Crossroads

[skjaere]

I've been drifting along, seeking a new path for a while now, and I think I may have found something I'd like to do. It doesn't look like the training is terribly expensive (compared with going back to Uni), and it's a very direct form of activism. I don't imagine there's a whole lot of money in it, but the work sounds very satisfying, which is

Comments

[superl99]

I don't know what this particular doula's views are as I haven't had time to look over the blog, but can I suggest you read this blog as well?
http://skepticalob.blogspot.com/

[lyndagb]

Damn, Mary I think your LJ is incompatiable with explorer! That's the third time I've lost a comment!

Don't ncessarily read that blog. Based on my quick reading it's a fairly extreme obstetrician (who actually IS in direct financial competition with midwives for cases, unlike in the UK where they work in a complementary way mostly) in a system where there is usually no options of milder pain relief and heavily interventionist approaches to labour are perceived as normal.

As for the waterbirth comment - are the sheets of her delivery beds, the bloody, possibly contaminated (don't ask) vaginas of her 'patients' so pristine that she thinks a pool is sooooo much worse? And it's nothing like sticking your head in the loo thanks so much. I mis-spent plenty of time head hanging over the bowl in my younger years my birth pool smelled pretty damn sweet in comparison. And there was no poo.

She may not be as nut-job-ish in other parts but I was getting to angry to continue!

[superl99]

I'm not saying everything she says is right, and she has a very sensationalist style, but I agree with her about the hijacking of 'womanhood' and especially childbirth by biological essentialists and anti-rationalists. The idea that nature knows what it's doing is rubbish, as humans have evolved to be complete crap at giving birth compared to every other mammal due to our upright walking modifications

[lyndagb]

Yeah okay, your version seems much more reasonable

[lyndagb]

Have you read Grantly Dick-Read's work on childbirth in other cultures? V good. and Birth Without Fear gives a pretty gobsmacking view on the older medicalised practices in the West where women were routinely knocked out for labour and of course woke up to a baby they couldn't remember delivering. Nice. It does at least ake one feel better about modern obstetrics in comparison!

(I should note, modern obstetrics is a fantastic amazing thing and for any complicated pregancy or labour its practitioners are gods among men. But they aren't necessary in most births.)

[superl99]

Sorry, but you should read the posts on Grantly Dick-Read: http://skepticalob.blogspot.com/2008/08/mother-is-factory.html
There are several others, but basically he was a eugenics advocate who wanted upper class women to outbreed the inferiors. Do you really think childbirth doesn't hurt or cause high death rates among the 'primitives'?

[lyndagb]

I think it hurts; I don't think it hurt so badly in a normal birth (vs say back-to-back or more serious complications which I haven't experienced) that women should be sedated. I also think that the women he used as case studies were in much better shape in general than your average 21st CEntury Western woman so I'm reserving judgement on whether I'd have had an easier time if I'd done more sit ups and running prior to getting pregnant! In terms of non-Western cultures the comparison is between those 'primitives' who experience the kind of births I described above (constant support, own safe environment, active positions, not sedated/heavily anaesthatised) as standard, and the standard horizontal, doped-up births he was trained in at the time. That's not to say that human labour isn't dangerous, it demonstrably is for some people even in the most favourable circumstances, but that it isn't as dangerous as we can make it when we ignore what works best for the mother in favour of what works best for those attending. Which is

[superl99]

Sedation is not appropriate, but there is nothing wrong with pain relief. I just worry that his motivations caused him to make stuff up; that is certainly Dr. Tuteur's allegation, but I haven't found enough information about him to determine the truth about that. The whole NCB thing just smacks of anti-science quackery to me, which is probably why I've always felt rather uncomfortable with it.

[elanya]

Were you talking about becoming a doula, or an 'abortion Doula' in particular? I have a childhood friend who is a doula, and if you want I can put you in touch with her. I will admit that I don't find she is always very objective about things, but it could be helpful. I don't know what her stance is on abortion stuff, but I'm sure she would be happy to talk to you about it.

[chiv]

Based on the page you linked to I was more than a little unsettled; 'radical' 'activist' tends to suggest singled-minded, dogmatic preaching with minimal compromise for/with those of a different opinion - which is frankly the last thing I'd expect to be useful for expecting/new mothers/parents.

Which is pretty much at odds with your recent pursuits.

So, I read on and was relieved to discover that the approach was the radical bit, rather than the advice/support being given, i.e. from what I gather approaching the support by informing the mother on all options, rather than mainlining her into one particular option. Okay, it's on overly simple summary but up until I read this Dula was the name of a red house in Lampeter.

So long as the agenda being pushed here is objective and compassionate support for the mother/parents then brilliant, go for it. If it's to push a political/philosophical agenda on expectant parents then... well I think that's a bit cold and opportunistic to be honest.