HW 42 - Pregnancy & birth culminating project

 POOR EFFORT(Thumb down)


Hospital births have been the only option that women have known of and stooped to in the 21 century. the alternative of giving birth at a alternative birth center or with a mid-wive instead of a obstetrician is rare. "Approximately 1% of American women give birth at home and face substantial obstacles when they make this choice"(www.medscape.com). in many other places, home births are given much more of a praise and much more acknowledgment. Through previous research in our social studies class, I've seen our country's capitalist tendencies have connection to health care system and now maternal care system. the debate of whether or not giving birth in a hospital or through the more "organic" way of mid-wifery is safer. what causes concern is that only 1% have even considered this alternative. we've all seen unnecessary OB/GYN interventions, but yet hospitals are still the only option. natural births are left out of the media and left out of our culture i believe to keep the incentive of money running. their's so much our country must do to increase the option of home births, because its just alternative and not an obligation.Through my project i will examine how England, a highly positive conducted maternal care system differs from the United States maternal Care system. Secondly how England's maternal care system intertwined with their culture can engage our society into improving our own system for the better of its women and children.

When giving birth hospital, the birth is in the hands of the doctor. which is something that people must consider as a bad thing. the usual, " its for the good of the baby", is just a overly used comment to the women during birth. not knowing that this doctor's plan is to deliver the baby as quick as possible. theres plenty other births occurring at the same time, its sad to say. but women are stripped of their rights during labor. "A New Jersey woman with PTSD and depression in her past was deprived of custody of her child at birth because she refused to sign a blanket consent at hospital admission for cesarean surgery, an act cited as proof she was too mentally ill to be a fit mother"(www.doublex.com). Its considered cruelty when you force a women into a decision of having unnecessary surgery's such as c-sections. giving them countless drugs to induce a natural process that is birth. giving the women the idea that theres nothing they can do to deliver there own baby, and up to the doctor. 

Newborns being delivered has risen over the years. which gives clear evidence that theres something wrong with how a hospital handles women's birth. "Roughly 1.4 million newborns were delivered surgically in 2007 -- a 53% increase from the mid-1990s, when rates started to climb after remaining steady for several years"(www.webmd.com). when statistics like these begin to rise and cause concern there must be more done to prevent this.

In England, the government has praised women's rights and there birth process by aiming to reach out provide advocacy to them. advocacy and education is great tactic used by the England government, that should be used in the U.S. "Not all women are able to make the choice of where they would like to give birth. This limitation is, in part, due to the small number of midwife-led units. By the end of 2009 the government is aiming for all women to have the choice of where they wish to give birth. Although 80% of the women surveyed reported that they had been given the choice of where they wished to deliver their baby, only 50% of these women said that they were given sufficient information to make this decision. Two-thirds of trusts are obstetric-led while only two of the trusts identified were midwife-led" In a study conducted in England, 50% of women were given sufficient information to make a wise decision on where and how to give birth. If more women were to be informed of alternatives of giving birth, not assuming that the hospitals is the only way, more than 1% of women would give birth in their homes. the more people reached, the more effective.

It shouldn't just be professor o through education that one has to learn of the pros and cons of hospital births and home births. each alternative should be acknowledged. the debate will never stop but in the United State obstetrician's have had the upper hand. "It contains all you need to know to have a healthy and happy pregnancy, and to make sure you get the care that's right for you. It has over 250 pages of NHS-accredited information, including videos and interactive planning tools. You'll also find all the facts you need to choose the best maternity services in your area. Every pregnancy is different. Get involved in the decisions that affect you and your baby. Start planning your pregnancy care now." through media, the UK have been increasingly reaching there peers. with countless information. 

In our society media is the perfect way to manipulate and attract individuals. media has promoted government officials, food industry's, clothing and this list can go on. theres many actions that our media is lacking. People come across so much while watching TV, TV can be a positive and negative." Number of TV commercials seen by the average person by age 65: 2 million"(www.csun.edu). if our media possessed more incite into things that actually help individuals and prevent against diseases such as obesity. TV shows and movies can introduce more home births. random advertisments promoting good healthy eating and good healthy choices.

through media and throughout early educational systems i feel there can be a change in our maternal care system. this change wont happen instantly but can happen with hard work and advocacy. 

Citations
 http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20100323/c-section-rates-are-at-all-time-high

http://www.nhs.uk/aboutNHSChoices/aboutnhschoices/termsandconditions/Pages/termsandconditions.aspx

HW 40 - Insights from Book - Part 3

Dea Mr. Wagner,

I truly appreciate your efforts in writing Born In The USA. Your idea on the American Healthcare System that have put women in a hypnotizing, and cultural trend that is corrupt.giving women the inability to  see their alternatives and make their own choices on when, who or where they have birth. what your adressing in your book really moved me, and this is because something that might seem so little like a child being born in a hospital is shown to be a bad thing. you put the normal tendencies of our society, and in this case birth in a hospital off a pedestal and present its falts.

in the last third of your book, i feel you recapped and effectively presented the reader with solutions to their broken maternity system. you covered a ten step process that in fixing this hospital birth trend, for instance using advocacy to aware the public and science to prove the effectiveness of home births. this part was very effective and really made what was read before much more powerful. giving a solution to the number of problems, not vaguely but specifically.

But let me be more specific. these were the three main ideas that really caught my attention in the final third of the book.

1. Educating the public about the abuses of our maternity care system. we are not informed and their for shying away from humanizing our birth.(pg.220)

2. lastly, tackling the importance of taking political action. Against insurance companies who are rather against us than for us. their greediness and incentive for money over powering their actual care and worry's of patient.(pg.228)

3.Your budget breakdown of the spending on American healthcare, spending on obstetrician which is double compared to a mid-wive. the main incentive is profit and its easily seen in how obstetrician and hospitals take care of things. whats more important, money or the health of a women and her baby? answer is quite obvious(pg.243,244)

The main purpose of your book was to inform the public of the faults of our maternity care system. when it comes to making your book better, it doesn't really tackle the physiological battle that women face. their=r own voice and experiences can make this book very strong than it already is. Let it be clear - your text used a lot of stories and statistical data the empowers each of your arguments. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, more emotion. even though the stories of the women are their, their voice should be included. maybe they can even give a positive experience of giving birth in the hospital.But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about our society and how we go about birth not looking into our alternatives and letting a natural experience be in the hands of doctors and a inhumane hospitals.  In fact, I'm likely to do a little advocacy myself when others are not aware of mid-wives and birth centers,  things of that nature. i come to look at the birth and the way people go about it differently, and how this decision can really impact, even alter someones life. its important to have knowledge on this subject because at one point, birth will come around.Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!

Sincerely,

Tamiko Orasio

HW 39 - Insights from Book - Part 2

My initial prediction to how Born In The USA by Marsden Wagner, would be structured to initially elaborate on the dominant social practice of conceiving a baby in a hospital vs. an organic birth process that occurs in the home with a midwife. Through the first 100 pages Marsden Wagner tackled the nightmarish acts of obstetricians, their selfish tendencies, convenience, unnecessary surgeries, medication and lastly lack of communication between the patients. After reading up to 200 page, the author looks to acknowledge the fact that a home birth that is under supervision of a mid-wife is much safer than if it were under a doctor. This type of birth process is less common because many women aren’t notified of their options, especially in our present American Society. Through these second 100 pages I was able to learn much more of what a midwife actually does, their procedures and alternative birth centers (ABC). The author makes sure to make distinct distinction between having your birth monitored and controlled by an obstetrician and one by a mid-wife. By referring back to a hospital birth as much as possible. On page 151 it states, " Meanwhile, woman are telling another story, as e-mail messages fly among mid-wives, women’s groups, and consumer groups exposing the ways the medical world is trying to limit a woman's legitimate choice of place of birth and birth attendant". The author try’s to convey to the reader that women have a choice, the right, to do what they want to have the most beautiful birth process that they believe is personally and physically most right.

Not knowing much about alternative birth centers, I took it upon myself to further my research on the topic. "A birthing center allows you to plan for your baby's birth and delivery environment - for example, who you want to be present, whether you wish to walk around during labor, what positions you prefer for giving birth, and even the small things that can sometimes be important at times of stress such as what you wear and eat can be at your discretion. Birthing centers usually welcome mothers who want to have natural child birth, and those who choose to breast feed and are experienced to help you if this is the kind of birth you desire" (http://www.parentprofiles.com/pregnancy-articles/birthing-centers-an-alternative-to-hospital-deliveries). An alternative birth center gives the women the opportunity to have full control of their birth. Implementing and furthering the fact that giving birth to another human is a beautiful process. Offering women a much more comfortable environment than that of the hospital, who you wish to be present and overall just a strong bond of communication between the midwife and the patient. 

HW 38 - Insights from pregnancy & birth book - part 1

First 100 Pages

Author of Born in the USA Marden Wagner, organizes the book in a strategic way to get his point across to an audience that isn’t that knowledgeable about the maternity care system. At the very beginning of the book he provides the readers with a preface, explaining his background, experiences and motives in the book. Than furthering it with birth stories that show exactly what point he is trying to give off. Marden Wagner tries to "blow" the caution whistle as he says to answer and show,

How an American Maternity Care System that is putting woman and babies, the most vulnerable members of society, at risk?

From the first pages of the text i found myself engaged, the author placing me the reader as an observer in maternity stories. He shows the injustices in the way nurses and doctors treat the patients when their giving birth. Not giving them the constitutional rights, by asserting and giving them what they ask for but instead inducing them with numerous medications that puts them at risk. A maternity care system that rushes a beautiful experience and makes it a painful and unjust one. when reading this i find myself nodding "yes", because i myself see the way doctors and nurses go about their jobs as if their working for the MTA. Doctors have the most important jobs, that is why their paid so much, but they follow a procedure for their patient who is giving birth as if it were their own. Giving unnecessary drugs and surgery’s such as Episiotomy, Vacuum to suck a baby out of the women. Rushing the birth and its contractions. Lastly giving C-sections that also have seen to me beneficial to the doctor more than the patient. The procedure statistically increasing over the years which statistically have been rising over the years.

Important issues that must be taken into consideration when two life’s are in jeopardy are an agreement before the whole process of childbearing occurs. The medication that is provided. Consent with their family members. Procedures that are agreed upon by patient and family but also one that isn’t induced with inappropriate medications and drugs. Also, how great is it to have a man tell you exactly how things are going to go? A woman who possesses knowledge and confidence in the filed should be talked about. Men can never be feminist and not know exactly what it takes to give birth to another human being.

I find the Marsden Wagner’s arguments very valid and reliable because there is no difficulty in me reading this. I mean that this isn’t a fictional book from an English class; it’s a book on birth. Birth comes with many matters, medication which includes drugs that he clearly explains why their used or shouldn’t be used. Clearly provides the reader with little notes that won’t have them left behind because of the lack of knowledge that he himself has gained because of years as a medical student, public health specialist and work in a hospital. To tackle something as controversial and complicated as birth, especially with a book, Marsden Wagner does a great job because of his previous work.

Book Idea

If i were to make my own book it would have a layout that is similar to Marsden Wagner’s Born In the USA. I would start the book off with a couple pages on why i chose to write this book and my background on the topic of birth. I would first bring about a story of a natural birth, than a non- organic birth process that occurs in the hospital. But i would put forward a birth story that occurred in the hospital that the mother felt was unpleasant and one that another felt satisfied.

EQ: What is the happiest, personal and independent way you would want to give birth in the United States?

“Generally speaking, most of us would prefer not to have a surgeon taking charge during a normal life event"(pg.21)

Thesis: A birth that is under the control of the individual giving birth rather than the doctor, who isn’t for being a nurturer but a professional "helper", is a birth that is much more independent and pleasant in the United States.

"Hospitals have their own brand of omerta"(pg.23)

“Although many women might be willing to take risks with their own bodies for pain relief, very few women are willing to put their babies at risk"(pg.55)

Points: Medical, natural, physical, psychological and laws that come with an organic or fixed birth process. These points would be explained through anecdotal, statistical and logical evidence. With doctors, nurses, patients and family’s members point of view. Also an alternative point of view coming from someone who gave birth out of the United States.

HW 36 - Pregnancy & Birth Stories

Interview 1

My first interviewee let me know that her first two births were "normal". Hearing from previous birth stories that she had heard herself and what she saw in the media surrounding birth she felt that was the only way. She said had an epidural and received a bunch of medication to hurry her contractions and hurry the process of her birth. I asked her, "how the birth would have went if a doctor assistance wasn’t involved?” she said she wouldnt know a better way of giving birth without a doctors asstistance. She said she focused on relaxation and all the instructions, still receiving a painful birth, which was what she expected.

This birth story i felt was one that is timeless. Many people in our society do not understand the culture that the American society and the hospitals have inflicted. The fact that she didn’t know an alternative to giving birth. So it was in the hospitals hands. She didn’t know that those drugs and instructions she was given was unnecessary but instead felt it was needed. It was what ALWAYS happens.

Interview 2

Unlike interviewee 1, interviewee 2 had a relatively easy birth. Even though she gave birth to her only child in a hospital in New York City. She said she wasn’t really a person who relied on other help with many things, so she wanted the same for her birth. She used the same usual meditation practices that she uses at home on a daily basis as in the hospital bed. She understood the effects of the drugs that doctors give patients and wanted to feel and know everything that was being done. She asked as much questions as possible, refused epidural and systematic medications. She felt overall proud of her experience because she felt it wasn’t fully natural but satisfying and more independent than others.

This interview stood out than the other because unlike many she felt the need to question what the doctor did. She came into the hospital where she knew it wouldn’t be the exact birth she would have hoped for, but the only thing she felt she had any knowledge on. But with that knowledge she obtained she knew how to make her birth process more hers, and more independent.

Interview 3

Just as the previous two interviewee's, interviewee # 3 had given birth in the hospital 3 times. This one apart from the other though was not surprising but very insightful and saddening. This is because she said her first birth was the worse of them all. She said she’d tried to refrain from getting an epidural to relieve her pain but shed given into it because of her doctor’s words. "It will really help". The doctor also told her that a spinal block would be the best thing to do as well because it would reduce pain rapidly and help epidural. She was conscious throughout her birth but she felt beat. The drugs had gotten to her but she didn’t care much about herself. More the baby. She wanted the baby to have the best birth possible.

Interviewee 3 gave the answers and point of view of the common American. Unlike the others she gave me much more of societal views on birth and major perspective that a women has when giving birth. Just like interviewee 3 she didn’t care about anything that was being done to her body, but more of the baby's successful birth. Like many people, the doctors words are what are followed because their kind state is impaired and their unconscious worries about their baby come into play was they lay in their hospital bed.

What are the worries before birth and during a birth in the hospital? How do they change, were they what that individual expected?

HW 35 - Other Peoples' Perspectives 1

“So what comes to mind when you think of birth"? This was the first and initial question I asked for every interview. It gave me the ability to feed off the interviewee and expand off their bubbles. no simple question that brought some sort of dry conversation what so ever The 3 people who I asked were all 17-19 years of age. One being a guy and 2 being a girl. The immediate response from the 18 year old girl was her thoughts on the grueling 9 month process of giving birth. "What happens in those 9 months?"  She said that during those 9 months it’s a must to follow instructions. Knowledge gained from family members being pregnant and knowing what the right thing to do is. “Are you up for the part? Are you ready for something like birth? To my surprise, this question needed to be asked and secondly it didn't have hesitant response. She simply said I'm not ready not, but when time comes. I will or will prepare myself to be.  "

 I wasn't startled from the rushed and "Americanized" thinking of my male interviewee’s answers. He was hesitant unlike the others and he was cluttered with bubbles. You could see this topic wasn’t he would regularly talk about.  He couldn't contemplate whether or not he can deal with the immediate maturity that comes with birth. I wondered why he seemed so afraid. "Why does maturity scare you"? He said he's not scared of maturity in general but another life, most of all a baby. Is hard "god dam' work.  It was the hard work that frightened him.                

When you stop and listen. And articulate whatever you’re told and taught about. You learn more, you’re engaged so you observe and admire. Through these interviews birth seemed as a natural thing in life that you must "put up and shut up" in the females eyes. But not the male. Male are usually references as the stronger ones in society but when it comes to birth. Something with a physiological and physical affect women have the upper hand. Which brings me to my last question. Who is stronger overall or when it comes to birth? Men or female.

HW 34 - Some Initial Thoughts On Birth

The idea of birth is seen as a beautiful and naturally occurring thing in the human life. Birth is the beginning of someones life story and death is the end of it. When you come to think about, is death the only moment in life that brings fear? As we seem to come up with things like the ipad to make "life easier", similar how we've been advancing with medication to refrain from birth and lessen its physical affect. So is birth so beautiful? I still believe it is, but we provide contraceptives like the morning after pill(e.c), the condom, the ring, the shot and more to sugar code and cover up birth. Makes me think of makeup and how  sometimes its used to bring  out the beautiful its also a way to hide.                                                    

 

Fear is something everyone faces in life. Birth and its process is scary by itself, but the pysological affect it has on an individual is scary. The way fear can grab a hold of someone who isn't ready for what comes before and after birth. Sad to say but its hard not to notices a number of single mothers walking down the street on a daily basis.  

Questions:

• u.s pregnancy rate vs. other countrys
• how does social class play a role in ones views on birth?
• why such a painful process?
•  what are the responsibilites of both genders before and after birth?
• why is it such a contraversial and sensitive topic?