Author, Blogger, Educator

Category: childbirth education

Maternal Mortality in the US

USA Today published an article today entitled The Rate of Women Dying in Childbirth Surged by 40%. These Deaths are Preventable. Let’s talk about this because I was almost one of those statistics. But first things first. Ya’ll need to stop believing that the United States is immune to a high maternal mortality rate as if we are some kind of super power where doctors don’t make mistakes, have personal and loving relationships with their patients, and would never suffer in their own personal lives at your expense. It’s laughable just reading what I wrote.

Doctors are humans too and they have lives just like we do and respond just like we do when tired, hungry, under stress, etc. Short cuts are made. That’s us…human. Doctors aren’t the only reason for the increase in maternal mortality though. I suppose one could blame me for “getting pregnant” in my 40’s and that it’s my fault I almost died but let me share my story.

Here I am just moments after giving birth at age 42. My pregnancy was one of my more difficult pregnancies (the easiest was my pregnancy at age 38). I’m not sure why, I was relatively healthy at the time though I was overweight and considered morbidly obese by my health care provider. For reference, my picture below shows what my obstetrician considered morbidly obese. This is me about three weeks from my scheduled induction.

36 weeks pregnant

I do have a “fat apron” as people call it and the nurses had no qualms pointing it out and sharing with me that my life would be better without the fat. I know there was discrimination because of my size and if I was being shamed and rough housed by medical staff at this size, I cannot imagine what women endure who are larger.

So there, I had two factors that contributed to the fatal condition that God saved me from. I was fat and over 40!

After having my baby, I went home the next day. We get more sleep when we are out of the hospital so as soon as I was medically cleared to go home, I did. I should have recognized something wasn’t right but I ignored it. The ride home was nauseating. I couldn’t look out the window at all while the car was in motion. That had never happened before. I decided that it was my age and didn’t think any more about it when I got home.

As the day progressed, I began to have some stomach discomfort. This is two days after the birth. My stomach was really aching and I wasn’t very hungry because of it. I decided I would bind my belly as I had heard this can help the organs go back into place better.

This was the best we could do with this kind of binder because I was so uncomfortable. I couldn’t wear this binder though. As soon as my husband tied it off, I couldn’t get it off fast enough. My abdominal pain was too much to bear.

The nurse-midwife had been to our home earlier that day to check on me and the baby. I mentioned how much my abdomen was uncomfortable and it bothered her enough to say that she would visit me again the following day. She did come back and my pain was worse. It was a right sided pain and if you look at the “right” side in this picture (opposite), it’s poking out more. Something wasn’t right and she suggested to my husband to call for an appointment immediately.

This was our third child so I told my husband to stay home with the kids and I would drive myself in to be seen. After all, it was just abdominal pain and it was probably related to giving birth over 40. That’s what I kept telling myself anyway. Reading the notes today on those visits and apparently the pain was severe, I could not sleep, it radiated to my back, and I had shortness of breath.

I was seen by my obstetrician who palpated my belly and told me I had gall stones. She said I didn’t need OB so she referred me to the urgent care doctor. Urgent care was downstairs so all I did was walk downstairs to be seen. The doctor there sent me for an ultrasound of my gall bladder and ran some blood tests. I didn’t have gall stones and he said, “your labs are off but there is nothing out of the ordinary. We’re going to get you ready for discharge.”

I didn’t feel any better but something inside me remembered an article I had read a few months back. I’m certain it was my Guardian Angel with the Holy Spirit prompting me to ask the doctor the next question. “Will you please share the labs with my obstetrician? I read an article about postpartum preeclampsia.” I could see the disdain on their face. They just wanted me out of there. The doctor reluctantly agreed and the nurse came in to take my vitals for discharge.

Unfortunately for her and thank God for me, my blood pressure had risen significantly by that time. It went from 140/78 in the OB’s office to 171/93. Doctor noted that, “Patient states pain is constant, hurts in back when sitting” and their plan was to send me home until I asked for them to consult with OB. I was admitted back to labor and delivery and as soon as they IV went in, all I saw were stars and my blood pressure spiked again. It was higher and I was in danger.

It’s infuriating reading these notes because it’s full of lies. It lists I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia during pregnancy yet, I never had a pre-eclampsia diagnosis and if I did, it would be malpractice for them not to check my BP at my appointments leading up to my induction (BP was not being checked at any of my visits prior to my induction).

Pre-eclampsia is treated with Magnesium Sulfate and then delivery of the baby if things get worse during treatment. Postpartum pre-eclampsia is treated with Magnesium Sulfate and prayers. The baby was already delivered. It’s up to the body to heal at this point and some never heal. Some women die. Some have issues for life.

So, are maternal deaths preventable? Yes, but I don’t think doctors are really trying to prevent them, especially when they send women away. If the OB had checked my labs instead of saying, “It’s your gallbladder” they would have seen something was amiss.

A friends sister was sent away one week postpartum after visiting her OB because she had a fever. Her milk supply was low as well but the doctor said she had a virus. Nevermind that she had a c-section and was at risk for a uterine infection. I’m so glad her sister reached out to me and was encouraged to seek a second opinion. If she had ignored this fever as her obstetrician did, she would likely be dead…from a uterine infection…BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT SHE HAD!

Countless women share their stories of how they went in with a concern and were sent away with nothing more than a physical exam. They either got worse and someone finally listened or they died at home or shortly after admission. Maternal deaths are getting worse. What’s it going to take for doctors to turn this around?

It’s not enough to go in to be seen. It’s not enough to list the warning signs. We had them! Right upper quadrant pain is a warning sign! Fever within two weeks of delivery is a warning sign! We trust our doctors and they are failing us. We MUST question our doctors now. It’s not enough to trust them.

The question isn’t are these deaths preventable? The question is, why aren’t doctors listening? Why aren’t they following their own protocols that they developed? Why are they sending us home? Why aren’t they concerned? Why are women having to push for better care? Again…why aren’t they listening? We’re dying!

The Formula Shortage

I can’t imagine being a new mother these days. You are scared to death that you or your baby will die from COVID and now you can’t feed your baby if you use formula. I can only wonder, is this more propaganda to get us to stop having babies?? Look, we are not overpopulated nor are we going to be overpopulated. A simple Google search will show you that. So what are we to do now that we’re scared to bring a baby into this world and now we can’t feed them?

Here are some solutions to the formula shortage.

NOTE: DO NOT WATER DOWN YOUR FORMULA, IT CAN KILL YOUR BABY

RELACTATE!

I love kellymom.com! She has been a resource for me for the past 18 years. She has a whole page dedicated to resources on relactation. First, if you have produced milk at any time in your life, you CAN relactate. Even women who have never been pregnant OR given birth can learn to lactate. We are designed to feed our babies! Doctors should be on board with helping you.

If doctors can help a lesbian partner who has never been pregnant or given birth to lactate, they can help you! If they don’t, why not? There are drugs and there is a protocol. Plus, MANY adoptive mothers will lactate so they can feed their adoptive babies. This is a plausible option and though it is not an INSTANT fix, once you are lactating, you can feed that to your baby and not worry about needing formula ever again.

Yes, this sounds judgmental, some of it is, especially if this offends you but you are NOT the only one to suffer. My breastfeeding journey was not easy for any of my babies and I had to make many sacrifices and suffer. Too many women give up easily and that is because our society tells us that it’s okay to give up and there is not much support to try harder and little options are given over “just switch to formula.” We’re exploited really.

Want to relactate? Get with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

On a personal note, I pumped for ALL my babies. They got the breast until their tongue-ties caused issues and then I switched to pumping. I donated over 300 gallons of milk over the course of my breastfeeding journey. I’m not saying this to be presumptuous and I’m not the only one to experience this so this brings me to the next solution.

MILKSHARE

You have two options for milk sharing. A wetnurse or private milk sharing. Let’s talk about a wetnurse. These have been used for centuries! Moses’ wetnurse was actually his own mother because the Pharoah’s daughter wasn’t breastfeeding when she found Moses. How would a baby eat if there was no formula? Many died if their mothers could not find a wetnurse.

Do you have a breastfeeding sister? Friend? Will they step up to help feed your baby? If you have SOME formula, can you supplement half of it with shared milk?

PRIVATE MILK SHARING

I’ll relactate for you. I will do it in order to help you and save your baby but I ask that you try and try hard. I helped a mother supplement her milk with my milk because she had breast cancer and she could not produce much milk after treatment. I had one mom who truly had been diagnosed with insufficient glandular tissue (little breast tissue) who could not produce enough milk either. So she used what I gave her to supplement what she made. Her breasts were not “small” either so it doesn’t have anything to do with breast size.

Exclusively Pumping Milk

Now that I have made the offer, will you use a milk share?

Milk sharing used to be free but I imagine moms are beginning to charge. Most of us used to just ask for repayment of supplies or asked you to provide your own milk storage bags. Human Milk for Human Babies and Eats on Feets are great places to go for milk sharing. There are other sites, but most are full of perverted men and women who want to nurse from a strangers breast for $200+/20+ min or use your milk for body building. I would stay away from those milk sharing sites.

Milk sharing can be safe…IF you ask. Most don’t ask. I was only asked a dozen times during my private milk sharing journey if I was drug, disease, and alcohol free (including smoking and marijuana). I shared with hundreds of families. It’s sad because they should have. Ask!

If they are legit, they will not be offended and will appreciate you asking. One person wanted me to sign and have a document notarized. I don’t recommend this because the mother is providing a gift but if there is money being exchanged, it’s worth it. Just know, there are never guarantees even with a legal contract in place.

There are human milk banks, but they cost you. 20oz of milk is offered as a “new mom” kit but it’s $100. 40oz can be given without a prescription, after that, you need a prescription and you’ll pay $5 per ounce or more. The mothers are screened extensively (more than for blood donation), and they have to adhere to strict guidelines and can’t take any meds, herbs or supplements outside hormone replacement like thyroid. The milk is tested, pasteurized and tested again. It’s safe but it’s not sustainable. I don’t recommend you use this option just because of a formula shortage. This milk goes to very sick and premature babies as well as cancer patients in recovery. I love the milk bank so I am not putting them down at all.

I donated over 30 gallons of milk to the Mother’s Milk Bank over two of my breastfeeding journey’s but in addition to donating to the milk bank, I privately shared my milk. I actually preferred private donation because I got to know the families and babies in most cases. Again, I will relactate for you but I want you to try yourself not just use me as a “pill” to get you through.

Some of my milk I donated

MAKE YOUR OWN FORMULA

Yes, you CAN make it. Doctors don’t want you to though and will tell you it’s not safe. Why is homemade baby formula such a risk when our grandmothers and mothers did this for decades? Homemade baby formula was perfectly fine for your mother or grandmother (depending on how old you are). What is the option than CDC? Starve the baby, water down the formula?

The US Federal Government provided the proper way to make formula in their publication, Infant Care by the Children’s Bureau Publication (1951) from the Federal Security Agency, Social Security Administration. The same formula can be made these days safely.

Take this to your pediatrician

Got an allergy to cow’s milk protein? Try Goat’s Milk! Look, it’s even in the book!!! Camel’s Milk is another option! There are even more options! I know a local woman who sells goat’s milk. I’ll put you in touch with her.

Are you looking for the easy way out? Most likely. Being a mother isn’t easy. In a world full of, “you shouldn’t have to suffer,” and “You shouldn’t experience hardship,” why WOULD we choose the hard path? We have no support on the hard path.

MEN CAN LACTATE

This post wouldn’t be complete without telling you to have your husband or partner step up. Too far-fetched? Not in this day and age. If women can become men and men can become women, then men can also breastfeed. Of course, this is a mockery of society because as a woman, this completely violates your own dignity. The dignity God gave you.

The problem with society degrading the dignity of women, means that society will require that men step up. Here is a prime example of men being forced to breastfeed. Feminists have destroyed the dignity of women with their, “women are oppressed” nonsense and the progression of emasculating men to uplift women. Laura Shanley shared her husband’s journey to lactation. I’ll let you Google “Milk Men, Father’s Who Breastfeed.”

To be clear, just because men “can” lactate though, doesn’t mean they breastfeed. This is NOT their role. I’m placing this here purely for the secular world where anyone can do anything. So why aren’t you asking your baby’s father to step up? It’s just the continuation of feminizing men. So feminists, have them step up!

I see a much deeper issue though.

I was at Wal-Mart shopping the other day and there was NO shortage of regular infant formula. What does that tell me? Most of your babies are on a specialty formula. They had regular formula on CLEARANCE! The shelves were empty of any specialty formula. Why are your babies on a specialty formula? Are ALL babies allergic to cow’s milk protein?

Local Walmart May 2022

My guess is, we’re so convinced that gas in babies is bad. We don’t want our babies to cry, it’s too stressful. We don’t want to invest in holding the baby longer. We have so many devices to put the baby in that when they don’t work, we look for another device instead of taking off your shirt and bra, undressing the baby, and just sitting skin to skin on the couch. Yes, I suffered from postpartum depression so I get it but what if we had support for these hard times rather than pills and band-aids?

Another issue is, “we (women) don’t have time because we need to work.” Do you REALLY need to work? Maybe but why? Society tells us we need MORE. More things, more vacations, the latest car, etc. If we don’t have those things, we aren’t “happy.” Those “things” won’t make you happy anyway. The unhappiness you feel is because God is on the back-burner or nowhere to be found for you. God will make you happy and God WILL provide you what you need, including your baby in order to survive. You have to ask Him and trust Him. Like, really.

I know many of you will say, “my baby won’t nurse now,” so you want to poo-poo the solutions. Don’t. Your baby CAN be retrained to nurse but if you relactate, you do that through pumping. You don’t have to “breastfeed” you can just pump the milk and feed it in the same bottles you were using for formula. Honestly, I found pumping easier than breastfeeding and consumed less time. Contact me, I’ll help you.

I know many of you will say, “I never responded to the pump,” which could be true. Guess what, now it’s life or death for your baby. Does that mean you won’t try again? Maybe you need a different pump? Maybe you need different flanges? There could be other reasons as well. Don’t poo-poo this solution either. Contact me, I’ll help you.

I know many of you will say, “My baby is allergic to breastmilk.” Even reiterate it with saying, “my doctor told me so,” as if that has some kind of authority behind it. BABIES ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO BREASTMILK. It could be something IN the breastmilk. Ready to give up dairy for your baby? Or soy? Or just eat chicken and rice? I don’t know many who will suffer that much for their child.

I’m not crass, I didn’t have it easy either. My first baby pooped blood for three weeks straight. From about one week old until four weeks old, his poop was blood. Not flecks, pure blood. His pediatrician said, “he’s allergic to breastmilk,” and then followed up with, “remove dairy and soy from your diet.” Oh! So he’s not allergic to breastmilk but dairy and/or soy? The way we say things is important. Not a breastmilk allergy but something IN the breastmilk??

So I changed my diet. I went for three months with no dairy and no soy but he only pooped blood for three weeks. Somehow, removing the dairy and soy didn’t fix it, his body did. When I began eating dairy and soy again, NO CHANGE. Did I suffer with no dairy and no soy? ABSOLUTELY! I should have been smart enough to offer up all that suffering for the souls in purgatory, but I didn’t. Milk protein is in almost everything. Soy is in almost everything. Our government has damaged our food supply. It’s even harder now to eat dairy and soy free than it was 19 years ago.

Bottom-line, think outside the box. You DO have options. Stop freaking out. Pray! Get a pump (they are free from insurance) and start to relactate or find a milk mamma. You are GOING to need to make yourself uncomfortable. You WILL have to make a sacrifice and probably suffer a bit but that’s what happens when you have a child. Your whole life becomes a sacrifice FOR that child. Aren’t they worth it?

What Pregnancy is this for you?

I remember when I attended my last pregnancy prenatal yoga class. On the first day, the instructor asked, “What pregnancy is this for you?” She asked all the attendees. She started with “Raise your hand for #1,” then said, “#2?” “#3?” With each number, women would raise their hands but she stopped at #3.

I felt left out. I hadn’t raised my hand yet. She only went to pregnancy #3. So after a few moments, I raised my hand and said, “#5.” The instructor was happily surprised exclaiming, “WOW!! You are amazing! How wonderful that you can get away for self-care.” Then I thought, “Geez, that’s kind of presumptuous.” I responded, “Well, not really.”

She immediately jumped up off the floor and ran over to give me a hug. She embraced me and told me how amazing I was and then I became embarrassed and angry at the same time. She assumed I had four children at home because this was pregnancy #5 for me. I became quiet. I didn’t want to scare any of the other attendees, especially on the first day.

But as the class continued, she kept focusing on me and asking me for advice to share with the class, such as how to manage the schedules of four children. I ignored as much as I could and offered advice where I could. This continued through several classes and it became harder and harder for me to participate, not because I was sad but I was annoyed. Her question, “What pregnancy is this for you?” did not leave any room for explanation and left tons of room for assumption.

This created a conundrum. How do I explain to her at this point that I only have two living children? I thought about talking with her after class but this instructor was not good with time management. She consistently held us over by 20 to 30 minutes each class and I had a family at home to feed. If I really did have four kids at home, I couldn’t understand how she could be so inconsiderate of my time.

I ended up dropping the class. Questions like this make me wonder if I am approaching my questions about pregnancy in my childbirth education classes appropriately. While I don’t ask what pregnancy it is for my students, I have asked if they are first-time moms. It doesn’t really leave an opportunity for babies born early. I have decided that asking the question differently is the way to go.

I could ask, “how many of you have given birth before?” but that would probably confuse women who have had miscarriages as many of them (especially early losses) do not believe they have given birth. “How many of you are first-time moms?” is really no different.

“Is this your first pregnancy?” might offer better availability for an answer but could also be awkward if the family isn’t acknowledging their prior losses. So what DO you ask?

It’s complicated. You have no idea who is in your classroom and I have had several students talk about their stillbirth or losses. In one of my last classes in particular, the mother blurted out that this was not her first pregnancy and that she had lost her son at 20 weeks. She was attending this birthing class at 20 weeks and I think she was attending as an act of bargaining or a way to validating the pregnancy. 20 weeks is very early to attend a birthing class. I suppose it could be useful if there is a concern the next baby would be born early.

Still, “what pregnancy is this for you?” puts mothers enduring pregnancy after a loss in a precarious situation. It’s often anxiety provoking because mothers want to share their deceased children yet do not want to scare or upset a person and if they don’t share then they may feel guilty for not sharing. A seemingly joyful question has turned into an anxiety provoking question.

When I think about it, why even ask? What’s the purpose of asking? Maybe it’s an “ice breaker?” I know I ask in classes because if a woman has given birth before, her experience this time around might be different and we talk about that. I am considering no longer asking the question.  It’s important that all mothers feel comfortable in class and asking “how many children do you have,” or “what pregnancy is this for you?” is not necessary.

So what should we ask? How about, “How are you feeling about this pregnancy?” “What anxieties are you experiencing that we can talk about?” Be prepared for someone to share about their loss and if they do, please don’t blow them off. Recognize what they have said, offer condolences, ask about their baby/child, share if you have had a similar experience, and follow-up. drt5ye

Termination

Eighteen months ago, I embarked on a journey. A journey I have never been on in 26 years I have been employed. I have been relatively silent about this journey, mostly to protect myself from embarrassment and my current employer. But like most things, opportunities present themselves and doors are opened which allow the silence to open into dialogue.

I am an educator. I have been a certified childbirth educator for over four years but I have been teaching childbirth education on and off since 2004. I have also served in the role of educator in various occupations so teaching isn’t new to me. Whenever I teach, it’s been important for me to share as much information as I can so people can make informed decisions about what I am presenting to them.

As a childbirth educator, it is not my job to sway a parents choice in one way or another. New parents have so many decisions to make and as their educator, I try to make that process easier by presenting all facts. I take great pride in having a diverse curriculum.

As a pregnancy loss advocate, I too try very hard to present all the options and choices families have. Options which are rarely presented to them by their care provider or hospital staff. Even though hospitals believe they have strong bereavement programs, they still miss the mark on some of the tiniest of options which parents should have the benefit of choosing because it can make all the difference in the world.

Care providers may begin to sway families in a particular direction because they feel it may not be important to the family or because it takes more time and/or effort to provide a particular option. It’s a huge disservice to families. I have written about organizations who are agenda driven and aren’t clear on the populations they serve. I have shared experiences from families who felt their care provider didn’t care. And today, I will share an experience that is so very hard to tell but really needs to be told.

I was fired.

I was fired for providing evidence-based information to students within a hospital prenatal class; which led to them asking questions during appointments with their care providers. Various complaints came from these care providers such as: “my patients are asking too many questions and I am getting behind in my patient load,” “I only allot five minutes of time per patient and they are asking too many questions,” “it’s not my job to inform them about ____,” “What kind of information is the educator giving because it’s not evidence-based,” and more. If you think that doctors enjoy educating parents on important topics, this study shows how doctors find less job satisfaction by spending more time talking with parents concerned about vaccinations.

I worked closely with my manager any time a complaint about my curriculum came up. So much so, that my presentations were reviewed and approved numerous times throughout my tenure. After receiving an update that I shouldn’t talk about delayed cord clamping (which is now a standard of care at nearly every local hospital), future complaints involved my education on circumcision. If a student asked about something that was too controversial or a topic my manager “implied” that I should not speak about, I was told to defer them to their care provider to ask those questions. Despite the changes, nearly every few months, I was pulled into my managers office because of the information I presented about newborn circumcision.

The information I provided was given to me by my manager from the hospital’s system “Up-to-Date.” My manager informed me that they didn’t care if patients weren’t choosing to circumcise but too many questions were being asked and I needed to stick with the evidence. Each time, my manager would review my presentation and approve it. I was sure to stick with what was on the slide during my classes but I couldn’t stop students from asking their doctor questions about the procedure.

After two years teaching at this hospital, I was fired. Patients were asking too many questions of their care providers. Were they upset that parents weren’t choosing newborn circumcision? Did they feel the patients were questioning their ability? If they weren’t going to present the real risks and benefits of procedures, who would?

I had worked for this hospital in varying roles for six years. I knew the in’s and out’s of the political environment there and I knew that doctors were to be kept happy at all times. Doctors must be catered to at all costs and were not subject to the same rules and policies that regular employees were. Doctors were special; they were to receive free meals, special lounges stocked to the brim with food, and were not subject to discipline if they were found stealing food or destroying property. The more prestigious their specialty, the more important they were and the more they got away with.

So it was no surprise that I would take the fall when these doctors complained about what their patients were learning in childbirth class if it didn’t fall in line with their opinion. In the last class I had, before I took the fall and was fired, a student kept asking if a doctor could force her into a particular procedure. I had been suspicious of her probing because she kept asking and other students were getting nervous. It seemed she didn’t have trust in her care provider. I explained that she should work closely with her doctor to ensure a mutual trust but ultimately, she cannot be forced. It’s assault, it’s against the law. That statement sparked an investigation and led to a meeting with HR.

But in that meeting, HR was only focused on the circumcision information. “We think you are teaching out of scope,” she said. “Really?” I replied. “I was hired to teach newborn care. It is well within my scope to provide the risks and benefits of circumcision. The information I provide was given to me by my manager and approved several times.”

She fell silent. After she explained their concerns, she presented me with two options. Resign or be terminated. I have never been terminated in my life. As a 40-year old woman with a military service-connected disability, I played the card. “I am not resigning, you will have to terminate me,” I said.

She then explained that she couldn’t fire me and would have to call me back in next week after talking with my manager. My manager was not on my side. She was tired of having to field phone calls about what I was teaching. There was a six-month period of time where I did not have her as a manager. I reported to a director and not once during that six-month period was I summoned to her to answer questions about what I was teaching.

My current manager had a bias against me. I don’t say this lightly but she did. Numerous times she talked about how I was a doula and that skewed my view of childbirth. She thought I was focused on “natural things” only and that I was against epidurals (never mind that I had an epidural at each of my births). She was angry when students called me in to support them through the death of their baby and required me to put up a flier for staff stating I was not employed by the hospital when I assisted families through stillbirth. So my manager was definitely not on my side and I knew she would do everything in her power to fire me.

I felt I had a good standing though. Not a single poor evaluation, 4 and 5 star evaluations from students, and of course, I had followed her requests and my slides had been approved by her. A week later, I received the call. “We could not come to an agreement from both parties,” said HR. “What is the solution?” I asked. She would call me in a few days.

A few days later, HR called with my manager where I was informed that I would be terminated because I present too much controversial information. I knew what she meant. My manager frequently stated that our patient population is “highly educated.” She stuffed that down my throat nearly every meeting. However, she hasn’t taught the classes and she didn’t hear their questions. Just because patients have high school diplomas and college degrees does not mean they know anything about childbirth and the procedures that come with it. They may have the means to look things up but they take a class to learn all they can.

I asked for a termination letter and received it. Then I applied for unemployment; which I also received for a short time.

The bottom-line was this; the hospital did not want their “educated” patients to ask questions. Even though my slides were approved and my manager stated that what I was teaching was great information, I was thrown under the bus when the pressure was too much for her. Instead of standing up to what her educators were teaching, she chose the easy way out. Fire the educator who encourages students to research and develop a trusting relationship with their care provider through asking questions.

By now you must be thinking that I am some sort of “intactivist” who is against circumcision and that I had to have been breaking rules or giving biased information. Students in my classes were taught the “evidence-based” information from Up-to-Date; the hospitals own resource center.

BENEFITS OF NEWBORN CIRCUMCISION
May reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections for the first six months of life.
May prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV (although this study was done on adult African males circumcised as adults).
May reduce the incidence of penile cancer.
May reduce the incidence of inflammation of the glans (head of the penis).

RISKS OF NEWBORN CIRCUMCISION
Pain
Bleeding
Infection
Meatal Stenosis
Removing too much foreskin
Buried Penis
Loss to or damage to all or parts of the penis
Death (mostly attributed to infection and/or bleeding)

Students were informed of the statistics such as circumcision is on the decline in Colorado, that the AAP does not have an official recommendation and leaves it up to the parents, and that this is an elective procedure so double check with your insurance company to see if it’s covered and if your doctor performs the procedure.

Numerous times I had been called by students because their doctor would not do it and they needed a recommendation. They were referred to call a urologist when their OB or pediatrician would not perform the procedure. So you can see, the information I provided was not biased.

I still teach. In fact, this information is or has been presented at three other metro hospitals with no complaints. It is the culture at this hospital. A culture where they don’t want patients informed. They don’t want patients to ask questions or to research information. It’s a culture where “I am the doctor, therefore you will do what I say.”

I am not making this up. I have witnessed doctors making these statements to women and their partners during labor. I have seen doctors threaten patients with child protective services or calling law enforcement if they don’t do what the doctor recommends.

What’s the big deal with circumcision anyway? It’s just a snip right? Check out the video below and tell me if you think it’s just a snip? Wouldn’t you want to be fully informed before you subject your baby to this?

I have two boys. With my first, I was never informed about circumcision. I assumed it was a painless procedure where they just cut of a bit of skin. I had no idea that the foreskin is attached to the penis and they would tear it off. I had no idea the foreskin was functional. No doctor or childbirth educator talked with me about circumcision other than to say, “everyone does it.” When my son was returned to me after his circumcision, I knew something wasn’t right. I knew he would never be the same. I knew I had taken something from him and what I saw when I opened his diaper was shocking. It was an unexpected outcome.

This prompted me to learn more and as an educator, I wanted parents to be informed. I wanted them to know what to expect, not just with circumcision, but with any decision they make for their labor, delivery, and newborn period. Those decisions can affect them and their baby for the rest of their lives. How can a parent make an informed decision about any procedure if they are only given a one sided view or pieces are left out?

By the way, I also educate on how to care for the intact penis. I have observed five different newborn care educators and only ONE also educated on caring for the intact penis. Did you know that not everyone chooses to circumcise and if parents are not educated on how to care for their intact son, damage can be done? A patient population is being blatantly ignored.

We cannot leave out the bits and pieces to sway parents into a decision we believe is right for them because they may fail to research or understand it. They may not have known there were other options available to them because bits and pieces were left out.  Isn’t it a childbirth educators job to inform?

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