So many little stories every day as I support mothers through pregnancy, labor and those first precious weeks as they start their babymoon. Stories that are sometimes joyous and sometimes regret"full"; triumphant and sadly, sometimes partly a feeling of defeat.
Most mothers, given time and a little distance, are comfortable with sharing their birth story. However, out of respect for their privacy and a need to ensure they are not subjected to hurtful comments I feel it necessary to wait long enough lest some identifying details find their way in. I may not think I've included an identifying detail but what seems anonymous to me may not actually be so.
I remember when I first started "teaching" birth. I really was "teaching." I had a set curriculum, written out line by line what I was to cover and the order in which to cover it. Not to mention what I was "allowed" to include and what I wasn't allowed to include.
Let's see .... I was "allowed" to hand out the letter from Searle telling practitioners their drug, Cytotec, is not meant to induce labors. That was terrific because Cytotec is dangerous. It kills. Period.
I was not allowed to discuss with mothers various articles and midwives' experiences with recognizing a posterior baby and subsequently turning the baby during labor. A posterior baby is more commonly referred to as a "back labor." Back labor at the onset of birth is reported to occur in 17% to 30% of all births according to published reports. What I was seeing is that it was common for posterior labors to end up with pitocin, epidurals and subsequently cesareans. Here was something I was seeing with my own eyes, but my experience was not a good enough reason to talk to mothers and prepare them for the possibility of a back labor including what you can do during pregnancy to avoid a posterior presenting baby?
Time and again mothers would say to me "IF you know something ... tell us. Don't hold back."
I don't like gag orders. They do make me gag.
