I am nearly speechless after reading this, this, and this all about the dangerous practice of giving women so much pitocin to induce or speed up labor that the baby goes into distress and a c-section must be performed. This is being done ON PURPOSE by doctors. It's called "pit to distress". The docs order that the highest dose be given so that the "baby will prove himself". These doctors just want to speed the process up and get women in and out of there as fast as possible. Never mind the mother or baby's well being. I am so appalled.
For anyone out there having an induction or hospital birth, please, please, please don't let them keep "uping the pit" if you are having steady contractions.
I knew that inductions often led to c-sections... but on purpose?! This is beyond unethical. Any doctor doing this should have their license revoked.
And to make us all feel even better about this (ha!), my father, the general surgeon, says that most OBs are the "worst surgeons out there" and "you don't want them cutting you open."
I know I already told you the story, but that's what almost happend with Savanna - they gave me pitocin, broke my water and boom - Savanna was in distress. Thankfully though they stopped my labor and then re-started it super slow so we were able to avoid a c-section, but, like I said before, because of that I would never want to be induced again or anything un-natural!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that they did stop the pit because from what I've been reading with a lot of women, they don't and just go for the c-section.
ReplyDeleteugh this makes me so mad, too!!! Thanks for posting this; I am not against doctors by any means, but there are SO many things a woman has to watch out for during labor!!! It's so infuriating! I'm just as appalled as you are. >:o( (that's an angry face, by the way- ha!)
ReplyDeleteWow! You know, out of the two hospitals I've delivered in, I can definitely see how one hospital would lean this way--they gave me three bags of Pit there (at Utah Valley) and just kept pushing the interventions. It was SO different with my second baby--they were way more relaxed and willing to let the baby come on her own schedule. It didn't feel nearly as much like an assembly line--in Utah my doctor even told me (as he was sewing me up) that since I had BYU insurance, he'd recommend that I get out of the hospital as fast as possible to save myself some money.
ReplyDeleteAAARGH! Katrina, this stuff really gets me going!
ReplyDeleteKatrina. I enjoyed reading that...well, not enjoyed, but you know what I mean. A similar thing happened to me with Kylie and I ended up with a c-section. It's always bothered me a huge amount, especially when I had to have two more after that. It's very frustrating and it stole my experience of delivering a baby the natural way. Anyway. I can't dwell on it or else it makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteSo, I follow this vegan blog that is fantastic. (By the way, I've gone almost 100% vegan this past month and I am absolutely loving it. I owe it all to you!) Anyway, I read this post yesterday and for some reason while I was reading it, I kept thinking it was your blog that I was reading. But some of the details just didn't add up and I realized, this isn't Katrina! But...it totally could have been. She sounds just like you and she's in Provo! Check her out if you haven't already. http://veganmothering.blogspot.com/2009/07/breastfeeding-cows-milk-and-lies-people.html
Gosh that is alarming and interesting. I guess it also makes me super grateful for the doctor/nurses that I had, who in fact followed proper procedure with the Pit and not only turned it up slowly, but immediately turned it off once my contractions got too strong. Anyway, I think this is a perfect example about how being really educated about childbirth can save you in the end. Most woman would have no idea what variable decels were, or how too strong contractions could affect their baby. Yikes. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, I am not anti-doctor either. I am just anti-bad doctors who continue to use interventions that research says are dangerous. It is so frustrating. AND... although I cannot stress enough how important it is to educate ourselves on these matters, we really SHOULD be able to trust our doctors to do what is best for us and our baby. The fact that we can't is so disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI can see how that happens, but not all doctors are bad. I LOVE mine and wouldn't go to anyone else! I did need a c-section my second time around due to heart decels, but my doctor did everything to try and relax myself and the baby first. I was induced, which I asked for. Blame it on my impatience I guess. Anyway, I just wanted to stress that not all doctors are skeezy like those you are reading about.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info though.
No, I haven't heard of them. I'll check it out!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I do know there are great doctors out there. I'm really glad your doctor did what he could.
My dad is an ob and he would beg to differ with your dad :).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would like to believe (and I do) that the vast majority of docs are not TRYING to make women deliver via c-section. Perhaps that is true in some (sad) cases, but I think most doctors genuinely want what is best for their patients.
My dad is an ob and he would beg to differ with your dad :).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would like to believe (and I do) that the vast majority of docs are not TRYING to make women deliver via c-section. Perhaps that is true in some (sad) cases, but I think most doctors genuinely want what is best for their patients.
Ha ha, Liz. yes, I'm sure there are plenty of fine surgeon OBs. :-)
ReplyDeleteI would definitely like to believe that most of the time docs don't intend to do c-sections. I do think that perhaps more than we realize are too happy to cut though. The model of care they are taught and get used to is just geared toward interventions and not towards being patient and letting the body do its thing.
Of course, there are ALWAYS exceptions and many fine OBs out there as well. I'm sure your dad is one of them. :-)
There are so many appalling things out there. You start to feel a bit like a deer caught in the headlights... all the time.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd known what your dad said before I had my little one. My little guy was coming in at a wrong angle, and the stupid midwife let me push for four hours without any progress, and then she finally decided to call in the OB. The Ob said we could do forceps or a c-section. By that time, I really felt like the c-section was the way to go, but they wouldn't allow me to make the decision, saying that my husband had to make it since I'd been pushing for so long. The OB promised to prepare my body for the forceps, but then changed her mind since she thought I was stretching so well. I ended up with a fourth degree tear, an abcess, a hematoma, incontinence, three surgeries, and now am six months postpartum waiting for my next surgery to fix what has become a fistual and so much scar tissue that a doctor can't even see my cervix. (You can imagine what my husband has been going through - or not going through - for six months now.)
ReplyDeleteMy old OB in the States agreed to see me when I was home visiting family, and he basically told me that my body is so damaged that I'll have to have a c-section if God gives us any more children. But of course, to have more children, I first have to have a healed body to even begin to try.
The OB in Canada who did the forceps and then operated on me before I wised up and realized she was horrid told me that most women in other countries just "hold their legs together" and don't get repaired with injuries like mine. She acted like she was really indulging me by fixing me.
There are so many things wrong with giving birth these days. It shouldn't be like this. Healthy women like me shouldn't have their lives essentially put on hold because of medical care like this. And we should ALWAYS have a choice.
I wish your dad could have rescued me.
Inkling... I am so deeply sorry for what you have endured and continue to endure because of faulty care during birth. I hope your body will be able to heal and you'll be able to have another child someday.
ReplyDeleteI've put off commenting on several of these related posts. Mostly because I feel passionate about birth, the inner-strength that comes from our Father in Heaven during child-birth. Being a woman is such a gift and childbearing and motherhood are the closest I've yet felt to my eternal potential. I'm truly grateful for OBs out there doing their job to the best of their ability. Even more grateful for doctors and midwives who see this great role, process, and encourage the parents to follow their path (whatever this path may be: hospital, home, birthcenter) to experience this beautiful gift given from our maker. I treasure my three kiddos, their births (all at home, two of the three were waterbirths), and feel it the appropriate beginning to the epic adventure they are leading.
ReplyDeleteAs to spacing...a friend just asked me the same question yesterday. All I could think about was you, Katrina. The best answer I know is to follow your heart. Everyone is different. I begin having dreams about our next arrival, tell the designer, and soon after we are prego.
I love having my kiddos close in age...we're hoping to have a bit of a break before the next wave, but that is only because my lil' brain cannot process any more than my beautiful 4, 2 and 1 year old at present. So we wait until it is right again. :) Deep down you will know. much luv, trina
I actually went into labor on my own with both kids, But after 22 hours of labor I did end up have emergancy c section, (its a long story on why) you will beable to read it on my blog, But with my first the person who did it (cuase my doc was out of town) Did such a crapy job that with my second I tried to vbac, well i got to an 8+ all bymyself with NO PIT at all. ended up also an emergancy c section. well when they got in there to take my second child out Capri, They found tons of Scar tissue that that was actually growing infection between my uterin wall and bladder, Both were about to rupture, wich was all caused from my previous c section. My doc actually said that I could have actually sued for mal practice! Ther is tons more to the story. about my Horrible birth. Again you can read it on my blog. but befor they even could take Capri out the had to repair the damage that was done so my incesion is from hip bone to hip bone
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