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This woman HAD to be fringe, I've never met a single doula who believes this about Group B Strep. Some of them prefer a different treatment (something that can be done pre-birth to avoid being on an IV during labor), but just not doing anything at all? WTH?
And then with the water breaking... sigh. I understand not wanting to go the hospital and be put on the 24 hour clock, but days? That's completely insane. It boggles my mind that a woman trained in labor and birth could make such dangerous suggestions.
She shouldn't be working anymore, for sure - simply because doulas ARE NOT MEDICAL SUPPORT and she was functioning outside of her role as a doula, VERY outside. A doula is supposed to be there for emotional, informational, and physical support. NOT making medical decisions for you. Grrr.
Please know though guys, this is NOT the norm. At all. I've never met a doula like this.
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My OB friend is talking about how lately she's been running into the "confrontational" ones who "pack up and leave" when it gets tough. Doula training can be minimal so I wonder if it's too easy to snag in the ones who like to work outside their job description? It's not like they really have a boss to say "hey, you're doing this wrong".
Kind of like how I've had chiropractors try to tell how to treat my child's reflux. Not a ped-stfu
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Wow. Just wow.
I have to say, there was a point in my pregnancy where I was so adamant that I was having a natural birth that I started to sway anti-doctor. Thankfully, I realized I was being a dumbass before it was too late.
I would have reported that doula in 2 seconds flat.
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@blackbird: I'm guessing this is why doulas are banned at a lot of hospitals now. There really needs to be more oversight (and also responsible people reporting bad behavior!)
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@Arden: I know this wasn't the main point of your post but honestly I think it's crossing a line for a doula to have an opinion/preference of any sort on how Group B strep should be treated.
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A friend had a traumatic birth experience. It's a long story, but some of the same themes are present as this blog post. Her doula was anti doctors, hospitals, and western medicine. The doula encouraged my friend to lie to her doctors and nurses to avoid intervention. My friend and her baby are okay, but my friend had a very traumatic birth experience, that could have been avoided if she was honest with her doctor and the hospital staff and heard the facts about what was going on and why intervention was necessary.
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This is so scary. I'm so glad that her daughter is alive and well, but I just can't imagine ever making my own preferences for my birth to override the safety and health of my child. I'm glad this mother realizes the mistakes she's made and posted this story, but she definitely should have reported this doula! This is horrifying and she's lucky her child is alive!
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Okay, my mind is still blown about blatantly lying to your doctor.
Also, when did women stop being afraid of dying during childbirth, or having their children die? I know it doesn't happen frequently (because of DOCTORS), but it seems like people have forgotten that there is a real possibility there.
Not to totally derail this, but its kind of like how people aren't scared of polio anymore.
Logic fail, all around. -
As a doula, I can't imagine ever recommending half of these things. It's so scary that someone wouldn't put the health of mama and baby, before everything else. I would also NEVER condone lying to your doctor. If you want to refuse something, just do that, but holy cow, be honest. This is terrifying
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@Silva: Agree. This is something that annoys me about the whole natural birth train of thought. The unending chorus of "we were BUILT to do this, we've been doing it for millions of years! we don't need help!" is sort of a simplification when you consider that maternal and infant death rates used to be much much much higher. Yes, I agree that we were built for this and that many women can give birth with no interventions and no problems. And I also agree that birth got way too medicalized in the 20th century and the gradual swing back towards more natural births is good (even in terms of say-- just an epidural vs. ether like they used to do with our grandmas). But doctors/hospitals save lives. It's one thing to have a plan/goal-- quite another to lose sight of the end game (healthy mom/baby) in pursuit of that goal.
This is why I love the recent trend (in the US) of midwives delivering in hospitals. Best of both worlds IMO. All the support available for attempting a birth with no interventions, and all the interventions available if they are truly necessary!
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@Mae: well said
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@Silva: @Mae: Totally agree with both of you. I understand wanting an un-medicated birth (though I was personally all about the drugs!), but I don't understand putting your desires for an un-medicated birth above the health and safety of your unborn child. In the end I could not have cared less about how my baby got here as long as she was healthy.
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@Mae: Yes! I agree!!! I LOVED having a midwife at my birth, but felt soooooo comfortable and safe being in the hospital and knowing that if anything went wrong, doctors were RIGHT THERE!
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@Mae: Yes, yes, yes! I wanted an intervention free birth, but it wasn't in the cards for me. My baby likely would have died without intervention (asynclitic presentation, posterior, stuck under my pubic bone, shoulder dystocia, etc) and I am forever grateful for the advances in medicine that allowed them to be possible. My doula was a godsend because she was able to transition from the intervention free mindset, to just staying with me, holding my hand, and explaining in depth what the doctor was recommending.
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This is just horrifying.
I will never understand putting your wants before the health and safety of your baby. I had c-section due to complications we were aware of prior to birth. I didn't fight my doctor on it, we had a meaningful discussion of the risks with all of the possible scenarios (c-section, vaginal birth, induction, etc.) and decided based on what was best for LO!
I think wanting a natural birth is admirable but at the end of the day, healthy baby and healthy mom are what's best.
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@swedishfish: I agree that she shouldn't be practicing anymore, but doulas can't lose their license in most places-- they don't need to be licensed to practice so there is no license to lose. This one let her certification with DONA lapse in 2006 according to the comments, so I'm not even sure reporting there would help (certification is completely voluntary in many places, too, since it's an unlicensed profession). I think she should share the doula's name with the story, though, so other moms can try to avoid her.
This is so scary!
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@Silva: +1. The polio comparison is dead-on (literally). We are so, so lucky to live in this time.
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I don't even know that this story is wholly about the mother's wants, but more so about how all the "risks" were chalked up to minimum/no big deal. Like "oh they're just implementing fear mongering". And I will say, i feel like I see that a lot, even here. If a dr recommends an induction at 40 weeks, there's a lot of huff puff over why 41 weeks is better. Obviously this mother DID want a natural birth, though.
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@LittleFox: Agree with you; and I think you brought up a really, really important point.
Unlike doctors, nurses and many other medical professionals and para-professionals; there are no across-the-board licensing and oversight boards, professional liability insurance requirement similar to malpractice, legal ramifications for giving unauthorized medical advice and no educational or training requirement of any sort – medical or otherwise for doulas or midwives in many states.
It's kind of easy to say that women should be educated about their choices (and well, they *should* be) but I don't think it would be a bad thing to have licensing and training/education requirements across the board for those who are putting themselves out there as support professionals.
@Mae: @Silva: Agree with both you ladies as well.
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