tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post2719833726572395927..comments2023-03-31T05:59:51.984-07:00Comments on The Mule: Birth Story Special: Emergency CaesarianThe Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-56498424492489362142011-12-18T05:39:41.788-08:002011-12-18T05:39:41.788-08:00sorry to hear that Anon, I hope you are recovering...sorry to hear that Anon, I hope you are recovering...and I also hope you have read Michelle's second birth story, a wonderful VBAC, with TWO doulas!!! http://mamamule.blogspot.com/2011/10/birth-special-from-emergency-caesarian.html<br />good luck xxxThe Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-50230705884494885132011-12-18T02:25:58.740-08:002011-12-18T02:25:58.740-08:00I recently had a baby 4 mths ago and was planning ...I recently had a baby 4 mths ago and was planning a hypno waterbirth and ended up a week late from due date, 2 days in labor to then have an emergency c-section...i can relate with this woman 100%...i could have written this as my experience and feeling do not differ very much from her own...my daughter was 9lbs 3oz at birth so big as well and the next time around i am still gonna go for a VBAC and i also plan to hire a doula...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-40197936589337958842011-07-30T12:39:21.168-07:002011-07-30T12:39:21.168-07:00thank you anon, you make some great points and it&...thank you anon, you make some great points and it's so great to have our thinking challenged by someone who is not afraid to go against the flow. often on blogs like this everyone is in agreement and i am extremely grateful to people like you who are not afraid to shake things up a bit!<br />i don't necessarily agree with you that 'medical assistance...reduces the chance of fatality' as i think this is a bit of a blanket statement.<br />i'll try and address this further in a final post, meanwhile, my supper awaits, and i hope your stew was not too inedible!<br />thank you again for your many valid and interesting contributions, and thanks also to jenski and pandabear for their great additions to the debate xThe Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-60833623815257659892011-07-30T06:05:48.701-07:002011-07-30T06:05:48.701-07:00It is interesting to look into the life and this c...It is interesting to look into the life and this case birthing of primitive/tribal cultures, however i do think that in modern society we can not really compare us to them. Women go through a very different journey during their pregnancy in modern society. We are subjected to a large amount of stress daily, travelling to work, then putting up with corp b*llsh*t for 8 hrs a day, unwelcomed late night noises in the neighbourhood etc.etc.and most commonly financial worries all these shift the focus away from the mental preparation of birth. <br /><br />I am an advocate of medical assistance, as I said it reduces the chance of fatality. My mum had a baby before me in the mid 70's, she was born with the cord around her neck and suffocated. 36 yrs on is still devastating to think about it. Medical technology was far far less advanced then.<br /><br />In this story the lady felt that she did not recieved enough support. I think in the UK we can not expect any form of support from hospitals, they simply not resourced to do anything other than the basic. We are just an item on a conveyor belt, their aim is to get that baby out safely and quickly! Once they can tick the box that mother and baby is safe, you are on your own! Perhaps that's where we should be getting our primitive tribal intuitions out.<br /><br />ladies I hope you do enjoy my writing, it has cost me a whole pan of chicken stew i was cooking for my baby that I have forgotten about...:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-43099112312078634582011-07-28T12:32:47.868-07:002011-07-28T12:32:47.868-07:00Thanks for the link Panda - have looked at the gen...Thanks for the link Panda - have looked at the general website before but will have another good read with a cup of tea and in particular the page you highlighted.<br /><br />I am in total agreement about society and our now attachment to Doctors but I am of the belief that "Wise Women" (either a good qualified or Lay Midwife or Doula) can be of great benefit to a labouring women. <br /><br />First (and 2nd etc!) babies can often be a long time arriving and in the process you need someone to help you to sustain yourself, to provide you with food and drink and encourage you to rest... Then further on a rub of your back if your baby is pressing on an area and causing discomfort (though not contraction related) or a cold compress to your forhead or a kind word through transition... I just cannot see how any of these things are not of benefit.<br /><br />Thanks again for the link :)Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10690078158754200368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-84757044557211494692011-07-28T00:20:23.276-07:002011-07-28T00:20:23.276-07:00http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/media/alone.ht...http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/media/alone.html Just an interesting link about tribal cultures birthing alone. I think that for freebirth you need absolute confidence. If you don't have that then yes, the support of someone else - who does not interfere at all can be invaluable. <br /><br />I think it is a product of our society today that women do not feel they are able to birth without a medical professional of some kind (midwife/Doctor) present. Birth is portrayed as scary and dangerous, from tv accounts to the birth stories of others etc and I think that is what we need to move away from. That's why I agree with you that it is great that all these stories are being shared.pandabearnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-87791447311052408192011-07-27T13:15:47.013-07:002011-07-27T13:15:47.013-07:00Yes I did read it to mean that C-Sections are safe...Yes I did read it to mean that C-Sections are safer that natural births. I am glad you experience was a good one but am sorry you had a hard time afterwards... I spent just 24 hours on a post-natal hospital ward recently and found it soul destroying.. and I wasnt even the Mum!<br /><br />I have some wonderful friends who are Midwives and I am not blaming them as a unit - its just a shame that the money and resources arnt there to allow them to do their job - and its a shame that they are being trained to operate in the environement that currently exists.<br /><br />Pandabear - I am completly happy that we all have different opinions - thats what makes a conversation good! But just to clarify, I have complete faith and trust in the ability of a women to birth her baby, and if she choses to be on her own then that is 100% their choice. But personally I feel that humans work best when supported... Even if it is just a Mum and a clued up Dad and a friend downstairs to call on if needed. If I had another baby I would personally consider a freebirth (as my 2nd may as well have been) but I think I would still have a Doula present, even if they were sat in the corner or downstairs with a cuppa - just encase the labour was long and my husband or I needed support or rest.<br /><br />I believe we have a lot to learn from the people of ancient history and the people of primative cultures who are more intune with themselves than we are (generally speaking)... Birth is usually I time when the women would be with a few wise women of the village or sisters and aunts etc etc... And although the women needs space, quiet and often darkness I do strongly feel that the knoweldge that they are not alone adds to their security and to them being able to give birth.<br /><br />So glad the Mule is posting such provocative stories!Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10690078158754200368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-75339108384462092902011-07-27T13:06:52.627-07:002011-07-27T13:06:52.627-07:00thank you all for the comments so far and for the ...thank you all for the comments so far and for the debate. i guess this special week of birth stories is designed to generate debate and i think that it is great to discuss these issues and hopefully in some small way make progress towards positive change.<br />as i said on the parallel debate on my facebook page, appropriate intervention, c-section or otherwise, is a wonderful thing, and undoubtedly saves lives...the big question is...are all interventions currently being made 'appropriate', or are some women having their hopes of an empowering experience dashed for the wrong reasons? if you look at the birth choice site you can see how rates of different interventions change over time, sometimes quite dramatically, so this would lead me to conclude that we are somewhat at the mercy of trends in obstetrics, rather than our inadequate female bodies!The Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-1391405488705393062011-07-27T10:44:37.297-07:002011-07-27T10:44:37.297-07:00Anon - I think Jenski read the following ", h...Anon - I think Jenski read the following ", however there are a lot of things can go wrong and by c-sections the risk of death to mother and baby drastically reduced." as saying that c-sections were safer. This too is how I read it although, having now read your last comment, I assume you meant safer in SOME situations?<br /><br />I'm pleased you healed quickly after your c-section. I know a lot of people don't. I had a laparoscopy a few years back, involving 2 tiny cuts and I was in agony for over a week afterwards. I couldn't even manage to get in and out of the shower. Thankfully I didn't have any children to look after at the time. <br /><br />I do have to disagree with Jenski though that "Childbirth is not a path we were designed to tred alone." :)Pandabearnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-90188993902091366502011-07-27T02:44:44.490-07:002011-07-27T02:44:44.490-07:00re Jenski...i re-read my post and i see nowhere me...re Jenski...i re-read my post and i see nowhere me saying c-sections are safer...so not sure what points you trying to prove. I said: there are a lot of things can go wrong and by c-sections the risk of death to mother and baby drastically reduced.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-12731220692506028602011-07-27T02:38:55.793-07:002011-07-27T02:38:55.793-07:00C-section is the safest delivery method for breech...C-section is the safest delivery method for breeched baby, it is many hospital's policy that they book in a 38 weeks breech for a section. Support in London hospitals are NON existant, I was on a ward with 30 women and babies, all sections as natural delivery babies and mums were sent home. the night staff consist of 1 midwife and 2 helpers, it is a disgrace! I was begging my husband to stay after 8, when the midwife came at 11 she wanted to call security to remove him. if he hadn't been there till 11 there would have been no-one to hand me my baby for feeding. They couldnt come if buzzed as were so overworked. In my case this is the only disadvantage of c-section, having to stay in and there is no care.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-23414775811393804222011-07-26T14:46:14.212-07:002011-07-26T14:46:14.212-07:00Just to follow on from the previous poster - Where...Just to follow on from the previous poster - Where did you get your info on C-Sections being safer out of interest? Everything I have read points to there being a greater number of risks associated with having a Section as opposed to delivering naturally... Which kind of makes sense as if Natural delivery was so dangerous I guess we would be extinct by now... Interesting article from the independent here.. <br /><br />http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/caesarean-risks-four-times-those-of-natural-birth-683744.html<br /><br />There are infact huge disadvantages to Sections including haemorrhage, infection and rupture of the uterus plus bad reactions to the anesthetic (including heart attacks etc). Not to mention the negitive impact it can have on breastfeeding and bonding and connection with post natal depression.<br /><br />I am not anti-section - I just feel that they should be for emergencies only. I completley respect your decision to opt for one for a Breech baby but wonder why the hospital was encouraging it when many leading midwife sand obstetricians alike agree that Breech birth is just another variation of normal and baby can be delivered naturally...<br /><br />I dont read that Michelle is saying Sections are bad - more that she knew what she was capable of but in the event she and her husband didnt have the right support around her to make the journey a more positive one. Childbirth is not a path we were designed to tred alone.Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10690078158754200368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-30762027675705673132011-07-26T11:42:25.737-07:002011-07-26T11:42:25.737-07:00perhaps it does, I am not sure how much medical ev...perhaps it does, I am not sure how much medical evidence there is to back this. Natural birth could result in very bad tears too that needs stiches and might get infected. I cried when i had to sign my operational papers as I soo wanted natural birth, but since i realised I'm no hero, I see absolutely no disadvantages to c-sections, the whole birth took 20 mins, I felt for month after that i missed out on the whole going into labour experience but now I am just glad I had c-section and I no longer feel I missed out. This lady mentions giving birth is natural and that's what we meant to do, this is 100% correct, however there are a lot of things can go wrong and by c-sections the risk of death to mother and baby drastically reduced. My advise to any expecting mummy is to keep an open mind and don't set your mind 101% on natural birth as c-sections happen in you and your baby's best interest!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-87732592020943896502011-07-26T06:09:03.992-07:002011-07-26T06:09:03.992-07:00thank you anon. i do think it's interesting th...thank you anon. i do think it's interesting that our state of mind as we go into theatre often affects our healing process - emotional and physical.The Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-71837406687858463172011-07-26T03:00:52.851-07:002011-07-26T03:00:52.851-07:00I had an elective c section due to breached baby, ...I had an elective c section due to breached baby, I was so scared due to horror stories like the above. It was nothing like it, I got up the next day and at day 2 I was going down the stairs with the baby carrier leaving the horrible hospital. My scar healed in no time and 9 month on can't even be noticed! I would only have a second child by c section.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com