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Oh how well stated Jackie.
When I fell pregnant with Katelyn I told the
doctors on every visit that I may get Pre Eclampsia because my mother did with
her first and with me - her fourth. I also told them that my sister got it
with her first and that as I already had underlying hypertension that i felt
that they should really watch me.
The first Ob was very interested and I later found
out that he had dealt with a lot of cases of PE. he said that I should
have my BP checked every week to two weeks throughout the
pregnancy.
The next OB said - NO don't be stupid!
Basically told me that he knew more than me and I was fine. From then on I
saw three more ob's and each time I mentioned Pre eclamsia and each time they
brushed it off - the last one was at 19 weeks when I was so full of fluid that
my hands were numb and I could not do my shoes up. He said, It is normal
to have fluid when you are pregnant and brushed off my comments.
At 24 weeks when i went to the hospital with high
BP I told them again and they brushed it off again. After four days of
tests (including lots of blood tests and ultrasounds of my livert and
kidneys) I almost fitted on the ward and was told it was my BP coming down
making me shake and me see spots. I finally told the OB that i
was sure I had Pre Eclamsia - My husband pointed out that i was a Mothercraft
Nurse and knew what I was talking about so instead of sending me home as he was
about to, they tested for PE and as that was possitive rushed me to
melbourne.
I almost felt that i had 'talked myself into having
it' because I mentioned it at every visit and was brushed off so many
times.
Two points I learnt from this - a woman does have
an inner knowledge of what is happening in her body and it must be considered
and Family history is important. This includes things like morning
sickness, gestation, labour and any other complications.
I did not understand why NONE of them considered my
family history - My Grandmother lost her first child at 6 months and that was
possibly Pre Eclampsia as she had it with her 5th child too.
My mother spent 6 weeks in hospital having me as
she had Pre Eclamsia and this did not seem to be at important to
them.
Regards
Rhonda.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 3:44
PM
Subject: Re: for interest- Medscape - due
dates
'Assigned Week of Delivery' More Practical
Than Obstetric Due Date
My mother told me (after birthing 8 children of her
own) that you just add nine months and one week on to the date of your last
period, and that’s your due date. She didn’t make this statement from medical
knowledge, but from her mother’s knowledge passed down to her, which in turn
was received from her own mother, and also from her own personal experiences.
I value her comments on the length of my gestation more than the assessment of
medical knowledge, especially because it will reflect the personal knowledge
of my matriarchal ancestors – who better to know how my specific genes work,
how long my pregnancy is likely to take to grow a healthy child?
Know
what I mean? If we looked to our mothers and grandmothers to see how long
their pregnancies were, if they laboured slowly or quickly, if they had
difficulties, etc, they we would surely have better predictors of what to
expect during our own individual pregnancies and labours. Another mother may
advise her daughter to add on 9 months and 3 weeks on to the date of her last
period, whereas another may advise 8 months and 2 weeks. We have lost the
intrinsic wisdom of our fore-bearers if all of humanity expect to have the
exact same length of gestation and, similarly, of labour...
Sadly,
with the interventions of induction, augmentation and elective c/sections,
etc, women will no longer carry the knowledge of our genes. Technology will
‘pull us all into line’ so that we have exact gestation lengths, exact labour
lengths, or we will birth through our soft, vulnerable bellies.
So when
our daughters look to us, and ask us “How long were you pregnant with me? Did
you labour slowly or fast?” We will not be able to answer their questions with
intrinsic inner knowledge, because we will not ‘know’ the true answers. We
will have lost so much if (and I truly mean ‘if’) we invite unnecessary
technology to become a part of our normal births.
Where technology is
necessary, then the mother can pass this information on to her daughter, but
if it may not have been that is where the impact of technology reaches further
than the birth itself.
For example: For the mother labelled CPD due to
a failed induction/failure to progress, etc, how damaging will her comments be
to her daughter. “Sorry, dear, you may have been only 7 pounds but I couldn’t
birth you naturally. You were just too big for my small pelvis. The doctors
had to pull you out by caesarean after hours and hours of labour.”
Imagine the thoughts going through the daughter’s head... What does
her mother’s experience tell her about her chances of birthing naturally? What
is she ‘learning’ about her genes – small pelvis, difficult labour was her
mother’s experience, and she was a small baby herself! Anyway, just my
thoughts on “Assigned week of delivery...”
Birthing
Beautifully,
Jackie Mawson.
Convenor of Birthrites: Healing After
Caesarean Inc.
Visit our Website at: http://www.birthrites.org
Email:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone: 61 08 9418 8949
Please note I am not a
Professional Healthcare Provider, and all opinions given in this email are not
to be taken as medical, or legal, advice. Please seek such advice from the
relevant professional service.
Email me your postal details for a FREE
copy of our quarterly magazine, if you live within Australia - Overseas
postage costs are above budget, sorry!
Too many
Gods;
so
many
creeds,
Too
many
paths
that
wind
and
wind,
When
just the
art
of
being
kind
Is
all the
sad
world
needs...
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