Since High Thief mentioned the Canadian Obstetrics society little edict on freebirth in the first post in this thread, perhaps this will get us back on track in our discussion of freebirth.
When I heard that the Canadian Docs had sent it along to the press, I decided to write a
blog post response. I sent it along to the Canadian Docs, and all of the national newspapers in Canada. Here is the text of my response, you have to click
on this link to see the pictures and other links:
Canadian Obstetricians have declared Unassisted Birth Dangerous
Doctors blast DIY deliveries
"The risks of giving birth without a skilled attendant "outweigh any possible benefits" and practitioners are needlessly endangering themselves and their unborn babies, according to the advisory, which is the strongest public stance against the practice by a group of medical professionals to date."
(sarcasm implied)
Man, I am so glad these docs took the time to weigh everything and decide that my lifestyle is a threat to my children. I never would have known that giving birth alone was so horrible if they had not taken the time to talk about it and decide to make a public statement. It's not like the media or two hundred years of fear based victorian ingnorance has ever made it seem like birth was a great mystery only to be guarded by the doctor on his noble steed of protection and heroic interventions.
(And just a leetttle more sarcasm)
And all I have ever heard from Radio, Television, and media in general is what is normal and natural in childbirth. Watch any soap opera today and what you will see is mothers giving birth without drugs or medical interventions, and then breastfeeding for the long haul. "This segment brought to you by La Leche League." If those obstetricians in Canada had not told me that what I was doing was dangerous, I may have never even guessed for a minute that husband/wife hombirth was deadly for me and my newborn, because all I have ever been exposed to and watched on television and in the movies was pure natural drug free birth. And all that has ever been promoted by commercials, advertising, and the powers that be is pure natural family living, because we all know chemical free living is best for the child, and all that the government, the medical profession, and advertising want to do is make certain that I welcome a healthy child into my life, because we ALL know that a healthy baby is all that matters.
Whew, I feel better to be so informed. Thanks. Without you people pointing it out, you know, taking the time to say something out loud, in public, I never would have figured it out!
I guess now I should just dump my 19 years of research and bow down to the medical gods, because hey, they said so. And everyone knows that doctors always practice evidence based medicine, and they know everything, because dangit, they are full fledged SCIENTISTS, and we all know it takes years and years of Big Pharma Brainwashing to get to that level of Credibility!
OK, I've had my sarcastic rant. Back to the point of this blog post:
The incoming president of the Candadian equivalent of ACOG, The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), Dr. Guylaine Lefebvre claims that those promoting Freebirth are "tragically misinformed."
And a Dr. Senikas claims that quote: "Unassisted childbirth is unsafe − period," says Dr. Vyta Senikas, SOGC's associate executive vice-president.
"Senikas says the people advocating "freebirthing" are tragically uninformed and are promoting high-risk, dangerous behaviour disguised as sound medical advice.
"You have to look at the source. These are not trained and educated medical professionals," Senikas says.
"Look at the source"....hmmmm....seems judgemental to me. Sure, I'm a mother who only had two years of schooling beyond high school, in Musical Theatre at that....so I guess I am a know nothing cretin, who has absolutely no right to make health care decisions for and in behalf of my children. The thousands of hours I have spent researching childbirth, teaching childbirth classes, attending births, giving birth to my own five children, writing my three books, all largely about birth, organizing a birth conference, and now this blog, again devoted to the promotion of home birth, all of this leaves me "tragically uninformed" about .....birth.
(just a little more sarcasm)
WOW! Thanks Dr. Senikas. I had no idea I was such a retard when it came to birth. Without you pointing out my deficiencies as an uncredentialed, uninformed, tragic sort of person promoting something that is so dangerous and deadly to me and my child, I may have gone ahead and done something really stupid like get pregnant with my sixth child, and then actually had the gall to do my own prenatal care, and then, (NO, someone stop her before she does it again....we have to SAVE HER FROM HERSELF!!!) I may have given birth in my bedroom as my great grandmothers did for thousands of years before I was born.
My great, great grandmother gave birth to fourteen children in her Michigan Farmhouse. She was just dang lucky to be alive....it was all just a stinkin' coincidence that she made it through birth number one at home, much less, birth number fourteen because home birth is so deadly and dangerous, as every doctor and enlightened person knows.
The reporters found it necessary to quote the infamous Dr. Crappen in another article found here
"Dr. John Crippen, a doctor in the U.K. who writes an award-winning blog, has reacted angrily to freebirth. saying "giving birth is the most dangerous thing that most woman will do during their life.""
As I have said recently, Dr. C left three little words out of his famously quoted statement.
Doc, you left out: "In the Hospital"
"Giving birth IN THE HOSPITAL is the most dangerous thing that most woman will do during their life"
Yet it appears that the Canadian Nanny state Medical Machine has some issues regarding their own birth practices.
Doctors call for national birthing strategy
While spewing bogus stats on us Free Birthers, the real story is their own carefully collected statistics, which paint a dire picture for birthing women all over Canada.
QUOTES:
"Canada needs a national birthing strategy to combat a poor international record for safe deliveries, says the outgoing president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada."
"Last June, when the most recent OECD statistics were released, Canada had stumbled, ranking 11th for maternal mortality rates; 14th in perinatal mortality and 21st for prevalence of infant mortality.
"Safety for women having babies is something we expect. That we have concerns is worrisome," said Dr. Don Davis, the society's outgoing president.
About 80 per cent of births in Canada are attended by an obstetrician."
Here are some facts for you condemning doctors and your cult of professionalism.....
The most educated women are giving birth at home alone.
The most healthy women are the ones who look at the so called "free" health care you provide, and say "no thanks".
The most protective parents are the ones who have read the research, which many doctors do not even bother to review, and have decided the Medical Professions own statistics are what make the case for Free Birth. Yeah, its true docs. We have found your statistics and practices WORRISOME for years, and we have bowed out and said NO to your drugs, surgery, and scare "Cover your medical butt" prenatal care.
The article ends with these sobering words:
"Fewer and fewer family doctors are willing to live the lifestyle of obstetrics," said Black. "The traditional way - where the doctors is the only one who can deliver a baby - is going to have to change. Nurses and midwives are very capable of delivering low-risk babies."
I would add that parents themselves are highly capable of delivering their own children. To me it would be the height of irony for the Cult of Professionals backed up by government and the courts to outlaw Unassisted Birth, fully knowing and accepting that the birth machine is murdering and maiming healthy mothers and babies all over the world.
All we are asking for is the freedom to give birth where we feel comfortable.
What do you care how we give birth? Obviously the health of the family is not a concern or you would have changed your birth machine to cater to the real needs of mothers years ago. But a monopoly is so fun...makes one feel so powerful....And those credentials....That big name plate on the wall, with all of those signatures declaring doctor so and so worthy to cut and drug willy nilly.
Well guess what?
The jig is up.
We parents have called your bluff.
Giving birth is no longer the medical mystery of our grandmothers day when grandma took her gas like a lady and spread her legs for the forceps and the knives. And then thanked the doc for the thrill of having him yank the baby out while she soundly slept.
We Freebirthers demand to give birth privately, in the sanctity of our own homes.
Awake, aware, and ready to welcome our babes alone.
Would you deny me my rights of self determination as a mother?
If you do, I will fight you to the highest courts in the land.
Doesn't it seem just a tad insane for our society to allow mothers to murder their own children during pregnancy with abortion, protected by the courts and screaming feminists in the streets and yet if we desire to give birth privately, we become worthy of the highest scorn and condemnation of the medical profession?
Crazy!
Media Centre
Media Advisories
SOGC Annual Clinical Meeting, Ottawa, June 21 to 26, 2007
The Dangers of Unassisted Childbirth
Jenny Hatch
Posted by Jenny Hatch at June 21, 2007 7:22 PM
Now, why don't we stop talking about me and my lack of credentials and get to the heart of this debate.....
WHO GETS TO DECIDE WHERE THE BABES ARE BORN???
What do you guys think?
Jenny