“Some People Just Aren’t Meant To Birth Naturally.”

“Some people just aren’t meant to birth naturally.” – Certified Nurse Midwife to mother trying to VBAC.

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There are 13 comments to this post.

partlysbabe had this to say, May 18, 2011 @ 4:55 am (Quote)

Im sorry, I thought that is the exact reason our bodies are designed this way…. Way to go with the encouragement!!!

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Kristin had this to say, May 18, 2011 @ 4:59 am (Quote)

And not all people are meant to be specialized health care workers. I’m guessing your first choice of career was politician. You know, too good to be true, like a midwife that seems great, yet says stuff like this.

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Jane had this to say, May 18, 2011 @ 5:08 am (Quote)

Comfort FAIL. Encouragement FAIL. Fact FAIL.

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Susan Peterson had this to say, May 18, 2011 @ 5:14 am (Quote)

There are undoubtedly SOME women with very small or mis-shaped pelvises. There are more babies who get in positions which make it difficult for them to come through average pelvises, which means another baby in a different position has a good chance of coming through. In any case, if the woman is at this point currently *trying* to VBAC, why discourage her?

Someone could easily have said that to me. I had a first C section for having my membranes leaking too long and an induction which did nothing. ( no real contractions even-I think the nurse mixed the pitocin solution wrong; it didn’t come premixed in those days.) In my VBAC labor when I went to push (lying flat on my back) my recti muscles split and my baby flipped posterior. The doctor said there was no way I could push her out. These days that would mean another C section. He did a mid forceps rotation delivery, and although I don’t really believe I needed the C section in the first place, or that I couldn’t have pushed the second baby out given a long enough time, I am grateful for his skill which kept me from having another C section. These days I would have at that point have had 2 C sections, and someone could easily, easily, have felt justified in saying that to me. Even home birth advocates were dubious about my ever being able to have a home birth. Well, with the next baby I pushed out an 11 pounder. And after that I had six babies at home without significant difficulty.

So even though this statement may technically be true, it is highly doubtful whether the CNM had enough information to apply it to this woman when she said it. Most likely, she was afraid, tired of waiting and being anxious, and she said it to persuade the woman to have another C section.

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Sheva had this to say, May 18, 2011 @ 6:18 am (Quote)

Weren’t *meant*??
Who died and left *you* boss, lady?

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Peggy had this to say, May 18, 2011 @ 6:53 am (Quote)

Hi! This is my story! L-)

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Peggy had this to say, May 18, 2011 @ 6:57 am (Quote)

Oops, hit enter too soon.

After she said that, I couldn’t reply verbally in the middle of a pitocin contraction, so I tried to kick her in the face. DARN! Only got her clipboard… (oops, what a strong contraction!)

This happened about 18 hours after my water broke, (I waited 12 hours to go to hospital), and after giving in to Pitocin for about 4 hours and trying to avoid an epidural. This was the Midwife’s encouragement to have an epidural, with no blame put on the pitocin for being why I can’t go natural. HELLO, it’s not natural once pitocin is involved, it’s PURE HELL!

I did go on to have that VBAC (with an epidural eventually) and another completely natural VBAC.

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Rebecca Reply:
May 18th, 2011 at 11:18 am Rebecca(Quote)

WTG and congrats on your babies

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Louisa Reply:
May 18th, 2011 at 3:09 pm Louisa(Quote)

I am sorry you had to deal with this!
I am still on the fact that they gave a VBAC mum Pitocin!! Had no one read any studies?

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Charity Reply:
May 18th, 2011 at 6:31 pm Charity(Quote)

I was told almost the same thing about pitocin contractions. “Oh, it couldn’t be the pitocin. You just can’t handle labor.” I never got the epidural they were pushing. I’ve since had two babies without any intervention and they were a walk in the park compared to pitocin contractions!

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