I am woman, hear me roar -- Malpractice, Feminism, Midwifery

New Mexico obstetricians are crying foul over an agreement forged by the state's human services department, several managed care organizations, and the state's midwives that will allow for Medicaid reimbursement for home births yet not require the midwives to carry liability insurance. (http://www.obgynnews.com/article/PIIS0029743707701908/fulltext

Oh, Mama, is this ever going to raise some debates and blood pressures.

It is my understanding that malpractice insurance for midwives exists in only Washington and Florida so CPM's can not even buy malpractice insurance. I am also aware that women and men who chose midwives and homebirth are less likely to sue -- or were! Because, they are the ones who want to take responsibility for their lives and their baby. Midwives treat people differently from how doctors do. Research shows that when a patient is treated with respect by their physician they are less likely to sue. Evidence-based research shows that induction, epidural and other drugs, vaccines to attack hospital acquired diseases, vacuum extraction, forceps, and cesarean surgery are KNOWN to be DANGEROUS for the human baby, and the long term effects of these on the human being are UNRESEARCHED. Women (and men) who wish NOT to do these interventions unless absolutely medically necessary and who wish to be a part of deciding the necessity and risks, are overpowered, mislead, brow-beat, manipulated, coerced, and shamed for not doing so, often for "the health of your baby." The collective and myriad of conditions of medicalized birth is the primary reason for women seeking midwifery attended birth at home.

Again, as midwifery legislation is being reviewed all over the US, I am reminded of the need for a national overhauling of the obstetric system caring for birthing women and babies. Two huge debates go on simultaneously ever year in state legislatures -- midwifery and malpractice. I am concerned for the legalizing of DEM and CPM midwifery care WITHOUT a HUGE, and I mean HUGE shift of thinking in obstetrics. I fear without the cleansing of obstetrics stench, midwifery will be in much the same situation in the future.

In the state of Missouri where I live and where the debate is deeply polarized midwives have been illegal and underground for years. The medical establishment does not respect midwifery and that won't magically change because the legislature changes the laws. Here, and EVERYWHERE, as I see it, ZERO people, zero legislators or insurance companies, or state or hospital systems are looking at the issues of medicalized birth and WHY it is that DOCTORS -- highly trained, life saving doctors -- have such high malpractice insurance rates. Why are they being sued (if they are in fact being sued). Why they leaving obstetrics? The US is zero looking at what is the root of the malpractice crisis. The focus of doctors and legislators and malpractice insurance companies is to cap the awards, zero addresses the reasons for the chaos.

We are moving towards some huge changes on behalf of women and babys -- and, the midwifery movement is the reason why. From my big picture visionary perch, I see this as HUGE. As big, if not bigger than women getting the vote. Women are again coming out to make it happen, and some amazing men are right behind them, supporting them.

Consumers tired of the poor quality of care, the violating care, and the cost to their lives in pain and suffering are the reason why. They are turning back to midwifery and to the belief in a more natural way. This is not just in obstetrics. The exposure of the increasing cesarean rates, increasing prematurity rates, and the neonatal and infant mortality rate that does not go down or compare to other industrialized nations is making it a necessity. How bad does it have to get before the obstetricians themselves say it is a problem. How long can they continue to up their cesarean rates as their malpractice goes up as they do more Cesarean? Insanity. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Obstetrics is insanity. A doctor on another blog can deny and word-wrangle all she wants, but it is clearly a big issue that is well documented. "I have always said that 'natural' childbirth is a preference, no more and no less. It is 'natural' childbirth advocates who repeatedly claim that their choices are better or superior to those of other women."

As she denies that obstetricians do what they do for malpractice avoidance reasons and for their own control and financial concerns, check out this extensive list of articles about medicine and obstetric care from the perspective of malpractice and other doctor and hospital concerns. http://cgood.org/healthcare-newscommentary-watch.html. The Common Good Restoring Common Sense to America site. Doctors cannot rely on the law to protect sensible decisions. Legal fear is eroding the quality and availability of healthcare in America. Common Good's MedWatch collects recent news and commentary reflecting on this trend. What is this doctor's problem and why is she making this a woman-on-woman issue drenched in feminism theory? What is the problem of the 50,000 ACOG members who do not address what the rest of the country is clamoring about? High csection rates, increased rates of prematurity even identified by March of Dimes, the most respected and responsible advocate for babies, as related to medically unnecessary inductions, and the US dismal neonatal mortality rates. How do these 50,000 physicians continue to march down this road towards war with no regard for the problems in their care or the long-term consequences women and babies?
We all know about DENIAL and who is the last to "get it" --- the offender.

I am concerned for midwives and the women and their babies who will be caught in the gap between "winning the battle" but not the "war". Former obstetrician, Amy Tutuer says on her blog, "I have always said that "natural" childbirth is a preference, no more and no less. It is 'natural' childbirth advocates who repeatedly claim that their choices are better or superior to those of other women." No, it is scientific fact that that the environment and control by obstetrics is detrimental to giving birth. I ask, why should induced and epidural be a choice, when we know the dangers and we know the longterm consequences for which society shall have to pay?

A majority of doctors STILL say, "Of course, a woman has a right to choose a homebirth --- but, don't come to the hospital then and expect us to clean up your mess." It mind-befuddling to me that this is seen as the fault of the midwife or the fault of the woman -- and, I get it, that this is how they are trained. Anything that goes wrong, has to be someone else's fault. As they say, "Shit runs down hill." Any resident or nurse can tell you about that. Cesarean surgery is the ultimate way of being in control AND it's makes the fault that of the doctor. He can only trust his or her skills as a surgeon. Nothing and no one else. Certainly not a woman's body and her baby's birth as she comes to the hospital as a whole person with much physical and emotional baggage -- she is emotional, needy, and nowadays, so friggin' demanding of what SHE wants. Actually, she is more educated, knowledegable and prepared to be responsible for her body and birth than ever before in modern history.

If I had one goal on this blog, it would be to shake up this country and shift the thinking of birth from about women's rights and doctor's need to seeing that it is the baby's birth. And, that this human being will have to live with the choices made by their mother and her caregivers. I just advocate for bridging the gap between the issues doctors face and how their resulting behavior affects the human baby. It's challenging to get them to look at how they behave towards those who would like babies born naturally, gently, guided by her own body, and in a protected space with only gentle, loving support and conscious awareness of the sentient baby. That would be laboring and birthing without drugs, withoug force and coached pushing (shown in their own research to be detrimental and to prolong the birth), and without constant disruption by strangers insisting on non-evidence based medical rituals.

I expect, no I implore, no I demand, that legislators, doctors, hospitals, as well as midwives and consumers, BIRTHNG WOMEN AND MEN, to consider how can we come to the middle? The middle, is where the baby is. The middle is where what is best for a human woman and baby is the FIRST consideration. Not the hospital coffers, not the doctor's schedule, and not even the mother's need to be "pain-FREE". Doctors know that homebirth is perfectly safe for many women -- and, if they reeeeeally don't believe it because for their own fear of physiology and loss of control, all the stats and research from OTHER countries show us midwifery care at home is safe for the low to moderate risk women. Obstetrics, by definition, are supposed to be for high risk women. They know a woman has the right to choose to birth at home. It is about time to expect these people to participate in SOLUTIONS for how to do it -- how to create systems, structures, protocols, partnerships, insurance that allow women to give birth at home AND to have access to respectful, quality medical care. Other industrialized nations are way ahead of us.

If obstetrics is not about their money and power, what is it about? Let them speak up about what they need as human beings to safely attend birth without "losing their ass and assets". Let the parties all come together to talk about what the human baby needs to be born without fear, anger, violation, and invasion. Let the parties talk about they can work together towards welcoming our beautiful babies in aware, safe, and gentle birth experience. Who in their right mind truly believes that it is healthy and acceptable to induce a human being's birth, to poke, prod, and cut on a woman and her baby. Really. Truly. WHO believes this? Who believes the "ends (painfree for mother, control for doctor, and a live baby) justify the means" in obstetric care, and that it is without consequence in the moment and for the lifetime?

Other discussions about natural birth being anti-feminine and anti-women's rights must be considered from the source from which is comes -- obstetricians, feminists who laid down and hooked up to drugs to birth and who focus zero on what a baby girl needs in her birth? This has nothing to do with feminism -- all sorts of women believe the obstetric distortions

I have always said that "natural" childbirth is a preference, no more and no less. It is "natural" childbirth advocates who repeatedly claim that their choices are better or superior to those of other women.

Last night I happen to find myself humming an old song from when I was a very young girl while working a different post ... and I googled Helen Reddy and found her website, www.helenreddy.com. Open it up in another window and join me in a an old song with so much relevance today...

I am woman, hear me ROAR!
In numbers too big to ignore...
And I know too much to go back and pretend...
'cause I've heard it all before!
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna' keep me down again!

Oh yes I am wise...
But it's wisdom born of pain.
Yes, I've paid the price...
But look how much I've gained!
If I have to, I can do anything...
I am STRONG!I am INVINCIBLE!

I am woman. (ROAR)

You can bend but never break me...
'cause it only serves to make me...
More determined to achieve my final goal.
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer...
'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul.

Oh yes I am wise...
But it's wisdom born of pain. (motherhood)
Yes, I've paid the price...
But look how much I've gained!
If I have to, I can do anything...
I am STRONG!I am INVINCIBLE!

I am woman. (ROAR)

I am woman watch me grow...
See me standing toe to toe...
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land! (I love all of my friends out there around the world!)
But I'm still an embryo...
With a long long way to go...
Until I make my Brother understand

Oh yes I am wise...
But it's wisdom born of pain.
Yes, I've paid the price...
But look how much I've gained...
If I have to I can face anything!
I am STRONG! I am INVINCIBLE!

I am woman (HEAR ME ROAR)
Oh, I am woman (HEAR ME ROAR)
I am INVINCIBLE! I AM STRONG!

I am woman (ROAR)

I am invincible (ROAR)
I am strong (ROAR)
I am woman (ROAR

Let's roar -- that it is time for WOMEN to claim their bodies and their power and not be dissuaded by feminist thinking or accusations that to believe in your body and in natural birth and motherhood is anti-feminist or that to believe in the power of a woman's body to give birth and her responsibility to her baby is anti-woman. It is not anti-feminist to believe that one of the significant a woman is is a "life giver".

Multiple parties and the polarized ends must work together. For the baby. The field of obstetrics holds the political power, but the will and power of the growing physiological and spiritual impulse for peace and harmony of the people here and on the planet is building. That, we know, will come through healing birth in this country and the personal responsibility of every human being to be a fully functioning human. We know this begins in the primal period of life. It is time to hold obstetric medicine responsible for only what it is capable of accomplishing and support women to be responsible for their bodies and births -- so we can transition in our understanding of what the human being really needs coming into this world to be a healthy, harmonious human being AND come to balance so we can incorporate the natural phsyiological ways with lifesaving medical technology.