Hi All,
This is another of my passions in life, along with breastfeeding. I have been
on a mission since October to get Oprah to do a show on normal birth. She
pushes epidurals way to much, every time there is a pregnant woman on her
show. She will say things like*you're getting an epidural right?* This makes
me nuts. I wrote a very strong letter requesting she do a show on normal
birth. I also sent copies of this letter to ILCA, ICEA, Lamaze International,
as well as several professional journals, MCN, Childbirth Educator, requesting
they distribute the letter to their membership and have everyone send one in.
Not one organization or journal responded. There is power in numbers, and I
thought if we got enough letters sent to her she would consider doing it. I
continue to send my letter by email, I have given out about 200 to be mailed,
and I post it on her boards almost weekly. Still no response.
I find it so frustrating that women do not have the beliefs that they can
birth unmedicated. They get little or no support from most doctors. It seems
the doctors really push the epidurals. The anesthesiologist has to earn a
living and they get more money for doing epidurals. There are many side
effects and women are not really told about them. I took care of a woman who
had permanant nerve damage in her leg as a direct result of the epidural. Many
women have headaches, backaches and difficulties with sudden low blood
pressure after getting epidurals.
Sorry to rant but this is one of my pet peeves. If anyone is interested in the
letter you can email me and I will send you a generic version of the letter
with Oprah's address.
Roni M. Chastain, RN, LCCE, FACCE
Long Island, New York