When Birth is More Important than Life
I think every country has their priority
topics when it comes to election time, some countries focusing on immigration,
others on raising or lowering taxes. In the US there is some kind of strange
obsession with the place of the woman in society. And not just her place, also
with the choices that she may or may not need to make concerning her body, and
even more precisely, her womb. Yes, the topics of reproduction and abortion are
often brought up by a bunch of men (and even some women) with the main
intention of regulating them. What makes everything a little more confusing is
that each state has its own regulations, which sometimes adhere to, but often
clash with, federal regulations. Some states are more progressive than others
(some downright oppressive), and even though the country is not supposed to be
dominated by religion, it often is, in an underhand way. How many time have you
heard or seen the phrase “God Bless America!”?? There are so many strains of
Christianity in the US that it is hard to keep track of them, and so many
fundamental Christian groups (think along the lines of Cromwell’s famed
Puritans) seem to have an upper hand when it comes to what the government focuses
on. I am constantly surprised at how the US is portrayed as advanced, but how
often it wants to revert back into the past.
Abortion was only legalised in the US in
1973, with the Roe v. Wadecase,
birth control legalized for every woman in 1972. And ever since then there have been people fighting to
overrule these legislations. So-called “pro-life” groups (which I prefer to
call “pro-birth” )
continue to lobby against Planned Parenthood (who provide affordable care for
women, including abortions), and have a large enough following to be heard by politicians.
And politicians are smart enough to see that if they also jump on the
“pro-life” bandwagon their ratings and voter pool will increase significantly.
Yes, apparently many states still live in the dark ages over here.
So, I often ask myself, if “life” is so
important to all of these people, why does the US have the largest percentage of maternaldeaths in the developed world?
Whereas other countries rates are consistently on the decline, the US rate is
actually RISING, and currently sits at 26.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. In
comparison, the UK is at 9.2 deaths per 100,000 live births and Finland at 3.8.
These deaths don’t all happen immediately after childbirth in the hospital, but
often after women are discharged. Complications can arise days or weeks after a
pregnancy, and can be fatal if not detected immediately. Several news outlets
and journalists have done extensive research into the matter, and it basically comes down to several different issues. But
the main point is that care is focused on the infant, and the mother tends to
fall by the wayside. Infant mortality rates are currently at an all-time low in the US,
which is brilliant news, but why does it seem to be at the expense of mothers?
I have had three children in the US, and
three different experiences. I have previously written about the healthcare situation here,
and it remains fragmented at best. Each state has specific guidelines, and each
hospital is different. It really requires a lot of research on the part of
parents to be, and often, depending on your insurance, you don’t have a choice
where you give birth. Home births are illegal (!!) in certain states, and
midwife-led birthing centres often fill up fast as there are not enough of them.
I have been lucky as I have been able to choose the hospital I deliver at (the
pros of living in large cities), and I have also only lived in very progressive
states. My experiences would have been very different if I had lived in the
countryside in the south.
Prenatal care is excellent here. My first
child was born with congenital heart defects, so with each subsequent pregnancy
I was given a fetal echocardiogram to rule out heart defects, in addition to
the usual anatomy scan. My doctors always took the time to listen to me. But I
found when it came to labour, delivery, and post partum time everything changed.
Labor and delivery depends on the hospital and doctor – I learnt that the hard
way. After an unpleasant experience with my first child I did more research for
the others and had the birthing experiences that I wanted, and felt fully
supported. I also noticed that more care was provided to me with the last
child, I was monitored as much as my newborn was. So either California is
making better headway in maternal care, or things are slowly changing in
general. I have a feeling it’s more of the former than the latter though.
The real issue lies in the support and care
received after you are discharged from the hospital. After a vaginal birth you
are usually kept for 48 hours (and can ask to leave after 24 hours if you and
baby are OK). After a C section the general rule is 72 hours unless there are
any complications. Women are pushed to get up and about as soon as possible,
which is not necessarily a bad thing, and lactation consultants are usually on
call for breastfeeding help. However, once you leave the hospital you are
usually on your own. Apart from in certain small areas, there are no doctor or
nurse home visits after you leave the hospital. You usually have one post
partum appointment scheduled for six weeks after birth and that’s it. On the
other hand you are responsible for taking your newborn in to his or her paediatrician's office within a few days for a check-up. Even if you have an easy vaginal birth with
minimal damage, hauling your newborn off to a doctor’s appointment three days
after pushing him or her out is HARD. I can’t even imagine what it must feel
like for someone who has had major abdominal surgery! You are discharged with a
list of “symptoms” to watch out for, and a PPD questionnaire to answer, but how
on earth can you answer these questions about depression when you have
literally JUST had the baby? No, I don’t feel sad and despondent right now, but
what happens if I do in 8 weeks? Who do I call?
Once you pop the baby out you basically
have to just pick yourself up and get on with it. No wonder women are reluctant
to talk about how hard the fourth trimester can really be, and that they are
struggling – there is no TIME to struggle. Paid maternity leave is practically non-existent (unless you are lucky enough to work for a company
that provides it for a few months), and there is no real safety net for women
to fall into if they don’t feel they can cope. So much for all of these
so-called “pro-life” groups – their focus seems to be solely aimed at pregnancy
and abortion, and not at ensuring that mothers are given adequate support and
help to even stay alive after birth. I’m sure everyone can agree that a healthy
mother is much more important to a child than a dead one, no?
Maybe one day we can all stand together to
rally for better post partum care for mothers AND infants, but in the meantime
I fear that the maternal death rate is just going to continue to rise. Life
goes a lot farther than just birth; I think we can all agree with that, whether
we are pro-birth or pro-choice.
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