A maternity ward head nurse used to frequent the bar I used to work.
Her stories convinced me that childbirth is not a trivial matter and there’s quite a lot that can go wrong where assistance of a seasoned nurse is essential.
Most of the times everything goes well, but there’s very specific rare things that can go wrong that are very dangerous for mother and child.
And it goes wrong SO FAST. You couldn’t convince me to birth anywhere but a large tertiary care hospital with the stories I’ve read and heard and seen. Wouldn’t even get an ultrasound at a smaller hospital. I’ve seen a couple of things missed that ended up with difficult consequences, and I think it was the quality of the ultrasound.
Also, listen to your care providers. If they say you need the glucose challenge do it, if you have gestational diabetes listen carefully to the advice, if they say you need to be induced they aren’t saying that lightly, a placenta ages like milk and your baby WILL die if you go overdue. Don’t listen to people on the Internet about vitamin K and vaccines and all that crap, they are recommended with good reason, and you don’t want a baby with a bleed with permanent consequences.
I want everyone to have a peaceful successful uncomplicated birth, but be prepared for anything to happen. Don’t gamble with your baby’s life for what some jackass on Facebook says. They’re idiots.
We’ve had two kids.
The first one was in a major birthing hospital, huge building that pretty much did only maternal/ob&gyn/neonatal.
The second one was a small suburban network hospital.
Without a doubt, hands down, no questions, even if we were in the parking lot of the other when she went into labor…we would choose the second one.
The first one literally treated us like we were buying a car. Just, constantly upselling us everywhere. Talked her into an unnecessary C-section because he had a large head and shoulders. Treated us like bad parents when she struggled with breastfeeding (seriously, the breast-is-best folks, and the LLL, can all get fucked).
The second one…the kid was trending larger and they were incredibly supportive of a VBAC. Which went very well.
All this to say…I really do not get surprised when people get skeptical of the medical industrial complex. In this particular instance, they did it to themselves. And of course that has rippling effects in other healthcare (i.e. vaccination).
Bonus story, A year or so after the birth of our second, my wife met a woman with two little kids at a COVID playgroup (like, an outdoor playgroup during COVID…not like a pox party), the same age as ours.
Over time they (and our kids) became best friends. We come to realize and piece stories together…she was one of the overnight maternity nurses taking care of us with our second.
This is one of those situations where China has (in my opinion) nailed it. It is against the law for any influencer to post content about things like law, medicine, finance or education without having a degree in said field. Not a doctor? Stfu about free births and vaccines.
I wish I lived in a society thats values truth more than the indivudial right to say whatever you want for any reason. And if that reason is profit, then you’ll never get in even the slightest trouble.
That’s actually a great idea. Why should any asshole just get to make shit up and influence people to make bad decisions?
Although those fuckers at Facebook and the like could do their jobs and actually moderate too.
For $299, she joined FBS’s paid-for, private online community, the Lighthouse, where she met the three friends in the room when Esau was born. To prepare for her freebirth, she purchased The Complete Guide to Freebirth in May 2022 for $399 – a vast sum to the then 23-year-old nanny.
…aaand there it is.
I think part of the culprit for this trend is the fact that Americans have to pay for maternity care, which is stupid (paying privately for any health care is also stupid). This makes them shop around and get sucked into this.
It’s almost like you shouldn’t take health advice from an influencer.
But their username seemed so trustworthy!
They told me what I wanted to hear. And they’re so chrasimatic!
The real issue is they already have a following.
It’s much easier for people to believe something if it looks like other people believe it.
No problem. Just bring those concerns forward to the College of Internet Influencers, and have their license to practice Internet Health Advice pulled.
Then go after the malpractice insurance money that the College of Internet Influencers make influencers renew every year, in order to practice internet influencing in a legal and regulated manner, to protect the public.
At least that’s how it works for actual regulated Healthcare professionals.
Science isn’t out to get you. Trust people who are more informed than you are (still think critically, though)
There’s definitely a problem with doctors who treat mothers as an obstacle to the process of birth, and belittle and humiliate them through the whole ordeal.
Going cold turkey on all medical assistance in response is insane. But frankly I have a hard time believing that the American medical system especially will work to fix things quickly from their end.
The real solution is getting more people back in the field, and more importantly, purging the misogynistic shit that is rampant amongst medical professionals. And this extends well beyond childbirth too of course, its just the most prevalent pressure point next to failure to diagnose cancer.
This. I started reading this article thinking “what a bunch of idiots” but then they describes how horribly women are treated in hospitals during childbirths and it’s clearly more desperation than following a fad. It’s still insane but I do understand how someone traumatized by the system will grasp and any “solution” offered to them. People pushing this should end up in jail though.
I think some of it is access to care too; some women in the US do this simply because of the cost of a midwife or doctor, it seems.
But also in Canada we have WAY higher standards for who can call themselves a midwife than they do in the US, and the midwives here have university degrees. Also, I think people here and other countries who have public health care seek help faster than Americans simply because cost isn’t a barrier, even if they do get sucked into this nonsense.
