Last night I posted a video on my blog that told in satire a story I have seen played out over and over in the lives of my family and acquaintances (namely a cascade of intervention and over-medicalized birth). However, satire is rarely a wholesome form of critique. This video did not distinguish between a broken system and the people who work within that system. It was never my intent to criticize OB nurses, but by presenting them in charicaturized form, I did just that.
Further, it was never my intent to imply that how children are born is anywhere near as important as how they are raised. I do believe that birth is the unique province of women, and that it is our responsibility to educate each other about best and safest practices, but this is best done with gentleness and sincerity, not folly.
I am very sorry for my poor judgment on this. I have removed the video. Thank you to Kathy and Bethany for confronting me about this.
Dear Sister, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
I happened to view the video when you had it posted and appreciated the satirical take on today’s birth process. I saw it more as a potential conversation starter to make people think about differences between giving birth in this country compared to the “average” birth process in some other countries.
Any real discussion of any topic is likely to offend someone and I appreciate the way you always approach “opinionated” topics, with love and concern and by choosing your words so carefully.
At the same time I appreciate your concern for possibly offending OB nurses and I’m sure that anyone who reads your blog regularly would know you don’t ever mean to offend anyone.
Thanks for being sensitive.
I happened to be one of those people who have had four wonderful non-medicated natural no-IV HOSPITAL births. I never felt rushed or pushed in anyway. I would love to have a home birth – but my husband doesn’t agree – and I need to let him lead. I feel really blessed to have had such wonderful hospital experiences. It truly is a blessing from God and answered prayer that I don’t take for granted.
Thanks!
Gina
Sorry I missed the video. Thanks for being sensitive to the Holy Spirit in these things.
Our Hudson was a “home birth” in the hospital–pretty neat experience. He is still a weird kid–LOL.
It’s hard when you feel passionately about something not to offend someone. Speaking of videos, I am trying to do another Laundry Talk, and I’d like to give my testimony. Could you pray ? Thanks. Chin up, little one. We all make mistakes.
I watched the video when you posted it, and it was sad, because I agree that birth tends to be over-medicalized. But I am also glad that you took it down, because I was afraid that someone would see it who could be caused real pain by it. I wasn’t thinking of nurses or doctors being hurt, but for example I have a friend who lost her first baby for no known reason at full term and has agreed to be induced at 37 and 38 weeks for her second and third pregnancies. While induction that early is normally not necessary, how can I judge her for choosing it when I haven’t been through something like she has been through?
Thanks for your sensitivity as always
Jena,
I will certainly pray for you! I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
I didn’t see anything wrong with the video. In fact, I went ahead and found it on YouTube and posted it to my own blog. No bad response so far.
The video is clearly aimed at the birth process which is blindly followed by the medical community at large. If OB nurses are a part of that, it’s not their fault. They are trained to do these things. However, some of them and the doctors they work with are getting out of the system or are seeking a better way.
Perhaps we should include a link to CIMS (Council for Improving Maternity Services) or something where both mothers and nurses may find helpful and encouraging information regarding improving maternity services in hospitals, in birthing centers, and in home births. In fact, I’m going to do that right now!
God bless and thank you for your wonderful blog!
I didn’t see the video before you took it down, but I was able to catch it at the above commenter’s site. Personally I don’t feel like you needed to apologize. I was clearly a satire. And sadly the direction our healthcare is going. It was actually really interesting for me to watch it, because that is exactly what happened to me…right down to the c-section.
Fortunately with my second I was able to find a doctor who was wonderful and let me have an all natural vbac. Both the docs and the nurses were wonderful and helpful. But those are few and far between. And if word doesn’t get out somehow they will not exist at all.
Hmmmm…..I didn’t find it offensive at all. But I didn’t fine it particularly funny, either — it was similar to the experience I had, and the one I chose to have again and again. I am an elective c-section type of girl!
Hi you know this was pretty close to my birth stories, only my waters broke at 37 and 38 weeks respectively and then had to go through all that. Not to sound mean or anything but I really dont think people can point the finger at things if they never experienced it. Not just for you but in general, it seems the consensus is that if a woman has not experienced homebirth then she is less of a christian.
Having babies is high risk in itself without the added diagnosis’ from the medical world. Women around the world are still dying in birth because they lack the medical attention we are so blessed to have. A women whose birth story was like mine did not progress naturally after her waters broke at 37 weeks and after being in labour for 7 days her baby was born dead, he had died 4 days earlier inside the womb. She suffered serious infections and died aswell.
The reason the medical staff are over diagnosing is because they know and have seen these birth stories a 1001 times.
Sorry I really am not directing this to you, just I think people need to hear both sides…
I certainly don’t think a woman who has not experienced homebirth is less of a Christian (or that a woman who has is more for that matter). However, I do think the medical model in the US could reasonably be described as anti-religious, or at least not very compatible with Christianity. The basic underlying principle in US obstetrics is that pregancy and childbirth are problems to be solved and that most births would end in disaster without intervention. This, in my opinion, is in direct conflict with a philosophy that a woman’s body is designed to give birth, that our bodies know at the core what to do, and that the whole process is pretty miraculous and we would do well to just get out of the way as much as possible.
This is absolutely not to say that there are not cases where medical intervention is totally necessary and a definite blessing! It sounds like this is the situation for you, Mrs. Tumbas. But when a reasonable and intelligent woman like L says “I am an elective C-section type of girl” I believe there is something seriously wrong with our whole childbirth culture. Mrs. Tumbas says “Women around the world are still dying in birth because they lack the medical attention we are so blessed to have”, which is true, but it is also true that women are dying in childbirth in the US precisely because we have the medical system that we have. Right now the US maternal mortality rate is 40th out of 181 countries. I find this apalling. Our maternal mortality rate went from 12 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 17 in 2008 at the same time that the C-section rate increased to over 30%. A woman is 4 times more likely to die after a C-section than after giving birth vaginally. There are increased risks to the baby as well.
Note: You can check my statistics with Amnesty International, the CDC, etc.
“But when a reasonable and intelligent woman like L says ‘I am an elective C-section type of girl’ I believe there is something seriously wrong with our whole childbirth culture.” —-> two words, narrow pelvis. In fact, you can make it three words, and say, extremely narrow pelvis.
I don’t claim to be all that reasonable and intelligent, nor can I speak for the entire state of “childbirth culture,” but I can say with confidence that I did the right thing for my family.