kerussll
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2009
- Messages
- 1,589
- Reaction score
- 730
- Location
- Colorado
- Gender
- Female
- Political Leaning
- Liberal
Sorry all, but this is going to be a bit of a rant. I am an RN in a neonatal intensive care unit. Our unit has been experiencing a boom of home births gone wrong, (not an entirely rare thing on my unit) or babies who were harmed because their mothers refused a c-section for too long. (Even more common). It just makes me so unbelievably angry. These children all were very near death after birth, and most will have lasting brain damage if they live at all. The little boy's mother I took care of last night was warned not to have a home birth because the baby was too big. So what does she do? She has a home birth with a doula. The baby's head comes out, but his shoulders get stuck. Dad picks mom up and drives her to the hospital where the baby's shoulders are both broken and he's ripped out. No heartbeat for 20 minutes, then he's finally resuscitated. He's alive now and going home soon, but he'll never be who he could have been. Paralyzed, severely brain damaged. He will never eat except through a tube, and will never walk or talk. There are many more stories I could tell, but I found this one especially upsetting.
And all for what? So mothers could feel superior and boast they had a "natural home birth" and were able to avoid money-grubbing hospitals and doctors? Because all hospitals want to do is cut you open so they can charge you more money. Then pump you full of harmful drugs that will hurt your baby. And vaccinate them against hepatitis B because we are in cahoots with the government who are being bribed by drug companies who only want to poison children. Then nurses like me will force feed your baby formula because we're all bribed by formula companies and want to sabotage your desire to breastfeed. REALLY? I've heard all this and more at work from people who really believe it. There is a culture of fear and distrust of medicine in this country and it only seems to be getting worse. It seems to be the worst in the area of childbirth where the all natural crowd is full of judgment and misinformation for expectant mothers.
I don't know what needs to be done, but I would love to see a change. I wish people could realize that healthcare workers really do want what is best for them, and aren't trying to trick them or make extra money off of them. Thoughts?
And all for what? So mothers could feel superior and boast they had a "natural home birth" and were able to avoid money-grubbing hospitals and doctors? Because all hospitals want to do is cut you open so they can charge you more money. Then pump you full of harmful drugs that will hurt your baby. And vaccinate them against hepatitis B because we are in cahoots with the government who are being bribed by drug companies who only want to poison children. Then nurses like me will force feed your baby formula because we're all bribed by formula companies and want to sabotage your desire to breastfeed. REALLY? I've heard all this and more at work from people who really believe it. There is a culture of fear and distrust of medicine in this country and it only seems to be getting worse. It seems to be the worst in the area of childbirth where the all natural crowd is full of judgment and misinformation for expectant mothers.
I don't know what needs to be done, but I would love to see a change. I wish people could realize that healthcare workers really do want what is best for them, and aren't trying to trick them or make extra money off of them. Thoughts?