(no subject)

[primroseburrows]

So I've become embroiled in a discussion thread over at abortiondebate. I didn't think the subject of the discussion really has anything to do with abortion, rather, it's about pregnancy and its perceived dangers. When I read it I felt I couldn't NOT respond, because I figure if I want to be a birth advocate and activist, it was almost an obligation to respond. That, and I actually do know a couple of things about the subject, although there are lots of people who put me to shame with their knowledge and experience.

Anyway, it seems that by at least one commenter, I've been branded someone who's forcing pregnancy and birth on women who don't want it. I don't see anything in my comments that even imply this.

Here's the thread. Whaddya think, flist? *shrugs*

Also, the sky didn't fall in Georgia last night, but patchfire needed to use the computer to figure out where to go to get on the subway (yes! Atlanta has one!) for our trip to the State House for Homebirth Day. And yay! The House passed the resolution uncontested, and within a year there should be a study to assess the safety of homebirth in GA. Now if we could only get something like this in RI...

Anyway, I should be around from 9 to 11, give or take-ish, for Eddie to make his debut. Blank slate people, is there anything special I need to know other than to use the tag and a spoiler cut?

And oh. mr_t00by, your mommy loves you. *hugs* Call me when you can?

Comments

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think you came across at all as forcing birth on women who don't want it at all. It seemed like you were saying that birth should not be treated as some amazing procedure that the doctor was performing and instead be treated as what it is, the natural way that species reproduce. Yes, women have died in childbirth or from complications from childbirth throughout history. They have also died from any number of other things. You were just saying that medical technology should be used when needed, but that it wasn't dangerous to start out with the idea that birth isn't something going wrong the doctor needs to take care of.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

The majority of women dying from "childbed fever" happened after birth moved from the home and midwife to the hospital and doctor. Physicians would go from bed to bed, from woman to woman, without washing their hands in-betweeen. It was only after it was known that handwashing prevents disease (after germ theory was developed) that docs started proper handwashing and maternal deaths from infecion were drastically reduced.


I've seen parents tell the doctor what a "great job" he did, after he "delivered" the baby. Um, excuse me, Mr. MD, wasn't that the woman I just saw giving birth to her baby?

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Whoa. I've never had a baby but I can't imagine giving the doctor any credit for something I just pushed out of my body! Not unless he did something. I was an RH- baby so good job on the blood transfusions etc. The rest I'm pretty sure my mom did.