I recently had the honor of speaking with the Magnificent Whiskers hosts, Colby and Remy, on their podcast about women’s health and our broken OB system. It wasn’t the intended topic of conversation but it took on a life of it’s own right out of the gate and we ended up spending the entire episode on women’s health.
That is, until the end during the “get to know you” questions which drove us into great in-depth conversations on a variety of subjects you. You can find the questions at the bottom of this post!
Listen on iTunes here.
Women’s Health and The OB System
In this podcast episode, we cover a variety of stories including circumcision, unnecessary cesareans and our own personal experiences in the women’s health care system as parents.
I tell the story of my journey with PUPPPs during my most recent pregnancy and detail the suffering I endured and the fighting I had to do to get my doctors to care. You can read about my story here but listening to in the podcast is definitely more fun!
The OB system is rife with abuse and misogyny that has stripped the divine life giving process of birth of everything that it should be. Birth should be a beautiful and sacred experience but the heart wrenching truth is that it is often violent and traumatic.
Birth is Sacred
Birth is a cornerstone event in a women’s life. It’s a transitional time between maiden and mother that use to be revered in cultures but has become so standardized and medicalized that has been stripped of all emotional substance.
We are conditioned to believe that birth is a dangerous, harrowing journey and that the doctors in charge of women’s health are the heroes of the story in every situation. Unfortunately, many women who embark on the quest into motherhood are left feeling powerless and empty.
We have been made to believe that “Healthy mom, healthy baby” is our main and only goal and that nothing else matters. Healthy mom, healthy baby, though, should be our very bottom line. The bare minimum we should expect. Mothers and babies deserve better than the very least we can do.
Moms often leave the hospital feeling unremarkable, bullied and powerless. Most, however, feel as though this is normal and that they have nothing to complain about because they survived and they have a healthy baby. They keep their silence about the violations they feel and allow them to continue for no other reason that culture conformity.
We’ve taken all of the magic out of our most magical experience. The way our mothers and fathers are treated in the women’s health system is not okay and in this podcast episode, we cover the tip of the iceberg in the issues we face in America.
Know your rights in women’s health
Doctors are operating off of their educated opinion. They’re people, just like you and I who have simply read a lot into a particular subject. It is your right to refuse anything they suggest and it is your right to ask for a second opinion on the situation.
Patient advocates are available at all hospitals. If you feel as though something is off, trust your intuition and ask to speak with one. Remember: the hospital staff, including your doctor, work for YOU.
9 months is in no way enough time to learn everything there is to learn about birth. This is where a birth doula can be a huge asset to your birth team in help you in navigating the complexities that are encountered in this system.
Our Women’s health system needs updating
Obstetricians are trained as surgeons. Surprisingly, most don’t know what a natural birth actually looks like. Instead of understanding the complexities and many variations of birth and allowing them to unfold, too many will rush to intervene in an effort to control the uncontrollable to save time and convenience.
These unnecessary interventions lead to unneeded cesareans which is a major surgery that puts the mom in additional and avoidable risks. They should only ever be preformed under circumstances when all other options have been exhausted but that is unfortunately not always the case.
Case in point, the high rate of scheduled repeat cesareans and the avoidance of most doctors to attempt a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) which is proven to be just as safe as a repeat cesarean but with increasing benefits.
Remy tells his story of the unnecessary c-section the mother of his child had to endure and goes to explain how she had 3 successful VBACs after that experience.
Too many of our standard procedures aren’t helpful and can be majorly harmful. For example, the standard back lying position is in place only for the convenience of the doctor and can lead to longer pushing times and more vaginal trauma including tearing. As Remy states, “Gravity’s there. Use it.”
Get to know you questions at the end
After our more serious discussion on women’s health, we lightened the mood with some get to know you questions. These led us to some complex and interesting in depth conversations on the topics below. Listen to the podcast to enjoy my answers and our elaborations on each!
- Vampires or Werewolves?
- Star Wars or Star Trek?
- Football or Futbol?
- Musical or Straight Play?
- 90s rap or current rap?
- What Hogwarts house are you in?
- Marvel or DC?
- Vacation or Staycation?
- What’s your favorite dinosaur?
- Do you believe in aliens?
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it! Be sure to subscribe to the Magnificent Whisker’s Podcast and leave them a review on iTunes! Follow them below for future episodes!
Magnificent Whiskers Podcast Info:
Honest Entertainment through Positivity.
Other articles you may enjoy:
- Common Pregnancy Myths & Fear Mongering Misinformation as Told By a Midwife
- Birthing From Within; a book review for new parents
- Your Beliefs Around Birth Can Make Labor Easier or Harder
- Expecting Trouble; Prenatal Care in America (A Book Review)
- The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding; a book review for new parents
Author
S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water
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