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Family Forum / Pregnancy / Pregnancy / March 2004Move over Henci and Tood, Now I'm Pissed
...and I didn't even hear the program.... Monika did and told me about it. One of our local NPR stations (KALW, SF Unified School Dist) had an interview with a Doula. What a crock. She kept going on and on about how good the OBs and hospitals she worked with were. Her epidural rate was 40%. OK. I admit that is better than the 70% average, but it is no big whoppee! Reminds me of the Union big wheels whose job it to protect the workers from corporate excess, but who have thier hands in the workers pockets also. Excuse me while I barf, Larry I had no idea the average epidural rate was 70% - no wonder I turn off that stupid Baby Story show almost as often as I turn it on. Seems like the c-sect rate they show on their is higher than 25%, too. 40% does seem high for a doula, but I suppose at some point her job is to just shut up and support the mothers' choices, although it makes me wonder how effective she's being in her position beforehand. Hard to say. But I did think that epidural rates for doulas would be lower, what were the statistics in that Mothering the Mother book? Isn't that the one all about having doula-type support during labor? I had no idea you guys were in SF. We're in the east bay. In the vicinity of all those lovely 580 sniper incidents. Every time we go to the OB/midwife/birth center/hospital for an appointment, we're driving right in their path. Very nerve wracking now that we're on the two week plan with additional orientations and whatnot! -Karen, mom to Henry 3 1/2 and someone due 4/24/04- : I had no idea the average epidural rate was 70% - no wonder I turn off : that stupid Baby Story show almost as often as I turn it on. Seems like : the c-sect rate they show on their is higher than 25%, too. A really good reason not to watch it! :-( : I had no idea you guys were in SF. We're in the east bay. In the We are actually East Bay, also. Fremont. Why are your having a birth center birth? There are soooo many good hb midwifes in the bay area? : vicinity of all those lovely 580 sniper incidents. Every time we go to : the OB/midwife/birth center/hospital for an appointment, we're driving : right in their path. Very nerve wracking now that we're on the two week : plan with additional orientations and whatnot! Good luck, and duck when you drive by, :-) Larry We're going to the Birth Home in Pleasanton, which is excellent. I really like and trust the OB and the midwife (she is well known in the area and does lots of home births anyway, so it's practically the same thing, except like I'm going to her home!). To be honest, we are not in a home situation where I would feel comfortable doing a home birth. We live in a small 50 year old duplex with thin walls. The neighbors are very close and I would feel inhibited and as if I had no privacy. This house doesn't mean much to me, but supporting a birth center, which are few and far between, supporting their apprentice midwife and doula program, and supporting an OB who must put a lot on the line to run this practice is something do I want to be a part of. And anyway, going to the Birth Home, I don't need to get or clean up anything! I also needed to transfer to the hospital right at the end with ds, and doing so from the Birth Home allowed me to go in under the OB I'd been seeing who came to attend me (as well as some of the Birth Home staff), as opposed to a home birth, where we'd have ended up in some emergency room situation. The hospital was and is the last place I want to be for my birth, but it was as ideal as it could be because there was a certain understanding that I was a Birth Home patient of this OB, so the hospital staff kept their distance and tolerated our idiosyncracies. I did happen to catch a couple good birth center water births on tape from that Baby Story the other day. I've been checking into the show now and again to get a few things on tape to show ds to prep him for the birth, but mostly that show is annoying and useless. I'm having anxiety about being in labor on the way to the birth home and having to pull over and make a police report... -K- >I'm having anxiety about being in labor on the way to the birth home and >having to pull over and make a police report... How far away do you live? I gave birth to my DS at The Birth Home and it was great. I had the same fear as you (we live in Santa Clara) and because of that (my fear) we ended up going to the Birth Center twice - once too early, and once on time. You are right, the OB there is fantastic. For some reason I liked him better then the midwives... -- Tanja Mommy to Tamara (27 Dec 1998) and Stefan (19 May 2003) > to be a part of. And anyway, going to the Birth Home, I don't need to > get or clean up anything! That's a really good point that is underemphasised when talking about home vs. hospital/birthing centre. I had #1 in hospital, and the next morning got up to go to the toilet. I managed to leave this huge trail of blood from my bed to the toliet, _pools_ of it (sorry TMI!). I was a bit humiliated because I couldn't clean it up, I had a vaginal delivery but it was still too painful to bend at the waist for another day or two, but I can't bear to think if it had happened on my lounge carpet instead of hospital lino, and hadn't had someone with a mop handy to clean it up. Not to mention the actual birth itself! >>to be a part of. And anyway, going to the Birth Home, I don't need to >>get or clean up anything! [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > hadn't had someone with a mop handy to clean it up. Not to mention the > actual birth itself! Actually, I think the "mess factor" is way *over*emphasized when it comes to homebirth. What little there is to clean up, the midwives clean up. *I* certainly never cleaned a thing (nor did my family). After it was all over, there was a single bag of trash (which the midwives took out), a single load of laundry (which the midwives did), and the placenta to dispose of. Also, despite some significant lochia, I never left a trail on the floor, between pads and chux. I don't know anyone who's had a homebirth who found any sort of problem with messes. That's not to say there aren't any, but I know quite a few homebirthers and haven't heard any problems personally. Best wishes, Ericka > Actually, I think the "mess factor" is way > *over*emphasized when it comes to homebirth. What [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > aren't any, but I know quite a few homebirthers > and haven't heard any problems personally. I guess that's an important thing to consider when choosing a midwife - are they going to help out afterwards, or just leave you to it. If I was going to homebirth, I'd consider birthing in an empty kiddie's paddling pool and put plastic sheets on the bed for at least the first day afterwards. We don't have a pristine house or anything like it, but we rent and I don't think blood comes out of carpet very well. Maybe I bled excessively, but even using multiple maternity pads at a time didn't help to begin with. > : I had no idea the average epidural rate was 70% - no wonder I turn off > : that stupid Baby Story show almost as often as I turn it on. Seems like > : the c-sect rate they show on their is higher than 25%, too. > > A really good reason not to watch it! :-( I hired a doula last week. And one of the things she said to me was no watching those shows - Hubby and I both laughed, since I always just cruise right by them anyway. Mary > > : I had no idea the average epidural rate was 70% - no wonder I turn off > > : that stupid Baby Story show almost as often as I turn it on. Seems like [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Mary How did you end up picking your doula? -- Dagny > How did you end up picking your doula? Found her on the internet :) She has a doula practice and they had a meet the doula's tea. I went to that, and spoke to her afterward. She's done births in the area for quite a while, lots of births, many VBACs, done births at my hospital and with my midwife practice and seemed very good. So DH and I went and had a one on one with her, and we all clicked. She's very easy, very supportive. She talked through DD's birth with us, told me what she might have suggested at the time. Gave both DH and I a sense of well being. I really liked how she included DH in the conversation, drew him out about his experiences with DD's birth (which isn't easy to do). Mary |
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