Choices & Comfort…

First of all, allow me to open this post by thanking you for being so patient with me.  I know I haven’t been around much.  Growing baby number two has definitely kept me in bed and in the bathroom a lot more than I would like.  But, hopefully I am soon to be over the hump; and, at least I can look at precious Harper and know that what I am enduring is so worth it!  All that to say, I hope to be posting a lot more often here pretty soon. 

These past couple of weeks have been pretty interesting, and I’ve heard some conversations I wanted to bring up for discussion.  People’s choices, especially in this country, are so interesting to me!  The things we allow and the things we outright choose can be quite perplexing to my little brain.  I wonder, do you see something wrong with this picture?

“What picture?” you ask.  Well, allow me to share what I am talking about.  At a party this weekend, I stood listening to a labor and delivery nurse at a new, local hospital and another lady who works at an OB/GYN practice discussing some changes that were about to take place.  The lady from the OB/GYN office was telling the hospital nurse that a bunch of their OBs were about to come on staff at her new hospital.  To which the nurse replied, she already knew this information plus the fact that they were getting even more doctors from some other practices.  Then, the nurse went on to share that the talk at the hospital had been all about how they were going to handle all of the new births (business) that these OBs would bring their way when they came on staff.  After all, this hospital doesn’t have that many birth rooms.  Her solution?  They better get triage and the operating rooms ready for the overflow they were bound to have!  Admittedly, though, they both confessed that this probably wouldn’t be the perfect solution because the operating room would already be full with surgeries. 

So let me get this straight?  Women are going to choose to pay thousands of dollars to birth in a hospital.  During their pregnancy, they will tour the hospital and see these nice birth-rooms, planning out their perfect hospital birth in their heads.  Then, on the big day, they show up to be told, “Whoops, we hired more doctors and right now we are filled to capacity.  Would you like to deliver in a large room where the beds are separated by curtains?  Or, would you like to be taken into the OR with big lights, where you won’t be having surgery, but the feeling will be much the same?”  What?  Doesn’t that sound to you like a perfectly legitimate option and two great choices?  Maybe if you’ve never experienced these rooms in a hospital. 

Ironically enough, after overhearing this conversation, I was called to doula a hospital birth.  When I got there, guess where the mom was?  In triage.  Sitting on her twin bed because as the nurse informed her, “This is triage, we have different rules that birth rooms, and no, you may not use your birth ball.  You will be in this bed.”  Why was she in triage?  Well, even though her water had broken, the staff was trying to decide if they were going to admit her.  Anyone ever heard of a hospital sending a mom home and not admitting them when they have ruptured membranes?  Nope?  Me neither!  So, do I think it is a big possibility that this hospital didn’t have a room available for this mom and was stalling?  Absolutely!  Did the fact that she was forced to lay on her back in that triage bed until she was complete and pushing convince me of my opinion more?  Absolutely!  I am just so thankful that this particular mom did an amazing job and was able to endure what most women could have never done.  She had her baby beautifully and naturally- even under the stress of a rude nurse in a little triage room- without medication as she desired. 

Yet another reason that choices in this country not only amaze but sadden me!  I am all for- and grateful for- hospitals, when they are necessary.  The problem is, most in this country are uneducated and misinformed when it comes to their options.  Therefore, we crowd our hospital rooms with births that shouldn’t be taken there at all, and we are now forced to use hospitals rooms to have births in that weren’t meant to have women birthing in them.  Why choose to go to a place that is designated to save sick and dying people to birth a healthy baby?  And, now- in this country- most are choosing to pay a high dollar to do so and  forfeit the comfort they were promised on their tour they would have.