I agree with Linda Smith's take on nasal aspirators and "oral rape".  I've
been watching a new show on The Learning Channel called "The Baby Show."
Two episodes each day (1-2 pm central time), each episode follows a pregnant
couple through the pregnancy and delivery and then makes one final visit
several weeks after the birth.  Fascinating to see how birth is managed in
today's hospitals (a lot different even from my last one in 1991), and some
variety in positioning, coaching, etc.

I cringe at half the stuff they do -- like "break the waters -- epidural --
pitocin -- epidural -- pitocin" over and over.  And at how it seems to be
routine now for the baby to be vigorously suctioned (both mouth and both
nostrils) when only the head has been delivered.  They actually tell the
mother to stop pushing once the head is out, so the delivering doctor can
suction the baby before the rest of the body is born.  Reminds me of
"partial birth abortions"!  And of course they are always so damn quick to
cut the umbilical cord that they *must* get the baby breathing right away.
Sigh.  Would someone please explain to me why the umbilical cord is cut so
quickly.  Why don't they gently lay the baby on the mother's abdomen and
just LEAVE IT ALONE.  As long as the umbilical cord is pulsing, it is
delivering oxygen to the baby, so the baby doesn't need to be breathing
right away.  On one episode, the baby is laid on the mother's abdomen and
the mother is trying to caress and hold the baby, and bring it up closer to
her, and the nurses keep swatting the mother's hands away so they clean and
dry the baby -- as though the mother *ought* to be repulsed by the look and
feel and smell of her baby right after birth.  Most of the time, the first
good look the mother gets of the baby is after the baby has been swaddled,
so only a tiny patch of face is visible, the rest is just this big stiff
bundle.  Poor babies, poor mothers.  A few mothers on this show breastfeed
-- others are very careful not to say whether they are breastfeeding or
bottle-feeding, and some bottle-feed during the show.  Twice I've seen
babies being fed with those curved bottles, but the bottles were being held
upside down!  Duh.  Obviously I have too much spare time on my hands, to be
watching TV in the middle of the day.

Kathy Dettwyler