An Unneccessary Cut - A documentary and a Kind Birth summary.

Follow this link to "An Unnecessary Cut"

Please take a few minutes to watch and share this short documentary with loved ones who are expecting a baby, or are planning/hoping to become pregnant in the near future.

The specific take-away's that I would like to focus on are:

A. Labor at home longer.  The new guidelines recently released by ACOG list active labor as 6 centimeters dilated.  There are some doctors who will send you on your way if you arrive and are less than 6cm, but most will still admit you due to liability.  By watching for some very specific signposts that are very common in active labor we can avoid many of the interventions that lead to others, that commonly land many women in the operating room, receiving the unnecessary cut.  All these active labor symptoms are described in detail in my book, "Expecting Kindness",which can be found on Amazon.com if you are unable to come sit in my classroom.

B. CHALLENGE YOUR PROVIDER.  We can not ignore that it is almost impossible to tell without thoughtful questioning, whether a doc is recommending pitocin, or an epidural, or a cesarean section because it is actually medically necessary, or if it is simply a time management decision.  They often will say the same things about why the intervention is being recommended either way.  "I feel it is in the best interest of the baby", "If we don't intervene……the baby may not tolerate labor well….you may not have the strength to push the baby out….your uterus may get tired and put you at risk of post partum hemorrhage"….or any number  of other potential risk factors that MIGHT come up later.  It is not fair to speculate about the potential risks of not intervening unless we also discuss the (more likely) potential risks of the intervention that they are proposing to prevent hypothetical risk factors associated with a longer labor.

C. Please get a DOULA and Educate yourself.  In my book, you will find all the tools you need to prepare for a birth with intervention limited to absolute medical necessity.  You will know how to ask questions and wait for informed, detailed answers to your questions in language that you can understand, which is their legal obligation.  You will also find a thorough explanation of the role of the doula and questions to ask your doula, your midwife and/or your obstetrician to make sure you have a team surrounding you that will treat you with respect, dignity, and kindness as you welcome a beautiful new life into the world, and into your family.