Pregnant in America, How can it Feel This Wrong?
After viewing the trailer for the upcoming documentary, Pregnant in America - A Nations Miscarriage, I found it odd that they chose childbirth as a means of the health-care industry raking in huge profits. Maybe its my own knee-jerk reaction attributed to my distrust of the current trend of documentaries that focus on controversial issues that is held so dearly by our dysfunctional culture, but this one stinks to high heaven. This film will not only exploit current fears, but also create fear of pregnancy and hospital based delivery.
Numbers and statistics mean absolutely nothing without being qualified in some manner. For example, the film states that the incidents of c-sections as a means of delivering a baby in the United States are currently at 33%. They cost more (which is why countries with socialized medicine don’t have a high rate of c-sections), which consequently increases the revenue of a hospital, that’s proof enough of a scandal, right? Not really, considering many of those c-sections are voluntary, at the request of the mother because she is a product of a culture that will do what it takes to avoid any pain of any kind. Try to find a celebrity who recently gave birth that didn’t have a c-section. It’s also a safety precaution some practitioners are forced to take to avoid being sued in our litigious society.
What about the mentioned infant and maternal death rate in U.S. hospitals compared to other industrialized countries? For one, you need to look no further than the statistical significant correlation between mortality and c-section procedures. As for the other variables, our country has a problem with poor pre-natal care which contribute to the mortality of children due to prematurity and low-birth weight. Some of these deaths can be attributed to social service ignorance and awareness, not by hospital neglect or needless “interventions”.
As a confirmation bonus, the director of the film shows his own child in an ICU crib after his birth, what’s one to deduce? Must be the result of a corporate scandal(ah, but this is not at all uncommon as a precaution for infants who have a low APGAR score, here they can be closely monitored until they are sure the baby is stable and healthy - law suits you know).
How about the shock by a European woman after she is informed that babies in the U.S. are not born at home? That my friends, can be referred to a mentality of someone who actively participates in maximizing the cost effectiveness of socialized medicine.
So what’s one to do to avoid hospitals? The only alternative to giving birth in the corrupt hospitals was a home birth by a midwife, but a physician warns that one should hopefully be within 15 minutes of the nearest hospital.
I’m not trying to justify what some hospitals may do in order to maximize profits, because some of them may (but not at the expense of a baby- law suits you know). At the same time, with the litigation associated with child birth and the demand for a perfect baby, physicians and hospitals are bound to take every pre-caution to avoid being sued (and that cost is passed on to the consumer). I absolutely hate the way I felt after watching the trailer, and I have my suspicions that this could be intended to raise the fears associated with pregnancies and child delivery. Either that, or it’s put together by the mid-wife union of America, or possibly a promotion for a socialized health-care system. Either way, it’s irresponsible journalism.
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Neither hospital nor OB/GYN “profits” are exorbitant, by any means–unless “exorbitant” means 10% of revenue, like Exxon.
At least, not in Milwaukee, where the local paper printed the profit-margins of the three largest hospital-operator chains.
OBs in Milwaukee pay about $1,250/DAY in malpractice insurance.
Comment by dad29 — February 27, 2007 @ 1:44 pm
Thanks for pointing that out, there were so many obvious flaws with the trailer, I didn’t even take the time to go in that direction of the profitability vs. revenue issue. Something tells me they referred to revenue instead of profit for a reason.
Comment by shelray — February 27, 2007 @ 3:04 pm
Blanket exposes or endorsements are both riddled with problems. They are biased, generalize, and can cause serious problems for people who view them as scripture.
When my first child was born we used a natural childbirth practice that had midwives on staff and went a Catholic hospital that was not highly recommended. As it turned out the hospital was absolutely outstanding, but the practice was garbage–including a nutcase pediatrician who peddled natural vitamins on the side and a third backup obstetrician who showed up late for a difficult delivery and waited till exactly the moment of birth to come and deliver. The hospital staff nurses were shooting daggers at this egomaniac.
For my second child, we went to a highly regarded non-Catholic Hospital affiliated with a major university, which turned out to be very substandard, but we had a fine Catholic obstetrician- pediatrician with eight kids of his own–who did not perform any great feats of wondrous primitive childbirth on my wife and treated her with respect.
Both children were, thank God, healthy and of fine weight just below and above nine pounds.
I went through several pediatricians with my first child till I settled on a fairly sane guy who actually listened to parents most of the time–and when he didn’t, he was totally wrong.
Comment by John Hetman — February 27, 2007 @ 7:24 pm
I have had one hospital birth and three home births (with a doctor not a midwife) and have 4 healthy children. I don’t feel the problems with our healthcare system and specifically within OB practices are linked so much to greed and corruption as to an unhealthy view of sex, procreation, and pregnancy itself on the part of many doctors. I didn’t switch from hospital to home birth so much out of a fear of hospitals and their “evil tactics”. But, rather to find a practice dedicated to life, famly, and respect for God’s plan. Often I think that it just coincidentally happens that doctors and nurses who have the same view of sex, procreation, and pregnancy as we do also happen to be part of the “alternative” medicine scene. Doctors who are part of a hospital practice (more main-stream medicine) tend to trust more in biology and technology than God’s plan…this can lead many (including catholic doctors and catholic institutions) to waver on significant life issues and “bend the rules” so to speak when “modern medicine” dictates it be so. I feel it is part of God’s plan (and shouldn’t be messed with) that birth should be painful. Yes - I said it! Trust me women HATE to hear that! But, I stand by that and I always put my pain to good use, applying it to a person in need or for the poor souls in purgatory…Also, we often trust in medicine too much in our society. Americans run to the doctor for EVERYTHING and take WAY too many meds! I think a shift away from a reliance on hospitals to make birth as “painless as possible” is a good thing - it’s actually healthier for the babies too! All those drugs for mom are NOT good for baby.
Anyhow…that’s my imput - sorry so long.
Comment by kris — February 28, 2007 @ 10:23 am
I have to ask, why should childbirth be painful?
Comment by Kitty — February 28, 2007 @ 10:13 pm
I’ve never given birth, but I believe I’d probably be thinking, “Heck, my mom was drugged into unconsciousness for my birth, so I’m carrying on a family tradition !”
Comment by Donna Marie Lewis — March 1, 2007 @ 12:18 pm