She Ain't Afraid of No Doctor

Safe Baby Partners:

Not long after unsuccessfully baiting Henci Goer to a public debate, Dr. Amy posted a post dissecting Henci's article in Mothering Magazine. Dr. Amy's need to bash anyone who supports "natural", "normal", or "home" birth is a palpable thirst, an almost vampirish need for blood as she "goes for the throat" of those who dare to say that home is a safe place to birth, especially those who had one.

God forbid if they share their personal experience that supports what she wrote in May: "given the low rate of interventions, the risk to the mother is probably lower. All these factors need to be blalanced (sic) against the increased neonatal mortality. The increased risk is small, but it is real, and it is important to be aware of it."

Meanwhile, seven months later, no one has been able to pull from the doctor what it is that is so abhorent to her about the 1% of American women who give birth at home, the 5% who birth without drugs, and the probably 1/3 of birthing women who want to go to the hospital for safety and not use drugs, but end up doing so or even having surgical birth. Nor, has Dr. Amy come up with any research to show that any drugs or interventions have ever been shown to be safe for the birthing baby. For every thing else SCIENTIFIC PROOF is the measurement. In this case, the only "scientific" measurement of "good outcome" is baby born alive, and "seems ok", sometimes regardless of obvious trauma (cuts, marks, bruises, chignon head). The process and experience of the baby due to interventions to achieve the live birth is minimized at best, and usually ignored. Presumably, but not scientifically, this is because babies don't remember labor and birth. Gosh, everyone knows they just turn into brainless blobs during that inherently dangerous, life threatening, and otherwise insignificantly short period of time (labor and birth.) Alive baby -- that's what it's about for Dr. Amy. End of story. That's her story, and oh man, is she stickin' to it.

Occasionally, one of these minority of women -- one of those empowered, natural, homebirther, or VBAC'er (a wild, breastfeedin' mama) comes along to go a few rounds with Dr. Amy. (She "seems" to keep them around to chew on while banning those of us who provide the scientific foundation for showing what obstetric medicine does is damaging to the human being albeit a "live birth.")

WHEW!! And, it's awesome to see a woman who knows her body and takes responsibility for her body and birth express herself! It does remind me of why this society is so determined to control women and their bodies during birth with drugs. Daaaang, a woman who gives birth on her own terms, under the influence of her own hormones -- not narcotics and other drugs -- now, that one, she is a power to be reckoned with. She ain't afraid of no doctor.

No wonder THEY -- women even -- push drugs on women in labor. "Gotta keep women numb and quiet, lest we have to change -- and stop harming women and babies in the name of medicine."

Here's one such a posting for December 3, 2006. You go, girl -- Someone, again.

From Someone, again:
Why do you need to know, for me to prove that they exist or so you can go cyberstalk them, scrutinize them, and find something wrong with them so you can claim they don't count?

Dr. Amy:
"Just like most Americans, natural childbirth/homebirth advocates have very poor knowledge about the history of childbirth before modern obstetrics. They tend to think that the way things are now is the way that they have always been."

Someone, Again:
"Really? I don't know anyone who thinks that way, and I certainly don't. Who are these natural childbirth/homebirth advocates, specifically, who think that and have no knowledge of childbirth before modern obstetrics? You don't even know when obstetrics came about and refuse to even acknowledge that medical intervention occurred even in the dark ages.

Dr. Amy:
"The low neonatal and maternal mortality rates in this country are a direct result of modern obstetrics."

Someone, again:
"Prove it. Prove that it is because of obstetrics and not to do with the hundreds of other changes that have occured in our country and society over the years.

Dr. Amy:
"In fact, virtually everything that midwives do is a direct result of modern obstetrics"

Someone, again:
"Oh? Having women birth in water, giving herbs, keeping the children warm after birth, all of that came from modern obstetrics? Wowz!"

Dr. Amy:
"The very people who claim to be better educated and more knowledgeable about childbirth apparently don't know even the most basic facts about childbirth."

Someone, Again:
"Like you, for example!You keep making all of these claims about what natural childbirth advocates claim, but I know very few who actually preach what you are accusing them of preaching. Can you show me some proof of your claims about them as a group?

Dr. Amy:
"Natural childbirth advocates don't really think straight about risk"

Someone, again:
"Right, we don't think straight about risks because we think the chances of us having complications from unnecessary medical interventions are higher than the chances of us having serious complications from allowing labor to progress naturally at home. I think I'm much more likely to have a C-section and them hemorrhage from it in the hospital than I am to bleed to death at home. I must not be thinking straight."

Dr. Amy:
"Birth is so safe, so perfectly "designed" and complications are so rare in their fantasy world."

Someone, again:
"And in yours, birth is never safe; nature had no clue what she was doing; and complications occur in nearly every situation". 12.04.06 - 2:45 am #