40 Insights from part 3

Hey Peggy Vincent, thanks for writing Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a midwife. Your main argument which compared the differences between a doctor and midwife made me rethink birth and pregnancy and how I will pursue my birth when the time comes.

Well, in the last third of the book you focused on the do's and don't of being a midwife which connected back to the first 2/3rd's of the book. But let me be more specific.

1. Why didn't you have personal limitations on the people you would give home births too? What about your beliefs made your boundaries so broad? Page 220

2. What about being a midwife affects the decision for insurance not to cover you? page 233

3. When assisting in a hospital birth why aren't you allowed to give/ say your opinion to the mother in labor? What about having a midwife license changes the privileges you have in the hospital? If you good go back on repeat any hospital birth you had a part in which one would you change? page 244

"But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?" You answer,

Well, lets be clear your text sought to provide historical analysis of how midwifery has grown over the years, and policy analysis by explaing all the privileges midwives have gained since they first started their practice. From the perspective of a midwife who struggled to gain the respect from not only your peers but from respected doctors you have done a great job portraying your beautiful journey as a midwife. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, to describe experiences were you went against the hospitals authority and it resulted in a better ending then if everyone would have followed hospital protocol. 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 struggles midwifes had to go through in order to gain all the respect they have now and what it truly means to be a midwife emotionally and physically. In fact, I'm likely to do more research on the privileges midwifes are allowed due to the stories you recapped in your book.

The author replies, "Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!"

HW 39 Insights Part 2

1. Vincent, Peggy. Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a modern midwife. New York: Scribner, 2002. Print.

Business of being born shows a different side to how the doctors treat the mothers in labor, they show that the doctors do care and are very willing to help the mothers in birth. While in Baby Catcher the doctors are seen as bad guys who could care less about the mother , they just want to deliver the baby. Another thing that Business of being born does different is after birth they don't go into detail about what happens with the baby or with the mother, while in Baby Catcher Peggy Vincent goes into detail about how she cuts the umbilical cord and how she handles the placenta. Business of being born also doesn't get into how age affects a birth, while Peggy Vincent goes into detail with two different birth stories on how age caused different side affects during birth.

2. Major insights: The second hundred pages have basically the same major insight as the first hundred pages except some deaths during pregnancy occur, so Peggy Vincent makes it a point to let the mothers know that they can always try again and have a "spirit baby". She also makes it clear that regardless of the setting of the birth (hospital or home) death's during pregnancy can and will occur.

My thoughts: I agree with Peggy Vincent, if a mother loses a baby during birth she should try to conceive again if that's what her and her family want. I also agree that the pain of losing a child will never completely go away but it will get easier as time goes on just like any death that occurs.

3. Interesting aspects:

1. The points in which a home birth has to be taken to the hospital. page 119-121

2. Spirit babies. page 126

3. How babies die in the womb/ during birth. Page 148- 150

4. How placentas are used. page 154-155

5. The affect of age during birth/pregnancy. page 127

4: Independent research: How does age affect birth

"Women usually have some decrease in fertility starting in their early 30s. It often takes a woman in her mid-30s or older longer to conceive than a younger woman. Men also may have some decrease in fertility starting in their late 30s" As woman increase in age they become less fertile which causes many issues, the main one being it is a lot harder to get pregnant. This supports what Peggy Vincent brought up because she was very unsure about getting pregnant at her old age and the quote supports her doubts, one being that she may not be able to conceive. Peggy Vincent's evidence is factual because it is a known and proven fact that as woman get older it is harder to get pregnant.

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/trying_after35.html

HW 38 Insights

1. The book Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent is an non fiction story about Peggy Vincent's experience with giving birth and helping others give birth.

3. Major insight:

There are two major insights, one being that woman shouldn't resort to narcotics as a first option when feeling pain during birth, they should try more natural things, such as singing, humming, breathing, dancing, or anything to calm themselves down. The second major insight is that midwives have a different way of looking at birth then doctors do.

"Midwives believe birth is normal till proven otherwise. Doctors don't" Page 58 Doctors resort to drugs and operations to make the process faster, when that only slows it down.

4. My insights: I agree with Peggy Vincent when it comes to midwives think about birth differently then doctors because midwives have a different perspective on birth and are looking out for the mothers best interest, while doctors are just trying to get the pregnancy over with.

Interesting aspects of birth: 1. During the beginning of Peggy's journey with helping delivering babies she hit some walls on weather or not doing subtle things such as changing the way you breath or changing the position someone gives birth really change the amount of pain woman feel when giving birth. 2. Peggy Vincent made it know that midwives should not be seen as someone less then a doctor and that there way of dealing with birth is more reliable then doctors, when dealing with pain and having normal births. 3. Less narcotics a pregnant woman uses during the time she gives birth the better off the mother is in the end. 4. Practice giving birth before you give birth, so your husband can get prepared as well. 5.

5. Authors use of evidence: Peggy Vincent uses a great amount of evidence but mostly based off of personal experience, I haven't read any statistics or anything comparing real doctors to real midwives. In my reading I am touching on the midwife topic so hopeful Peggy Vincent will compare a real doctor to a real midwife and see how the differ.

Comments

My comment to Evan D.

It was very interesting how you interviewed multiple mothers who had C- Sections and how they both said it was less painful. Your interviews were very detailed and intriguing, one thing you could work on is digging deeper and analyzing what the mothers said about birth. Other then that your post was very good I can't wait to read more.

Evan's comment to me

I like that you found three birth stories that were different and unique to one another. I thought it was interesting that you questioned the mothers diet in story two as if she could have prevented her baby from being fat. You questioned the mother’s actions in story one as if she did something to her stomach to almost lead her baby to death. I don’t think a mother would try to kill her child right before it is born. Do you think these things happed only because of the mother or are these things common? I think you could have elaborated on the story a bit more.

My comment to Michelle

Your blog was very interesting although the person you interviewed answered with "bubbles", It would have been interesting to see how her answers would have changed if you made her dig deeper with her thoughts. Your questions were very interesting and well thought about. One thing you could improve on she spelling and grammar, other then that I really enjoyed reading your post.

Michelle's comment to me

I liked that most of the questions you asked were new and have not been discussed in class, so it'd be interesting to hear what our classmates view on them would be. The line I found was the best was where you went deeper into the baby story by asking questions than just making bubbles, "What about the babies position made the umbilical cord choke the baby? How could this have been prevented? and Was it the mother's fault or the babies fault?" What would have made your post even better was if you questioned these people you interviewed to go deeper into the bigger picture.But besides that, Good Job!

Hw 36 Birth stories

Birth Story 1:

My birth was a pretty dramatic experience for my mom and now makes a unique story. About a week before my due date, I did a somersault in my mom's stomach and the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. My mom had a strong feeling that something went wrong so she went straight to the hospital. Before she knew it, she was under heavy drugs and had no choice but to have a cesarean section. My family considers this a blessing and from time to time we all think about how different things would have been if my mom didn't follow her instincts.

It was interesting to hear how even though the umbilical cord wrapped around the babies neck the baby survived. Another interesting point was the fact that her family till this day still think her birth was a blessing.

This story fits in society's image of birth for the most part except for the baby being choked by its own umbilical cord (even tho it has happened before.) What about the babies position made the umbilical cord choke the baby? How could this have been prevented? and Was it the mother's fault or the babies fault?

I want to explore what makes an umbilical cord choke a baby.

Birth story 2:

My mother was in bed rest from 17 weeks to 32 weeks and it was pretty horrible. It was a normal vaginal delivery and it went as planned. I was not a fat baby but I was very chubby.

It was interesting that although the baby wasn't extremely fat and not premature the mom still had to be in best rest for such a long period of time.

Because of the vaginal delivery the pregnancy was normal, as for being bed ridden for so long I don't know how common that is. If the baby wasn't fat what made the mother bed ridden for so long? Also if the mother changed her diet could she have prevented the amount of time she was bed ridden?

I want to explore what about pregnancy makes the mother bed ridden.

Birth story 3:

There wasn't anything weird about my birth just things that occurred on my birthday were a little out of the ordinary. The first batman movie was put into theaters the day of my birth and after I was born my mother got a bear and left. I wish there was more to say about my birth but it was a perfect birth and my mother said it wasn't very painful.

It was interesting how the most memorable thing for the family is that on the day of the babies birth the batman movie came out, I found it humorous that her mother got a beer and just left without seeing if the baby was alright or not.

For society this birth is considered "normal" except for what occurred afterwards, the mother left and got a beer instead of checking on the baby. Aren't there procedure's that a mother has to follow before they leave the hospital?

I want to explore what procedures must be done before a mother leaves the hospital.

Hw 35

1. How would your parents feel if you got pregnant?

Susan:My mother would say "What happened? I always told you to keep your legs closed and your eyes open, now your life will be much more difficult" So she would be really disappointed.

Samantha: OMG, they would be in total shock and disappointed.

Catherine: My mom would be upset, but would help me raise the baby, or babies if they were twins or triplets.

2. Does the way society act towards teenage pregnancy upset you?

Susan: No, because I believe young people should have a a social life for as long as possible.

Samantha: No, because we are too young to take care of kids 24/7.

Catherine: I guess it upsets me a little, but it is what it is and I can't really change it.

3. If you could change one thing about the birth process what would it be?

Susan: I would change the whole pain thing.

Samantha:Let the man go through the pregnancy!

Catherine: How long it takes for the process to happen because there are really good medicines that make the pain go away.

4. Would your opinion about birth change if you knew your child had a high risk of having a disability?

Susan: No, every life is worth something.

Samantha:Yes definitely, I would terminate the pregnancy. It would be double the work.

Catherine: Who ever says yes is shallow, I would take care of the baby

5. If your child was born with both organs how would you decide which organ to keep?

Susan: That's a tough one, I would wait until the babies older.

Samantha: OH JESUS, It would have to be which ever one the baby had more of. If it had ovaries then goodbye penis, if it had no ovaries then hello penis.

Catherine: I don't really know, I guess I would wait until the baby got older and see what the baby is more comfortable with.

After looking over my interviewers answers It was obvious that all 3 girls parents would be highly upset and disappointed if there daughter got pregnant. These answers seemed very common and just bubbles, each answer was a sentence or to long, but I'll take some of the blame because the structure of my questions could be at fault. I found it very interesting that when asked if there was a high risk of the baby coming out with a disability would that change your opinion about birth, Samantha said she would automatically have an abortion. I tried to dig deeper and ask her why she was so quick to say she would have an abortion. She just kept repeating it would be to much work and the child wouldn't have a good life. Sam didn't really take time to think about her answer and just regurgitate things to me, if she would have taken a minuet more to think I believe her answer would have had a better explanation to why she would want to abort a baby just because it would have a disability.

When asking about the baby and if it had both organs, I wasn't looking for serious answers but after hearing the answers given they made sense. I would wait till the baby grew older in order to make the decision on which sex the baby should be. I feel like that would be a very difficult decision, what if I picked the wrong sex? Would that make the child gay? Its amazing how a decision that won't affect the child until 7 to 8 years after could cause a life long issue. After surveying people it is easy to say that when having sex you must really make sure your ready for a child regardless of if you have safe sex. Yes this is something most of us are taught once we learn about the birds and the bees but as one gets older it becomes reality and birth is something that changes some one's life forever.

HW 34 Initial thoughts on birth

Although I understand the process of making a baby, the whole concept still amazes me. At the age of 17 it is still hard to understand what exactly goes on during the birth process and why it takes 9 or so months. In movies they make the whole idea of birth look fun and exciting, but in reality birth is a painful and long process. One thought that I have always had was if women/girls (young teenagers) weren't able to have babies until after college, this would save a lot of hardship and stress in young women's lives. Obviously this is unrealistic but it makes sense, and I don't see any cons to it.

When I think about birth the T.V show Teen Moms pops into my head because I'm around there age and at any point that could have been me ( If I liked guys and if I ever decided to have sex let alone unprotected sex) Shows such as Teen mom make teenage mothers look bad, not all teenage mother's are irresponsible and careless. People should be more open to helping teen mothers in need, even tho they made the decision to have the baby. My last thought about birth is that I am against abortion unless the mother has been raped.

Questions

Why is the process 9 months?

Will there be easier ways in the future to give birth?

What are the pros and cons about hospital births vs. home births?

Why don't we remember our time in the womb?