In a message dated 7/19/0 4:55:49 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:
<< What I am hearing is that the more rigid the plan (I will not
do this, I will only have that, etc) the more likely the laboring Mom
and Dad will be disappointed if or when things don't go the way they
"planned". They may attach blame to other participants and/or feel like
failures themselves. >>
<snip>
I'm just musing that flexibility in thinking and willingness to adapt
in new situations seems to make greater successes in the long run. Whew!
>>
Jean,
Flexibility makes perfect sense, in theory, b/c we cannot predict the normal
course of normal birth. OTOH, I can understand why women in a hospital
setting would be more rigid in holding to their plans than women in a
homebirth setting or birthing center. *Usually*, "fexibility" in the hospital
means a willingness to follow the game plan of the hospital, which means
rushing labor, distrusting the process of birth, dulling pain or at least the
response to pain, taking drugs, allowing monitoring and iv's and all the
gamut of other interventions which roll over a family's "birth plan" like a
cement mixer. *Usually*, at home, when a mother is flexible, she is doing so
within a broad base of non-medical possibilities, all in keeping w/ the
spirit of her "plan" or intentions. She can feel safe to be flexible, knowing
that it is not the goal of those around her to "manage" or "augment" her
experience. In general, I think women hold on tight in the hospital (in more
ways than one) b/c they know that even a tiny crack in their plan usually
means the walls will come tumbling down around them. I believe all of these
aspects of birth environment and attitudes play a key role in breastfeeding
outcomes.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
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