I had two friends recommend this book in the space of a month and while I'm not expecting and they both are I still felt like I could use another looking at natural child birth should I ever try to attempt such a thing again. From where I'm comfortably sitting right now I'd say the answer to that is no, but I also swore I'd never enjoy running either so I guess you never know with things that are grueling and torturous. If you aren't a coffee/caffeine junkie, you don't smoke, or do drugs, and you've never drunk that adrenaline high can be pretty enjoyable. On a totally unrelated tangent I once took an lab class in which we isolate the caffeine out of a compound on a glass bulb and then used a razor blade to scratch it off...and yes I did feel like a member of a drug cartel. Anyway back to the story Baby Catcher chronicles the career of Peggy Vincent as she becomes a OB nurse, then a private practice midwife, and finally a midwife attached to a hospital. She explains her motivation for joining the field as well as some of the historical moments in women's reproductive rights and alternative medicine using personally birthing stories from her over forty years of practice.On the Five Star Scale *****
Naughty Bits (**) - There is swearing and lots and lots of talk about birthing. I realize some people can't handle that kind of information and that is ok but if you are one of those people, this book is not for you. Oh also there is some front cover nudity :) My son love that part. I was reading at the breakfast table and he said in his excited high pitched voice, "Mom, that naked baby is flying."
Readability (****) - 336 pages. And a fast read. Vincent is humorous and her tales are heartwarming and exciting. I read through three meals to finish.
Sap Factor (***) - So we are talking about new humans entering this world, little tiny, helpless human beings. There was a moment I was reading about this young medical student barging through the operating doors to be with his wife and I actually got a little teary. What can I say, ever since the kids this stuff makes me mushy inside.
Final notes (****) - I really enjoyed this book. There were points when I wanted to cry and others where I was laughing so hard my checks hurt. There is one story where a young father delivers his son in the parking lot and his description of the birth takes something that was probably truly horrific and turns it into laugh out loud humor. Vincent is a real proponent of natural birthing and does her best to persuade the reader of it's virtues but she does mention some of the mishaps that can happen there and does not gloss over the craziness and sometimes tragedy that can occur. Her career spans many of the changes in reproductive care and much of the history there I was not aware of. As a child born in the eighties who has always had freedom of choice I was blind to the fights of reproductive rights. Since an abortion is something I wouldn't have ever considered I felt like woman's liberation meant nothing to me. As I read Vincent's book though I realized that I was lucky to be born into many more rights that I had previously realized, some of which I've already taken advantage of. I was not aware that hospitals used to force patients to be compliant to drugs. I was unaware that even if a father had wanted to attend a birth he would have been unable. I didn't realize how much control the medical profession had over choice. There are so many choices and opportunities I have access to because of pioneers like Vincent and her patients. I'm not saying I'm ready to jump into a home birth but I appreciate that birthing choices are mine, that Dr J can be in the room with, and because he's in med school he can even deliver my babies because laid back midwives are cool with that kind of thing. I appreciate that if at some point I decide I can't or don't want to have any more kids I can have my tubal ligation and on the same hand no doctor is going to try to force me to do it because they don't think I should have more than two children. Thank heavens for rights that allow us to have choice.
3 comments:
I enjoyed your review of "Baby Catcher," and I especially appreciated your insightful ability to appreciate the hard won freedoms that you and all women reap the benefits of because of the hard fought battles of women before us.
My aunt was the first woman to have her husband in the delivery room in Selma, AL and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, for many of us the battle continues. In 26 US states, there is no statue that allows or licenses midwives to attend home births. In those states the risks for midwives who attend births varies from unlikely to be prosecuted to felony prosecution for practicing midwifery or medicine without a license.
The American Medical Association, which is a trade organization for MDs--as you may know since I gather your husband is a medical student--has been engaged in a campaign called the Scope of Practice Partnership which seeks to limit the practice of non MD practitioners.
In Alabama, where I am part of an organization working to license Certified Professional Midwives so that they can attend home births free of the risk of prosecution, the result of SOPP has been a push by the Medical Association of Alabama to strengthen their opposition to our bill as well as opposition to legislation proposed by Nurse Practioners, Certified Nurse Practitioners and Psychologists. Because of this, this session, our legislature passed a law that increased the penalty for midwives attending home births from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Once won, our choices still have to be defended, and in some states, the battle is yet to be won.
Sarah in Alabama
Yeah at the end of Vincent's book she for the most part ends her at home birth practice because she was unable to continue to do home births with insurance...which I'm sure as a medial practitioner made her very nervous. I personally know in our state that home births have been made illegal...which is why both times I've had children at the hospital I've seen Amish women who general would have had home births but now are forced to birth in at the hospital. Vincent puts most of the blame on doctors who fear competition. I can't say that there is not something to that but I also wonder if the fact that our society has become so sue happy also has something to do with that. I live in the middle of Illinois a state known for high returns on cases against doctors. At this point there are very few practicing OB in the southern half of our state. Personally I agreed with Vincent when she mentioned a fund set up to pay out for people that have accidents happen. A similar thing has been done with immunizations and so far it has worked out well although lawyers in this country I'm sure aren't happy about it.
It looks like our opinions pretty much agree on this book. I definitely didn't expect to like it as much as I did. And you bring up a good point about never knowing that we should appreciate the choices we have.
Vincent's final story (the lawsuit that eventually made her stop practicing) made me sad, and angry. If that isn't an illustration of a stupid lawsuit and arcane insurance practices, I don't know what is.
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