Did you know time-walking is possible? I assure you it must be because I experienced it first-hand spending a day in a labor and delivery unit recently.
Why did I perceive a disturbance in the timeline?
- Admission to the unit when in early labor.
- Epidural placement prior to active labor.
- Labor induction without medical reason before 39 weeks.
- Allowing only “clears” (only broth, ice chips, popsicles, gelatin) during an induction or after epidural placement.
- High primary and repeat cesarean rates.
- Additional Interventions because of the above practices.
The most frustrating thing of all is that no one seemed to be bothered by how anti-evidence or anti-standard of care this all is.
I’ve attended more than 100 hospital births and many hundreds of homebirths; I’m absolutely gobsmacked by the laissez faire attitude toward the common usage of outdated practices and the absence of evidence-supported healthy practices.
Evidence shows how each of these practices increases interventions, maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. NO WONDER THE US ranks so poorly amongst all of the developed nations of the world.
NO WONDER women exhibit high rates of fear surrounding childbirth. What women are routinely experiencing in labor and delivery units is scary, trauma-producing, and increases poorer outcomes. It doesn’t resemble or imitate physiologic spontaneous birth and how positive it can be.
The fact that most women still can have vaginal births in the hospital is a TESTIMONY of how fantastically designed women and babies are, not that the interventions and practices are beneficial to most.
Drop me a comment or email. I would love to hear about your experiences.
