Makes me crazy...
So the mama I posted about a couple of weeks ago went into labor spontaneously a full three weeks before her EDD. She was due around the 27th, scheduled for a c-section on the 20th, water broke and started contracting spontaneously on the 11th - my birthday.
Didn't matter though. They performed a c-section and a baby girl was born.
Want to know how much she weighed?
8lbs, 1oz.
Macrosomic, my ass. I'd be so, so pissed.
The ultrasound weight estimate (a month ago) was well off. They just had their dates off by a good 3 weeks. Another unnecessary surgical birth.
Two days later mama got all sorts of pressure to supplement with formula as the bub was losing weight. No shit. Her milk hadn't come in. Thankfully the women in the family reassured her like crazy and so far she's only had breastmilk.
Didn't matter though. They performed a c-section and a baby girl was born.
Want to know how much she weighed?
8lbs, 1oz.
Macrosomic, my ass. I'd be so, so pissed.
The ultrasound weight estimate (a month ago) was well off. They just had their dates off by a good 3 weeks. Another unnecessary surgical birth.
Two days later mama got all sorts of pressure to supplement with formula as the bub was losing weight. No shit. Her milk hadn't come in. Thankfully the women in the family reassured her like crazy and so far she's only had breastmilk.
posted by Louisa at 8:21 AM
5 Comments:
That is so very sad. And check this out. This is the FIRST link that Google pulled up when I double checked to be sure I knew what macrosomic meant:
http://www.mydoctorlawyer.com/lga.cfm
Is it any wonder OBs are c-section crazy?
It would also be a large part of the reason why comparitively few midwives get sued.
I guess it's not all their fault. If you are taught to be completely freakin paranoid and distrustful of normal birth then it makes sense that you'd be unwilling to let a woman birth that way. I get so discouraged when I hear story after story of bright, well-educated, intuitive women just submitting to the stuff their well-meaning (I hav e to believe that their motives are pure) but completely paranoid physicians insist is the only way. ..It's just so bloody sad.
8 lbs at 3 weeks early is a pretty big baby though!
I have to say I feel for both sides. Even the most natural birth can sometimes end in disaster and not every mother can say they would never sue, unless they`ve been there. Its kind of an obstetrical/legal impasse.
In my case, I had the worst outcome and chose not to sue b/c nobody was at fault & even then, $$$ will not bring back my son or make me feel any better about it. Yet, every other day when I was in the hospital the OB would come visit and talk about a fund that I could tap into if my son lived that doctors in my state pay into to cover their asses basically. When things looked bad for my son and I didn`t take $ from the fund, the doctors office wouldn`t even return my calls to schedule my 6 week visit. This atmosphere of fear really does suck.
Hey Clara,
If indeed the baby was early, the fact that mama went into labor spontaneously almost immediately after her water broke makes me wonder if she was. I tend to think that the dates were off and that the baby was on time. There were no other indications or significant early-ness that I'm aware of.
Shame on your caregivers for abandoning you after your son's birth and subsequent death. I think that it's parents like you who need more postpartum care, not less. Regardless of how afraid they are that they might be the target of legal action. It's simply awful.
Thanks for your perspective, it's an important one.
Louisa, I agree that her baby probably was on time, esp. of labor started right away. I`m so glad she`s getting help with breastfeeding. That can be so healing after the full technological experience.
One more thing about our birth environment right now: the fear of shoulder dystocia is what OB`s are afraid of with macrosomia. Yet, real evidence has shown that it would take an enormous number of cesareans to prevent one fatal or very damaging s.d. birth. Yet, pushing c/s continues for this reason. OB`s still do circs all day long and there`s not even a medical reason to that, so its not surprising. Plus, fatal s.d. has even happened to 6- 8lb babies, its all positioning and really has little to do with size.
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