Hyperemesis mums of the world, would you do me a big favor?
Go to Facebook, click "like" on "The Bradley Method of Childbirth":
And leave a comment regarding the article they posted on how "WOMEN who suffer an extreme reaction to pregnancy are paying up to $7000 for a drug not yet approved for use by expectant mums because they are desperate to control their illness." (This is regarding Zofran for HG.)
I was so angry regarding the first comment that I could hardly type. The Bradley Method has a bad reputation for being anti-drug, regardless of the need, and this is one HUGE example of it. I would really appreciate any input you could leave there. And let me know if you do.
(No wonder an HG friend of mine felt the need to leave her class during the all-drugs-are-evil part of the evening! I would too.)
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ReplyDeleteI can't even bring myself to click "like" on the page to leave a comment. I just want to know why these Bradley people think they know so much more than medical professionals.
ReplyDeleteI do have great respect for Bradley, and for what they do - I've even thought of certifying with them. And (it seems, from the outside!) they are an especially big help in helping mamas to know about healthy labor practices when hospital protocols may be stuck on antiquated practices. For example, current research shows that food in labor is just fine, but many hospitals or nurses still try to restrict it. Another example - research shows that upright labor and birth positions are healthier - but many hospitals still try to keep moms on their backs during pushing.
ReplyDeleteThey're also really good for helping mothers to know their rights during labor.
So I think that they are awesome for all that.... It's just that they tend to be a bit Nazi-ish about their beliefs, i.e. "this is how it is and there are NO EXCEPTIONS." That's definitely the feeling I got from reading their book, as well. So they stick to that "all drugs are evil" bit, when there are many other factors involved - for example, if the disease involved is going to kill the baby and/or the mother (like HG can and does), then it wouldn't really matter if the mother remained a martyr to the last and refused to take drugs to help her.
Also, part of the problem is specifically with HG-awareness, not with Bradley. The first comment in this thread, which I am going to paraphrase because I can't stand to go back and read it, was something along the lines of "So you puke a bit. Grow up and stop whining, big deal." I was shaking so much after that that I actually had a hard time typing. Yes, that comment was on a Bradley Facebook page (could have been a teacher, a student, an administrator, or just a childbirth junkie), but that attitude is prevalent throughout our society. "Women deal with morning sickness all the time, so stop your complaining and suck it up." That's the mentality that has to be changed, and my goodness, it is an uphill battle.
Good luck on your first day, Jen!!! Love you!!!
I just can't figure out how to make someone who hasn't had hg understand how bad it is. Unless they are interested there's no incentive to read-up on it. My own mother had a great pregnancy and didn't even know she was pregnant for MONTHS - what bliss! Hyperemesis gravidarum is such an isolating illness, so when professionals do see hyperemetic women at e.g. a midwife appointment they don't realise that they may have used every last ounce of strength to get there. My midwives refused to come to the house to see me so they really didn't have a professional understanding of the condition and never weighed me or even realised I had hg. I had to figure out my sickness level couldn't possibly be normal and approach a doctor. Another problem is that there aren't many routine appointments in the time when hg peaks for most women so unless the sufferer makes and appointment or gets so ill she gets sent to hospital, she slips through the net of midwife attention. Here in the UK there has been a call to keep women's personal GPs more involved in prenatal care but I think when women have hg they really should be seeing a specialist throughout and be classed as a higher risk pregnancy than normal. Anyone who thinks it is just a moan about morning sickness should be ashamed of displaying such ignorance and certainly should not put themselves in a position of thinking that they can offer medical advice to pregnant women. That's why I like this blog, the author is trying to educate midwives and doulas as well as the general public.
ReplyDeleteSleepwalker - I just now saw this comment! I absolutely agree with all that you wrote in your comment. HG women do tend to slip through the cracks, just because the worst is generally either gone or present-out-of-control by the time the first 13-week appointment rolls around. Also, though I love my natural childbirth community, one of its weaknesses is definitely a tendency to write off HG as (1) just another woman complaining who needs to be quiet, (2) someone with psychological issues, (3) normal morning sickness which will pass, (4) nature is best - i.e. leaving HG untreated. It's very disappointing to me, but every movement has its weaknesses. That's why I try to link to my bigger HG articles from my birth blog, so that birth professionals can get some exposure to HG literature. I know that if I had not HG, I probably would have been snooty too, about how HG mums just need to "suck it up and deal".... what can I say? God has humbled me greatly, and I needed it. I try to take that over into other areas of life where my tendency would otherwise be hard-nosed and absolutist.
ReplyDelete