In a message dated 7/17/0 5:20:03 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<<  On the inpatient hospice residence
where I worked for 3 years, most deaths occurred during the night.   As
nurses we would often sit quietly, assuring that each person was comfortable
but allowing the process to proceed in its own time.  As a hospice nurse I
often felt like a "reverse" midwife!  It is such a sad thought that the
medicalizing of birth, as well as death, robs us of important, human,
experiences, some of which, I guess, we can never actually understand. >>

For anyone interested, Marjorie's Tew's books "An American Way of Death" and
"An American Way of Birth" would address these topics. In many spiritual
traditions, it is understood that the veil is thinner between worlds in the
hour around 4AM. It is also expected that loved ones will be present to
prepare and guide those passing in either direction, as the incarnating or
departing souls are deserving of this attention. The point I am making is
that, whatever a person's beliefs, the medicalization of birthing and dying
do *not* honor nor tend to them in any way. Since we are whole beings, this
must surely affect our ability to mother, to nurture and to be nurtured, to
be responsive, to feel connected and to avoid depression, all of which define
the breastfeeding relationship.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

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