Comments | andrewducker: Interesting Links for 15-09-2013

andrewducker

Interesting Links for 15-09-2013

Sep 15, 2013 12:00

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Comments 11

drdoug September 15 2013, 13:35:00 UTC

Blimey but that bedtime story story smells like bollocks.

Quick notes: it's a churnalism marketing "survey", not published, actual questions and methodology concealed. "On the wane" and even "in demise" (in some other papers) in headline when *no* comparison with the past. And looks like the write up takes "times mother does not read story" as "times child is not read a story". (My kids' mother would report reading a story to them about 50% of the time. Because I do the other 50%. Some fathers I know do 100%. And I know of at least one under 7 who preferred to read their own stories at bedtime, because reading out loud was too slow and boring.)

danieldwilliam September 15 2013, 17:12:59 UTC

Aye - bedtime story reading a shared activity in my household. The Capt chooses who is reading his stories. He more often picks his mum but this depends on who he's seen most of during the day.

woodpijn September 15 2013, 17:33:43 UTC

Agreed. Also it focuses only on bedtime stories, rather than shared reading in general. Bedtime might not work well for some children or some families, but they might still be reading together in the daytime.

helflaed September 15 2013, 18:04:15 UTC

Freebirthing? Too many chances for things to go wrong. Umbilical strangulation, tears, placental abruption, haemorage, baby getting stuck...

You need someone there to look after the mother and baby (oh and if they are getting paid for it then they SHOULD have insurance). Even the most straightforward birth can go wrong- everything was fine with the birth of my elder son until he came out with a cord around his neck and a hand over his face. As it was the midwives sorted out the cord and I was stitched up pretty quickly and lost only 500ml blood, but without good midwifery care it could have been a very different story for both of us.

Bloody stupid idea.

apostle_of_eris September 15 2013, 20:21:13 UTC

Yeah, "freebirthing" is safe except when it isn't. Which you can find out is happening with no warning at all.
Being in another jurisdiction entirely, and a male beyond reproductive age, it's not my ox being gored, but I suspect the politics of buttressing the medical monopoly stink.

helflaed September 16 2013, 07:06:01 UTC

I do live in the UK. Medical treatment here is free (you might have to pay a bit for prescriptions, dental care and eyecare, but it's a relatively small set amount)

Antenatal birth and postnatal care are completely free on the NHS. Homebirths are available and I was offered it both times- in fact the midwife was very keen to push the option the second time (as it was, I preferred to do it in hospital both times, but the choice was there). Oh and they weren't keen on intervening if they could help it.

If the mother wants, she can hire a midwife privately, but yes, as they now have to have insurance they will cost more. But that's her choice.

There are laws here against unqualified people acting as midwives, these were brought in during the 19th century to reduce the deathrates. Getting someone in to deliver the baby can put them at risk of prosecution, which is why freebirthers tend to try to do it solo.

Crazy idea.

ajr September 16 2013, 22:28:05 UTC

Freebirthing? Too many chances for things to go wrong. Umbilical strangulation, tears, placental abruption, haemorage, baby getting stuck...

My thoughts exactly.

I mean, I'd like to say it was safe, because - especially given I'm a bloke - I don't want it to sound like I'm shouting down something I don't understand from a position of privilege. But. Doesn't the historical record speak for itself? Didn't childbirth use to be one of the most dangerous things women could do? Wasn't "died in childbirth" once a commonplace statement rather than the shocking one it is now? No matter how I much I read about it, I'm yet to be convinced that freebirthing isn't just another example of the "Natural=Good" fallacy.

ashfae September 15 2013, 22:12:15 UTC

Freebirthing: is giving birth without medical support safe?

Haven't clicked this one yet. NO. NO IT'S NOT. WHY ARE YOU EVEN ASKING THIS QUESTION? Yeesh, has whoever thinks this is a good idea missed out on how many women and children used to die in childbirth, or still do in places without medical support??? (and I'm not biased at all, of course)

Okay. Shall read article now.

...Nope, still think the idea is completely insane. Moving on.

Is reading bedtime stories to children on the wane?

Don't worry, we're making up for all the people who aren't doing it. ...though hang on, *every* night? I'm not sure even we will manage that.

danieldwilliam September 16 2013, 10:09:26 UTC

My wife and I got pally with several of the couples from our NCT anti-natal classes. After a few of them had had a second round of babies we fell into a conversation about medicalisation of birth and the safety of giving birth and then started totting up the life threatening incidents in each of the births of our children.

Of the four couples and six children involved I think births without access to modern medicine would have left us with 1 mother and two motherless children left alive.

I’m pretty sure our group is a statistical blip but it was a sobering conversation and re-enforced my view that babies ought to be born in hospital or at the very least with a qualifed mid-wife in attendance and a fast route for other medics to get to the birth or bring the birth to them if needed.

ashfae September 16 2013, 11:22:50 UTC

I entirely agree. Those are higher numbers than even I expected, but I'm not sure it's as much of a blip as that. Birth is a complicated and dangerous process even at the best of times, for all that it's also "completely natural". It's so easy for something to go wrong, and once something does go wrong, time is absolutely crucial. Not having someone on hand to be prepared for the eventuality is inconcievable to me.

apostle_of_eris September 16 2013, 13:48:27 UTC

It seems I misunderstood.
In the States, the ownership of [privilege of defining] Medicine has been a savage political struggle for over a century*. I assumed that was an exclusion of non-club members.
I agree that birth attended only by one amateur is a Bad Idea.

* We've recently had a largely unnoticed overturn amongst the contestants. For a long time, the practical definition of medicine was "whatever the American Medical Association says it is", but now it's now "whatever is covered by health insurance", so practitioners of excluded methodologies no longer petition the medical establishment for recognition, they petition the insurance companies to be included in coverage.