Childbirth Options
Childbirth Options
In the 1950s and 1960s the childbirth landscape was a dust bowl-barren, cold and sterile. Rigid hospital policies rendered any change infertile. Child birth was just another sterile, surgical event; consumers had no alternatives or options. Birthin’ babies was a serious business.
Winter of Discontent
By the 1970s and 1980s, consumers grew discontented with the status quo in obstetrics. Ferdinand Lamaze’s philosophy of “natural” childbirth brought seeds of change on a soft breeze of new consciousness that soon became a raging hurricane of controversy. Exciting alternatives germinated in the newly fertile obstetrical field. Birth options began sprouting everywhere, amid great concern from health care providers, who viewed the changes as unnecessary and threatening.
The long winter for the consumer was over. The spring of childbirth had “sprung.” Consumers saw beautiful flowers; the medical establishment saw weeds. Consumers and health care providers were at odds. Those having babies wanted to view the process as natural and normal, an event to be shared and celebrated by the whole family. Those delivering babies saw it as an intrusion into the comfortable, sterile, sanctity of their domain. Shrill hysteria emanated from many of the newly self-appointed “childbirth advocates,” whose credentials and objectives in many cases were nonexistent. Doctors were unaccustomed to being viewed as the enemy. It was a tough time and the doctors’ collective psyches took a beating. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
It took much of the 80s for the hysteria to die down and both sides to look more objectively at the real issues and come to a meeting of the minds. Health care providers moved from antagonism and ambivalence to acceptance of most of their patients’ demands. Consumers in general decided that an adversarial role with their doctors was counterproductive. Inflexibility on both sides matured into a more accepting, adaptable relationship. It was a more fruitful climate since trust is an important component of the relationship with those caring for you at such an important time in your life.
Rules and Regulations
Health care providers, including hospitals, are now more open to and accepting of their clients’ wishes. Attaining your “dream” birth is more possible now than at any previous time. Rigid rules and routines have softened. For instance, most doctors don’t routinely insist on enemas. Continuous fetal monitoring is reserved for the complicated pregnancy. Fetal monitoring for the low-risk pregnancy is limited to a baseline strip of 20 minutes on admission and may then be repeated for only 10 minutes every hour or so. Some places may still limit the number of “support” persons present during labor but other hospitals just say, “Y’all come.” Midwives deservedly have won privileges to practice in hospitals and birth centers and are carving a more collegial niche for themselves by joining doctors in their practice. It’s a nice combination of personnel that benefits all concerned.