this is your birth on drugs

[primroseburrows]

I thought I'd lost my wtf about the fuckery that goes on during hospital births a long time ago, but hmm, guess not.


From Molly Remer's Talk Birth blog:

'I recently finished reading the new book Birth Space, Safe Place by Adela Stockton (watch for my full review and a giveaway on the CfM blog next week!). The author lives in Scotland and something in the book’s glossary jumped out and caught my eye. The word was “diamorphine” and the definition was: “a semi-synthetic opoid for labour—only administered in Scotland; another name for heroin.”

The irony that giving heroin to women in labor is considered a medically acceptable practice, but that “letting” a woman labor without an IV or in water—as some of many examples—is considered unsafe or risky is so boggling my mind that I can’t even comment any further!'

I'd rant, but I really don't know what to say.

Comments

[patchfire.livejournal.com]

Heroin ftl?

That's so very mindboggling, for so very many reasons...

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Heroin isn't actually any worse than a bunch of other opiates. But that's mostly because all those other drugs suck, too.

[patchfire.livejournal.com]

It's more the whole thing where heroin is all "BAD BAD BAD" for drug addicts, but it's OK if the medical profession wants to give it to you...

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Because God forbid you should have a natural birth, on account of that's too OMGdangerous, but the heroin? That's medicine. It's there to help you.

[dragonflymuse.livejournal.com]

Some of the old narcotic record count sheets at my hospital have several columns for cocaine suspensions... and I work in paeds! Talk about comfort after a tonsillectomy!

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

That's right up there with adding it to colas, which was also done. Hi, kiddies, have a Coke!

[erebor.livejournal.com]

I'd like to rant about this and other results of patriarchal societies merging with corporate greed motives ... but it would make me seem a shrill femininist. But, I'm not really shrill at all.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I'd like to blame insurance companies for this one, but Scotland doesn't have that problem.

[jesse_the_k]

Wow. Just ... I got nothing cause my jaw's frozen open

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I know, right?

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

There is a GREAT documentary about birth called "The Business of Being Born" talking about birthing in America (1 out of 3 c-sections!) vs. Europe where the majority of births are at home with midwives, and the growing trend in America for home births, doulas, and the use of midwives. Me personally, were I ever to give birth (which I won't)... I don't know if I'd be willing to subject myself to that much pain without a little relief!

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

P.S. It's on Netflix and you can watch instantly.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've seen that one. It's a great one because it isn't made by 'fringe' midwifery/homebirth groups, but by Ricki Lake, who isn't afraid to put her story out there to get birth politics into the mainstream. <3<3

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

I'm glad she did. It's got people talking, and thinking, and, above all, providing positive support for women to make informed choices about the birth experience they want to have.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I found out a couple of days ago that Cara Mulhahn, the New York midwife featured in the film, has written a book. I've officially shortlisted it on my "to-read" list.

[dragonflymuse.livejournal.com]

While the idea of using heroin as an analgesic for labour and delivery is very wtf-erish, I will be a naysayer to the quotation's indignancy by saying that heroin is a known, controllable variable: things get dicey with it? Hell-OOOOO Narcan! I flag-wave for IV access because the last thing I want to do when a patient starts bleeding out is to try and pop a vein that's flat (personal experience speaking, with a four-year old). Water-labouring seems benign, but I don't want to haul someone out of a bathtub if they start seizing or some other unforseen emergency occurs (yes, more personal experience speaking: I will never put another neuro kid in a bath again!)

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I agree that heroin isn't really all that different than other opiates, but IMO they all suck for labour.

And yeah, maybe I wouldn't want someone hospitalized with and/or for a seizure disorder hanging out in a bathtub, but a healthy pregnant woman is at a really low risk for seizure.