"The longer I live the more I find myself surprised about the authority we
women have handed over to others especially when we are vulnerable."

Can I second, third and fourth this comment?  This is an issue that drives
me just nuts.  I see again and again women agreeing (or at least not
protesting) to the most amazing things!  I spend the majority of my prenatal
care trying to educate my patients and train them to make their own choices.
 I suggest books for them to read (and keep copies in my OB exam room), I
tell them every visit to come to their next with a list of questions, I push
them to take every prenatal class they can get their hands one, and yet even
with all of that the grand majority of my patients never question me.
Sometimes I feel like I could suggest they paint the baby purple and at
least some parents would comply!
I am currently seeing a friend I trained with for OB care for #4 and I'm
driving her nuts, too, since I refuse to have the "standard of care."
I feel that for myself, I greatly prefer patients who questions me.  I
prefer them to say "but why can't we do it this way?"  Patients who let me
do whatever I want put an awful lot of pressure on me to try to do what's
right without their guidance.  I suppose that's comforting to a doctor with
an authoritarian complex, but it drives me insane!
Jennifer Tieman
Family Physician
Mom to 3, and new baby #4 expected 5/31/03

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