keep my birth natural.

because its cheaper and they are out to make moneys

Good point! Everytime a woman gets and epidural and anesthetist gains one to two hundred dollars!

I also think another factor involved is that some doctors and nurses prefer it when laboring woman are immobile and are one continuous monitoring.... That way they can just watch the strip from the main desk and they don't have to fight with the woman to lie down so they can gain access to her vagina... sad but too often true.

spot on about lack of mobility...

 

[newmommy23]

Just had to say that I bloody hate that stupid fecking show.

 

[kiwimama]

Can't believe that show could tell such lies! Everytime I read a birth story where an epidural is given and then the labour slows down or stops, baby then gets distressed and an emergency c section is needed, it makes me a bit sad. I can't remember how many times I've heard women who have ongoing back pain after having an epidural as well. It's really sad that women watching this show will believe everything they are saying, and not even do their own research into what having an epidural can do to them and their baby.
I have to say I'm very glad I live in NZ where they try their absolute best to best you through labour without an epidural. I was begging for one in transition last time but my midwife told me I didn't need one, that I could do it without one, and I did! Every bit of litarature I got given when I was pregnant had a wide range of options for labouring and birthing - squating, upright, in water etc.