That Was the Past, Right?
Another one from this news article a friend sent me, here: New Baby Delivery Strategies Help to Cut Health Costs I actually drew this one first, but was so freaked out by the line “a full 39 weeks” that I did that comic and posted it first. I figured you guys would notice if I didn’t mention it right off the top!
There’s more coming!
this comic is related to this comic: A full 39 weeks
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Duck says, “Hear ye! Hear Ye! We of the medical birth community proclaim that we make birth safer…”
Mama says, “Is that you quack?”
Duck: Um….Yeah.
Mama: Last time you were proclaiming that you made birth safer and more awesome, I showed you that your logic was faulty…”
…that the history of medical-ized birth is full of egregious failures and harmful practices!
Duck: ahem, that was ALL in the past.
Mama: Oh REally? what about this?
Duck: gulp.
paper: …inducing early childbirth…created unnecessary risk in newborns.
Mama: seems that all of those early inductions you guys are performing are causing respiratory problems in babies. hmmmm…when was this written? YESTERDAY.
Duck: that was the past, right?
Inductions for convenience and dubious medical reasons are alive and well. Moms should question the medical reasons. But that is hard when a medical professional is saying it is better for your baby. My first baby was “late” and they told me (at 42 weeks) that the environment inside me was getting hazardous as time went on (even though the repeated ultrasounds and monitoring showed everything was fine). I didn’t know if that was true or not but didn’t want to take a chance. He was induced with Cytotec (a whole other issue) and had some distress. They were talking c-section when they finally sucked him out with a vacuum thingy on his head. I had continuous fetal monitoring which meant I was more or less confined to bed throughout the labor and delivery. The contractions were sudden, hard, and horrible. I waited over 5 years from the first birth to get pregnant again because while I loved pregnancy the labor and delivery was the most horrible thing I had ever experienced.
With my second baby I was more educated but I had developed type 2 diabetes and they told me there was a higher rate of death in utero with diabetic moms and that they should get him out as soon as he was developed enough. Again, I didn’t know for sure if it were true, and my diabetes was well-controlled, but I didn’t want to take a chance. So I was induced again, 10 days short of 40 weeks, not with the Cytotec but with the more common pitocin. The second one was as horrible as the first, possibly more so when they cranked up the pitocin just as the pain meds ran out, and things were then moving too fast for an epidural/spinal. (Pain relief is almost a necessity with an induced birth!)
Sorry for the long comment. I get so upset about this topic. Really IT’S THE DOCTORS WHO NEED TO CHANGE THINGS! They need to be more educated on the pros and cons and dangers of all possible actions. My ob/gyn used/uses Cytotec even though it carries a “black box” warning about the dangers of using it to induce labor, yet she thought the dangers of my 42-week uterus were strong enough to need induction.
It’s awful, I see so many inductions at 37-39 weeks and I wonder what is going on. People think that is term because it’s when babies aren’t routinely sent to the NICU anymore (even though many in that range will be sent because of respiratory issues, etc.). I would have been UPSET if I started into labor in that range. Or at least WORRIED. Now I know, the “powers that be” just decided to shift the medical model to shorter expected gestation for human pregnancy (insane). So, that’s why so many moms are under the impression that they should be hoping to go into labor in that time frame and even jump-starting their labor with drugs in that time frame.
On a note with the opposite tone from above, I’m celebrating that I finally gave myself permission to spend some money on something I wanted so that I could see these comics.
hi Bellarose, I’ve been noticing these early inductions, but had never seen the black and white proof that they consider a birth full term at 39 weeks. I’d love to see some medical books, what do they say?
and also, welcome and thank you.