Did you know that you have the ability to decline or delay any tests, ultrasounds, or checks that you don’t want during your pregnancy and childbirth experience?
It’s TRUE!!
Western medicine is trying to change this by changing the conversations and removing words that give their patients a choice. They are doing this because people like you and me are starting to realize that we aren’t being cared for in a way that is acceptable, in a way that we are given information, our options explained, and given the opportunity to make the decision that is right for us.
More and more women and families are searching through information and gaining knowledge to be in a well-informed position when it comes to their pregnancy and childbirth care. They do this to make sure that they not only know what the process is but so that they can also know their rights, and what their choices are.
Our OB care providers are more experienced as surgeons than as birth workers which means that they are more comfortable being in control and dictating how things will go. The sad thing is that they are also trained to look for evidence of “problems” in order to have you on their schedule.
Learning to advocate for yourself is so important in today's medical climate. With vocabulary being removed to make it seem as though you have no choice in the matter and doctors working to find evidence that would lead to an induction (not necessary), or a scheduled c-secton (again not necessary).
Pregnancy is treated as an illness which, I’m not sure if you have noticed, isn’t at all the case. We have no say in most of what is going on in our pregnancy and therefore there is little to be done to “handle” the pregnancy. I’m not saying this is true for everyone and I know that there are some really great doctors out there that truly honor and support their pregnancy patients.
Childbirth is often treated as a medical emergency as well, another issue with our medical system. Women have been having babies for 1000’s of years without help and it is only in the last 150 years that hospital births have been around. In the beginning of these hospital births it was a show of status and wealth, the prestigious way to birth. That being said, prior to the option to birth in a hospital midwives were the norm and many women delivered what is termed today as free birth, where they just had their baby without any kind of assistance…….
So tell me again why are so many doctors today treating pregnancy and childbirth like something that needs to be treated, contained, and controlled at every turn?
Speak up and start asking the hard questions, request the information to support what your doctor is telling you, and get a second or even third and fourth opinion before making any decisions. Your care is up to you and the only other person who has any say is your spouse because they are emotionally connected to this baby too.
Oh by the way if you are on your journey through fertility, pregnancy and/or childbirth come join my community here on Facebook where I share what I have learned, resources, and support you on your journey. Whether it's your first or your 5th we would love to have you!
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