Tuesday, June 24, 2008

It's about time

The Missouri Supreme Court Ruled in Favor of Certified Nurse Midwives today.

There's more information about the ruling HERE

I was much amused by the quote that stated that the Missouri State Medical Association's primary motivation for attempting to stop midwives from practicing was economic.

Finally somebody said what home birth advocates have suspected all along. And this somebody was a judge.

7 comments:

Debby said...

I don't understand why the government feels that it needs to regulate EVERYTHING for our own good. I would like to think that I have the freedom to make my own choices...but I don't.

This said, I generally make my own choices. Cara was not born in a hospital. I fired the doctor and went with a midwife.

Mary O. Paddock said...

My last two were delivered with a well known certified nurse midwife at her private birthing center. As far as I'm concerned, that woman was a genius.

After watching multiple friends go through medicalized (is that a word?) deliveries that ended in C sections brought on by ridiculous medical interventions and my own awful experiences with two hospital deliveries, I am a huge advocate of healthy women at home or in birthing centers.

Debby said...

I believe a woman has a right to choose, and it is not right that they cannot.

I was always considered 'at risk' because my smallest child was 9 lbs 2 oz, my largest 10 lbs 4 oz. It bothered me that this one fact alone was enough to start the doctors deciding that I was going to have a caesarian. The first was, because I didn't know better. The second, no, I read and realized what had happened. I was still arguing with the doctor while I was in labor. The third child was a complete surprise, but as soon as the doctor started in again, at my very first prenatal visit, I decided to skip the BS altogether. My husband nearly had a heartattack. And then he got furious. I refused to waver, and I'm so glad that I did not. I did not do a homebirth, but used a the midwife's birth center, a large victorian mansion in Baltimore. It was lovely. And the entire labor was only 6 hours from start to finish. It's amazing what one can do when she is permitted to relax and focus on the matters at hand. The other two labors were well over twice as long, but I really thing that it was the plain stress of arguing with the doctor, arguing with a frightened husband, and trying to keep your own courage up that you were making the right decision.

Mary O. Paddock said...

The first time I dealt with a doctor who wanted to induce simply because he believed my blood pressure was "iffy" (it was fine when he wasn't in the room. He was a jerk, but we were broke and he was the only one taking low-income patients). When I stood up to him, he flew into a rage and threatened to haul me into court. This was two weeks before my due date. During my next visit, he said that we'd "try it" my way. Then he proceeded to stimulate my cervix without my permission, shrugging off my complaints about his "exam" being painful (I didn't understand what he was doing until his nurse mentioned it in passing later on). I'll never forget his smug tone when he said, "I'll bet you go into labor within the next twenty-four hours." I delivered the next day--fortunately he wasn't on duty. I got to deal with a very sympathetic female doctor (who didn't like him at all). She told me quietly that he'd referred to me as uncooperative in my records.

I went in search of a more relaxed doctor the next time around. I found one, but he was on vacation when I delivered. Labor moved quickly and not realizing (because no one told me) that I was within an hour of delivering, I asked for something to manage the pain (stupid, stupid). The doctor told the nurse over the phone to give me me a demerol "cocktail" (my words)--a big "no-no" in the last stages of labor because it represses the baby's respiration and heartbeat when he needs it the most. If they'd told me I was down to the end or warned me of the possible side effects, I could have hung on. The doctor hadn't even met me yet, much less done an exam. He showed up in time to catch the baby (didn't even speak to me or look at me the whole time). This created an emergency situation, the need of extra tests, hours in a special incubator, and a week long stay in the hospital (though he was fine within a few hours). It was terrifying. They would never admit that the pain killer caused the problem, though I asked more than once. That incompetent SOB doctor lost his license two years later. Big surprise.

After that, I'd had enough. I told my husband that I'd almost be better off delivering by myself. He wasn't up to that, he said, and would I consider a midwife? (Pretty funny as he'd been against it before). He's now a huge advocate of out of hospital deliveries.

Debby said...

Your husband was afraid, no doubt, having heard all the dramatic tales of what can go wrong (but rarely does...). Every woman has to make their own choice, and they have to feel comfortable in their own choice. It has always struck me as sad that birth and dying have become so medicalized. Dying is a spiritual journey not so different than birth, not some chance for a medical 'expert' to showcase his talents. Think about it. As odd as it sounds, it really is true.

Andrew McAllister said...

That sounds like a victory for common sense!

Thought you might like to know that I've started posting Dismaying Stories again. Drop by if you get a chance.

Mary O. Paddock said...

Hi Andrew! Good to see you back. I'll be over in a bit.