You find yourself at a cocktail party with the author of the book you just finished reading. To demonstrate that you really read it, you say, "Hey - thanks for writing Guide to Childbirth. Your main idea that midwives and home births can produce happy, relaxed, or even peaceful labors really made me rethink pregnancy & birth."
But the author, surprised to be talking to someone who instead of sharing their own birth story actually rephrased the main idea of the text she spent months giving birth to asks, "Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?" When you answer, "Well, in the last third of the book you focused on the technical parts of labor and birth, which further developed the first 2/3rds of the book. But let me be more specific. When you discussed the routines to refuse on pages 218-222, I was really interested in the different procedures that used to be mandatory; especially the pubic shave. I didn't realize that it was ever done. It was cool to see why they were used in the first place and why they were later ceased in most places. Another interesting section was on page 232, when you listed the various types of pain medication. I didn't realize there were so many types. The most interesting to me was the inhaled pain medications because they're so often used in Britain, both in hospitals and at home, but we still don't use them here in the US. A third interesting part was where you discussed the different causes of maternal deaths and how unaware US physicians were of the death rate on page 278. One section of it that I found particularly interesting, was the part in which you discussed the amniotic-fluid embolism. It was interesting to see how it affected women and how little people knew about it.
At this point, realizing that she's having a unique conversation with a serious reader of her/his book, the author asks - "But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?" You answer, "Well, let's be clear - your text sought to provide narratives and journalistic analysis from the perspective of midwives and mothers for the book-reading-public to better understand pregnancy & birth in our culture. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, using more narratives from women who have experience hospital births so as to further your comparisons between midwives and hospitals. But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about the impact a home birth and a great support group can have on the emotional state of labor. In fact, I'm likely to have children differently as a result of your book." The author replies, "Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!"
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Homework #39: Insights from book part 2
Gaskin, Ina. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. New York, NY: Random House, 2003. Print.
1. List several topics/areas the book has taught you about that the "Business of Being Born" either ignored or treated differently or in less depth.
In the second part of Ina May's book, the information is purely factual, contrary to the stories in the first part. One thing that I learned from the book that wasn't focused on in the movie was that the emotional feelings that a woman may have in labor can highly affect how the process turns out. For instance, on pg. 138, Ina describes how even the smallest problem can make a woman reverse her labor. She described a memory in which a woman's cervix began to close mid labor after someone walked into the room who she didn't feel very close to. Another topic that I learned about was the role of the placenta. I never knew how important it actually was until I read this book. On pg. 144, Ina goes into the scientific facts about the process of labor: "The placenta does the work that will later be taken up by the baby's lungs, digestive system, liver, excretory systems, and the two chambers of the baby's heart..." As you can see, the placenta is the main provider for the baby and basically lives for it. I found that part really interesting because neither the movie, nor anything else really, show just how important a lot of the different parts of the female reproductive system really are.
2. The major insight the book tries to communicate in the second 100 pages (1-3 sentences) and your response to that insight (2-4 sentences).
Ina May's book focuses a lot more on the positives of home birth rather than the negatives of hospitalized births. While the first part of the book is really emotionally tied and very pro-home birth, the second part is much more factual and based around the medical facts of what always happens and what may happen. I believe that there really is no insight to this section because there are no opinions being stated. In that case, my response would be that there should be a lot more knowledge about the facts instead of simply getting opinions from our family and friends.
3. List 5 interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in the second hundred pages that you agree deserve wider attention (include page number).
-On page 138, Ina goes into a lot of research about the control a woman's mind can have over her body while in labor. I think it would be interesting to look into what causes retraction or pausing for a long period of time and how that's related to the mind of the woman.
-On page 145, Ina describes exactly what is happening to a woman's body as she is going through labor. I think this deserves wider attention because most people don't know what is happening, only that it's "right."
-On page 158, Ina gets firsthand accounts from women who had orgasms or extreme feelings of pleasure during their labor and birthing process. I think this deserves to have wider attention because society sees birth as a disease or a problem that involves pain and horror when in fact, there are a lot of women who have had quite the opposite experience.
4. Independently research one crucial factual claim by the author in the second hundred pages and assess the validity of the author's use of that evidence.
On pg. 210, Ina uses a quote from the producer of a synthetic drug that was used a lot on pregnant women, but never FDA approved: "G. D. Searle, the manufacturer of Cytocec, [a pill used as a synthetic substance to soften the cervix and lower part of the uterus.] has stated that it does not plan to seek FDA approval for the drug's use in labor induction." She got this information from Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1998; 91:828-30
1. List several topics/areas the book has taught you about that the "Business of Being Born" either ignored or treated differently or in less depth.
In the second part of Ina May's book, the information is purely factual, contrary to the stories in the first part. One thing that I learned from the book that wasn't focused on in the movie was that the emotional feelings that a woman may have in labor can highly affect how the process turns out. For instance, on pg. 138, Ina describes how even the smallest problem can make a woman reverse her labor. She described a memory in which a woman's cervix began to close mid labor after someone walked into the room who she didn't feel very close to. Another topic that I learned about was the role of the placenta. I never knew how important it actually was until I read this book. On pg. 144, Ina goes into the scientific facts about the process of labor: "The placenta does the work that will later be taken up by the baby's lungs, digestive system, liver, excretory systems, and the two chambers of the baby's heart..." As you can see, the placenta is the main provider for the baby and basically lives for it. I found that part really interesting because neither the movie, nor anything else really, show just how important a lot of the different parts of the female reproductive system really are.
2. The major insight the book tries to communicate in the second 100 pages (1-3 sentences) and your response to that insight (2-4 sentences).
Ina May's book focuses a lot more on the positives of home birth rather than the negatives of hospitalized births. While the first part of the book is really emotionally tied and very pro-home birth, the second part is much more factual and based around the medical facts of what always happens and what may happen. I believe that there really is no insight to this section because there are no opinions being stated. In that case, my response would be that there should be a lot more knowledge about the facts instead of simply getting opinions from our family and friends.
3. List 5 interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in the second hundred pages that you agree deserve wider attention (include page number).
-On page 138, Ina goes into a lot of research about the control a woman's mind can have over her body while in labor. I think it would be interesting to look into what causes retraction or pausing for a long period of time and how that's related to the mind of the woman.
-On page 145, Ina describes exactly what is happening to a woman's body as she is going through labor. I think this deserves wider attention because most people don't know what is happening, only that it's "right."
-On page 158, Ina gets firsthand accounts from women who had orgasms or extreme feelings of pleasure during their labor and birthing process. I think this deserves to have wider attention because society sees birth as a disease or a problem that involves pain and horror when in fact, there are a lot of women who have had quite the opposite experience.
4. Independently research one crucial factual claim by the author in the second hundred pages and assess the validity of the author's use of that evidence.
On pg. 210, Ina uses a quote from the producer of a synthetic drug that was used a lot on pregnant women, but never FDA approved: "G. D. Searle, the manufacturer of Cytocec, [a pill used as a synthetic substance to soften the cervix and lower part of the uterus.] has stated that it does not plan to seek FDA approval for the drug's use in labor induction." She got this information from Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1998; 91:828-30
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Homework #38: Insights from book part 1
Gaskin, Ina. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. New York, NY: Random House, 2003. Print.
This book is fascinating to say the least. It’s structured by stories. So, every two or three pages is a new story by a different woman. I think the major question this book tries to answer is “Is birth as bad as people make it seem?” This is answered by having 100 pages of birth stories that are actually quite positive. The insight of the book so far is that birth is miraculous and wonderful and when done in the right setting, can be almost comfortable. I agree completely with this insight and I think that women everywhere should know that just because some women have terrible birth experiences, it doesn’t mean everyone would.
Some interesting aspects of pregnancies and birth that I believe should be publicized are that hospitalized births are not always horrible and home/center births are not always amazing. There’s good and bad in both. However, the way this book is written, is seems to be insinuating that births involving midwives only or revolving around The Farm (a large village in Alabama dedicated to making the birth process comfortable and carefree), are the best way to go and that hospitals are very uncomforting. Another aspect is that when the water breaks, it's really not necessary to panic or go to the hospital, or even call the midwives. In mast of the stories so far, the women said they took long walks after their water broke and even during labor. They say that they were told by the midwives to rest, take a shower or just go to sleep. For example, in a story by Tracey Sobel, she described how her labor took much longer than usual: "All three midwives had the same opinion: 'you might want to go for a walk.'" Apparently in most of these stories, walking helps to enduce labor so pitossin is actually quite unnecessary.
This book is fascinating to say the least. It’s structured by stories. So, every two or three pages is a new story by a different woman. I think the major question this book tries to answer is “Is birth as bad as people make it seem?” This is answered by having 100 pages of birth stories that are actually quite positive. The insight of the book so far is that birth is miraculous and wonderful and when done in the right setting, can be almost comfortable. I agree completely with this insight and I think that women everywhere should know that just because some women have terrible birth experiences, it doesn’t mean everyone would.
Some interesting aspects of pregnancies and birth that I believe should be publicized are that hospitalized births are not always horrible and home/center births are not always amazing. There’s good and bad in both. However, the way this book is written, is seems to be insinuating that births involving midwives only or revolving around The Farm (a large village in Alabama dedicated to making the birth process comfortable and carefree), are the best way to go and that hospitals are very uncomforting. Another aspect is that when the water breaks, it's really not necessary to panic or go to the hospital, or even call the midwives. In mast of the stories so far, the women said they took long walks after their water broke and even during labor. They say that they were told by the midwives to rest, take a shower or just go to sleep. For example, in a story by Tracey Sobel, she described how her labor took much longer than usual: "All three midwives had the same opinion: 'you might want to go for a walk.'" Apparently in most of these stories, walking helps to enduce labor so pitossin is actually quite unnecessary.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
For this assignment, I interviewed my mom, my best friend's mom, and my cousin. When I interviewed my mom, she went into a whole lot of detail that I feel are not necessary for online text. Most of her answers were brought out with feelings of joy and happiness. However, at some points there were hinted feelings of negativity like when remembering being locked in a private room following the information that her baby might be in stress. She also said that one of the hardest parts was the actual pushing. Another negative aspect was when my large head caused a hematoma. I guess it says something about me doesn't it. Although there were some minor negativities, her overall answers were similar to "incredulous, ecstatic and just overall jubilant at every moment." From this interview, my main reaction is that no matter how painful or negative the one moment might be, the entire experience is completely worth it. I think that the main reaction when first presented with one's own newborn is complete love and adoration.
My second interviewee was my best friend's mom who had two very different experiences with her two children. Her first child was when she was still in college and it was unexpected. She got kicked out and relied on her best friend's support throughout the pregnancy. She went into labor on a Thursday evening and didn't actually give birth until Sunday. She used doctors and went to a hospital but felt held down and trapped when the doctors wouldn't let her go anywhere or even walk around. She actually punched a nurse in the face. Another difficulty was that the umbilical cord got wrapped around her son's neck so they had to use forceps to push him back in order to unwrap it. However, all of these negativities were forgotten for the moment when she held her son for the first time and experienced great joy. Her second birth experience was a bit less stressful. With midwives and more family around her, she was able to have an easier time giving birth. Her daughter actually came out so fast that she didn't have time to make the expected preparations. I think that out of all of this, it shows that pregnancies aren't always happy and cuddly but almost always result in a beautiful baby that just brings back all of that happiness.
My third interviewee was my cousin who had to deal with being pregnant at 16, keeping a job, and staying at school. She told me that she wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of her parents. Another struggle was having to deal with judgments from the people around her such as teachers and fellow students. But she didn't let them get her down. She said that throughout the pregnancy, she was very emotional and sensitive; she often cried. She also said that when remembering the actual experience, all it was was PAIN. However, similar to my other interviews, her overpowering reaction to both kids was love at first sight. I think that even in the worst situations, having even one or two people there to help can make the whole experience worth it. Another thing is that if you don't let other people's thoughts bring you down, it can make the whole birth worthwhile.
From listening to these women describe their experiences, I want to look further into how doctors deal with the pregnancies that don't go according to plan. What are the procedures for dealing with problems with the baby or mother during labor and how do they compare to how midwives deal with them?
My second interviewee was my best friend's mom who had two very different experiences with her two children. Her first child was when she was still in college and it was unexpected. She got kicked out and relied on her best friend's support throughout the pregnancy. She went into labor on a Thursday evening and didn't actually give birth until Sunday. She used doctors and went to a hospital but felt held down and trapped when the doctors wouldn't let her go anywhere or even walk around. She actually punched a nurse in the face. Another difficulty was that the umbilical cord got wrapped around her son's neck so they had to use forceps to push him back in order to unwrap it. However, all of these negativities were forgotten for the moment when she held her son for the first time and experienced great joy. Her second birth experience was a bit less stressful. With midwives and more family around her, she was able to have an easier time giving birth. Her daughter actually came out so fast that she didn't have time to make the expected preparations. I think that out of all of this, it shows that pregnancies aren't always happy and cuddly but almost always result in a beautiful baby that just brings back all of that happiness.
My third interviewee was my cousin who had to deal with being pregnant at 16, keeping a job, and staying at school. She told me that she wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of her parents. Another struggle was having to deal with judgments from the people around her such as teachers and fellow students. But she didn't let them get her down. She said that throughout the pregnancy, she was very emotional and sensitive; she often cried. She also said that when remembering the actual experience, all it was was PAIN. However, similar to my other interviews, her overpowering reaction to both kids was love at first sight. I think that even in the worst situations, having even one or two people there to help can make the whole experience worth it. Another thing is that if you don't let other people's thoughts bring you down, it can make the whole birth worthwhile.
From listening to these women describe their experiences, I want to look further into how doctors deal with the pregnancies that don't go according to plan. What are the procedures for dealing with problems with the baby or mother during labor and how do they compare to how midwives deal with them?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Homework #35: Other People's thoughts on Birth
When asking about perspectives on birth, I found one thing to be a major pattern: pain. When asked, most of my peers' first bubble was pain. If most of society sees birth as something miraculous and wonderful, as seen through pop-culture and personal inquiry, then why is it that pain is the first thing that comes to mind? I asked my friend, Emily, if she would want a natural or anesthetized birth and she immediately responded with "give me an epidural, girl!" When asked why, she said the she just wouldn't be able to handle the pain.
Another pattern I found to be common when asked about fatherly roles was protection. A lot of my peers mentioned protection and deep care in their answers. I asked why and one of them responded with "because she's vulnerable." This made me wonder why we think that in a woman's strongest state and dealing with probably the hardest time of her life, she needs "protection." And just what do we expect when we say protection? A watchdog? Or just someone to keep us out of harm's way?
Another expectation from a lot of my peers was the "servant" aspect. When asked, a lot of them said the father should do everything for the mother and wait on her hand-and-foot. I think this comes from the idea that pregnant women aren't supposed to be under any stress and it's up to the father to keep that stress level down. When asked, Emily said, "just get her pickles at 3:00am and ice cream. Sympathize, don't criticize." I found some humor in that last line. According to popular culture and media, the men are expected to spend most of the third trimester doing everything for the mother. It's a wonder they're not tearing their hair out by the time the baby is actually born (although some might be close).
Another pattern I found to be common when asked about fatherly roles was protection. A lot of my peers mentioned protection and deep care in their answers. I asked why and one of them responded with "because she's vulnerable." This made me wonder why we think that in a woman's strongest state and dealing with probably the hardest time of her life, she needs "protection." And just what do we expect when we say protection? A watchdog? Or just someone to keep us out of harm's way?
Another expectation from a lot of my peers was the "servant" aspect. When asked, a lot of them said the father should do everything for the mother and wait on her hand-and-foot. I think this comes from the idea that pregnant women aren't supposed to be under any stress and it's up to the father to keep that stress level down. When asked, Emily said, "just get her pickles at 3:00am and ice cream. Sympathize, don't criticize." I found some humor in that last line. According to popular culture and media, the men are expected to spend most of the third trimester doing everything for the mother. It's a wonder they're not tearing their hair out by the time the baby is actually born (although some might be close).
Monday, February 14, 2011
Homework #34: Initial Thoughts on Birth
My first reaction to the concept of birth was a whole bunch of thoughts based on the scientific and emotional aspects of birth. However, when I stepped back and looked at them all on a piece of paper, they were all over the place and had no connections to each other. Diving into the evidence behind these reactions, I realized that most of my knowledge of the birthing process and birth itself comes from the various "doctor" shows I am currently watching such as Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. This gave me a new question as to whether or not they truly recreated the actual process of giving birth. When I asked my mom, she said that when they show someone in labor, be it Hollywood movies or TV shows, the actual scene doesn't last any more than five minutes. However, she said that in reality, labor can last as long as 48 hours, sometimes more. Lucky for her, my brother and I didn't take that long. I believe that TV and Hollywood shorten the length of birth because they could never have a scene that long and they only have enough time to show five minutes. However, a new question this develops is why do they romanticize the concept of giving birth by showing the baby as already clean and glowing when in actuality, babies are covered in blood and other fluids with the umbilical cord still attached? I know this both from my mother and a scarring video from 6th grade. From what my mother has told me, birth is a long and painful process that ends with more happiness and love than one can imagine (these are her feelings). I think in some cases the latter is not always true but again, this knowledge is only from what I've seen on TV. I have yet to experience such feelings but I hope I do at some point in my life.
Questions I have:
Why is it that if the maternal bond is so strong between a mother and her baby, she can still give her child up for adoption afterwards?
What is the dominantly expected role of the husband to play during a woman's pregnancy and labor?
Why is is so important to take prenatal vitamins when pregnant?
Why are women so hormonal from pregnancies?
Questions I have:
Why is it that if the maternal bond is so strong between a mother and her baby, she can still give her child up for adoption afterwards?
What is the dominantly expected role of the husband to play during a woman's pregnancy and labor?
Why is is so important to take prenatal vitamins when pregnant?
Why are women so hormonal from pregnancies?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Homework #31: Comments
Me to Elizabeth
I really liked the research you did. It was very different from a lot of the things people did. My favorite line was "But the etymology of "die" shows that over time, humans have tried to make the idea of dying happier by "euphemistically" changing words.” Because it showed how humans in general try to soften the blow of harsh terms or events.
Me to Amanda:
Amanda, I really enjoyed reading your blog. The whole topic was really interesting and I think your take on it was fascinating. My favorite line was "hospitals won’t make money unless 'death is kept alive.'" Your grandmother's POV is really interesting and I completely agree.
Arden to me:
Sarah,
I enjoyed your elevator speech. I thought your choice of topic was interesting and unlike most other projects. I’m exploring your blog for those reasons. The reasons I found this most interesting was the personal experience you chose to incorporate. It was capturing how you compared the doctors’ relationships to patients with the midwives relationship. From your post it seems the mid wife was significantly closer with the patient, but I’m curious to know what their relationship is like after the fact of giving birth.
My favorite line was the last one when you wrote, "By using both allopathic/conventional care and homeopathic care, one is able to get the maximum treatment needed to make their illness least painful and/or time consuming." Most people's initial choices are treatments that entail pain killer medication. The methods of homeopathic care are often over looked and can be more beneficial in some cases.
Well done.
I really liked the research you did. It was very different from a lot of the things people did. My favorite line was "But the etymology of "die" shows that over time, humans have tried to make the idea of dying happier by "euphemistically" changing words.” Because it showed how humans in general try to soften the blow of harsh terms or events.
Me to Amanda:
Amanda, I really enjoyed reading your blog. The whole topic was really interesting and I think your take on it was fascinating. My favorite line was "hospitals won’t make money unless 'death is kept alive.'" Your grandmother's POV is really interesting and I completely agree.
Arden to me:
Sarah,
I enjoyed your elevator speech. I thought your choice of topic was interesting and unlike most other projects. I’m exploring your blog for those reasons. The reasons I found this most interesting was the personal experience you chose to incorporate. It was capturing how you compared the doctors’ relationships to patients with the midwives relationship. From your post it seems the mid wife was significantly closer with the patient, but I’m curious to know what their relationship is like after the fact of giving birth.
My favorite line was the last one when you wrote, "By using both allopathic/conventional care and homeopathic care, one is able to get the maximum treatment needed to make their illness least painful and/or time consuming." Most people's initial choices are treatments that entail pain killer medication. The methods of homeopathic care are often over looked and can be more beneficial in some cases.
Well done.
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