quick doula update!

i had my second client give birth last sunday. this is how much i dislike hospitals...the rn said to her "here's your pitocin shot" (post-birth after clamping the cord much sooner than client wished). client said "wait, what? why do i need that?" rn said "everyone gets one, if you had had an iv (client refused!) we would have given it to you and you wouldn't have even known." and "the doc ordered it." she also said that this was the only chance she had to get the pitocin, even if she does bleed. after being hassled into getting the unnecessary dose of pitocin for the off-chance that she bleeds out, my client and i were quite thrown off by this wretched rn. hospitals have procedures but everything is an option unless you are unconscious. most women are not unconscious after giving birth so why are they not informed that they are getting pitocin after delivery??? just because "everyone gets it" and "the doc ordered it" doesn't mean she can't refuse it. birth centers and home birth midwives have pitocin shots on hand to use WHEN NECESSARY! people...i plead to you...trust your body. don't take everything your doc or rn says as an absolute. while they may give you an impression that it is an absolute, 9 times out of 10 there is another, probably healthier, more personalized option. so many people say they hate doctors...then why trust them with the birth of another life. unless you have a high-risk pregnancy there is no need to be in a hospital. midwives are trained to allow the mother to do her body's work through labor, pushing and delivery. they are also trained to handle medical emergencies during labor and delivery JUST IN CASE. midwives do not assume that every birth will entail an emergency like hospitals do. hospitals are for the very sick and those in need of emergent care.

please rethink your trust in hospitals!