“Pit to Distress”: A Disturbing Reality « Nursing Birth.

I had never heard of “pit to distress” before today.  This is a blog entry by a labor and delivery nurse describing the policy of some doctors to order pitocin for a laboring woman and specify that it be increased until it reaches the maximum dosage regardless of how it affects the mother or baby.  If the baby goes into distress because the contractions are too strong–oh well!  A quick c-section and the doctor goes home.

Am I shocked?  Yes.  Am I apalled?  Definitely.  Am I surprised?  Not at all.

God bless those nurses who advocate for the women they serve as it seems NursingBirth does.

Ladies, have you ever gotten one of those emails that say “Forward this email to every woman you know.  Don’t let your mother/sister/friend become the next victim”?  Yeah, I think you see where I’m going with this.  Read the second installment on this topic and I think you’ll know what to do. 

I attended a wonderful birth this morning.

Before labor began, the mother was afraid that her body wouldn’t go into labor without “help.”  (She was induced with her first birth.)  Surprise!  At 42 weeks, she woke up in labor with contractions 3 minutes apart.  She labored quietly and with strength until transition came.

“I’m afraid.”

“What is your fear?  What are you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid I won’t remember how to do this.”

“You don’t have to remember, your body knows and remembers.”

“Ok…”

And it did.  She didn’t need me to tell her what to do.  She just listened to what her body told her to do. It remembered quite well.

Afterward, she was in awe of the strength of her body and its ability to give birth.

“I am just awesome!  My body rocks!”

How many women sell themselves short?  Not just by insisting on hospital interventions like inductions and epidurals, but by the way they act, think and take care of themselves.  Why do they prefer to act weak, to take the passive role, to give their power to others without a question?

I loved it when I heard this mother tell her 3 year old daughter “You’re going to grow up to be a strong woman, too.”

The secret is out…

I found a really neat website the other day.  It’s like a whole childbirth education class online.

Birthing Naturally