All these discussions boil down to one thing "informed consent."

If women do not read everything they can get their hands on when
they first become pregnant, they have no knowledge to intelligently
question the procedures their OBGYN's bring up as to how they run
their practice.  Some of the doctors are very paternalistic and
just say "this is how I handle all my first time moms."

No printed sheets are given out as to possible birth complications
with each intervention, as one has to sign at a plastic or general
surgeon's office as to what might go wrong with the procedure--
because they wish to avoid malpractice.  By not giving such a sheet
they've hoodwinked everyone into thinking this comprises "normal"
labor and delivery.

If every women and her husband/partner would be given such a sheet,
there are a lot of things they would turn down and say "no thanks"
to--especially the males.  When the interventions begin and it
snowballs from a simple labor to a fetal monitor, induction, surgical
intervention or whatever order it comes in, the medical staff tells
the woman she one of the unfortunate ones that things just did not
go smooth for.

This is the same thing that women were told when their silicone breast
implants ruptured, caused autoimmune disease, restricted arm movement,
voice hoarseness, etc.  It wasn't until the women came together for
a suit they realized they weren't the "lone ranger."  Doctors didn't
want them conversing and comparing notes.

It's not until women band together and discuss with each other what
they did and did not like about unexpected outcomes and expectations
unfulfilled that things will change.  They don't know that present
hospital policies and procedures allowing doctors these liberties
create the scenerio.  I think that is why women often feel guilt it
didn't go the way they planned.  They assume "their bodies let them
down."

Lactnet very rarely mentions midwives.  These are the practitioners
who as a group help women have the birth they wish.  They allow the
time to let labor take its natural course.  They're not rushed like
OBGYN's, take women with no known complications and whose dates do
not conflict.  They don't have a waiting room of previously
booked patients who would all need to be rescheduled to another
*available* day.  That day truly does not exist on the doc's calendar.
He/she's already totally booked.  I really don't understand how they
can book office patients and expect to make their births unless
they're "scheduled" births.

Here in the Pacific NW, midwife assisted home birth has become a
popular route.  It's a mom who has asked around for opinions or who
just hates hospitals in general.

A question to all of you:  Do you know of any hospital currently
giving the mom/partner a questionnaire to fill out as to what they
thought of their labor/delivery experience at their facility?

Our experience of how our baby was treated after delivery and the
total lack of breastfeeding help was why we decided to have #2 at
home.  In fact, before even contemplating conception of #2, my
husband begged me to promise I wouldn't have another baby in the
local hospital.  He cried when he saw what the hospital did to her
after delivery--silver nitrate in her eyes and poking her heel
repeatedly to get blood while she was screaming.  All this done
by strangers.  She was whisked away from us and brought back when
they felt it was time.  It was outside the 4-hr window that
Doris Haire's book "The Cultural Warping of Childbirth" mentions.

That's why I feel that it's the dads/partners who would influence
the moms to make the decision to turn down routine hospital
procedures if they knew what it tended to lead to, especially with
published statistics such as "45% of the time (?) pitocin is used,
it results in a C-section."  This should be required to be
published and given for informed consent as each facility.
Judy Ritchie

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