I love that you use the word
mysogony Justine, and hi and thankyou to you Penny
too.
I was talking to a fellow midwife at my hosp about
it the other day. Sometimes we wanted to give the benefit of the doubt...at
worst that the actions of some Drs was paternalistic - wanting to
help the poor ladies from their suffering (while of course making life
litigiously safer for themselves and getting paid more).
Then i also considered it was just ignorance on the
part of some doctors, unware of the amazing beuaty and awesome transedence of
anything worldly in natural birth and the power that this gives women. They
rarely get to see beautiful birth (which is why i love working with student
doctors in birth and getting in their ears). Maybe they don't understand
how good it can be for women, is it too spiritual, too unscientific for
them to get their head around?
But I am more and more convinced that there is some
phsycological women hate going on as well. And wanting to claim birth into the
male relm. Taking away this amazing opportunity for empowerment. BIRTH
ENVY? Or thinking that most women are too weak to be able to
birth without intervention. Or too stupid to understand the details so
he'll make the desicion for them. Or too smarty pants and asking too many
questions and taking up too much time so needs to be put into place with some
condeseding remark - if that doesnt stop her she's too dangerous and needs
to be told to go elsewhere.
We spoke about a doctor with a very high c/section
rate. If according to him you are too short, too old , too Asian etc- you
are convinced through the course of antenatal "care" that you can't possibly
vaginally birth and an "elective" ("elective" for whom?) c/s is booked on a day
suitable to him. By the time we are meeting the women - for shave and
catheter they are absolutly convinced they are doing the right thing. Which
puts us in a really difficult possition. 1/2 an hour before surgery is not a
great time to talk to women about their alternative options. One woman
- a 40 yr old Philipino primip was told her baby was breech and needed to
have a c/s - but it wasn't breech, and the Dr knew it. But she was so sold on
the idea that she couldnt birth vaginally that she didnt really mind about where
the baby was lying. THIS WAS NOT HIS CHOICE TO MAKE.
We need to keep working on UNIVERSAL (mainstream,
free, accessable) opportunities for women to find information and care and
reduce the fear. In that town right now the alternative voices women get to
hear are only soft squeeks amongst the bellow of the monolith.
Maybe we are scared sometimes to speak up in our
workplace if we want to keep our job and dont want to rock the boat, but the
women are free to say what they want and demand complete informed consent,
and we can help them navigate that rocky terrain. And isn't it great when you
get to work with a women who is making those demands, and get to advocate for
them - its very safe territory because we are doing what our midwifery
competancies demand.
Love Suzi
