Whether you like it or not, when a professional gives opinion like this, it IS disempowering!
Water Births don't work? Ummm, mine did. Birth plans aren't essential? Mine was adhered to beautifully by the midwives at my BC with NO PROBLEMS on their part with my wishes. That 'claptrap'? Based on physiological fact - fear=tension=pain...remove the fear, geez, water can do that wonderfully! No fear/tension/pain immediately lowers risk!
Since when is he also a lactation consultant?
Actually, I DO know people who can attribute adult health issues with not being breastfed, so HA!
I DO agree that a healthy baby and mummy is the most important outcome of birth, however, I object to his suggestion that interventions don't contribute to PND...they sure as hell do, that's why a good debrief is essential.
Sure, breast is best until it isn't, even the ABA will tell you that, it's a no-brainer...if only all birth professionals could care about lactation as well as just the delivery, we'd have more women persevering with BFing beyond that difficult initial attachment stage!
Vitamin K became necessary when breastfeeding was relegated and formula was de rigeur. Breastfeeding on demand removes the requirement for Vit K in most cases - if you ask the right questions at the time, you should come across this answer at the hospital!
I could go on. What makes this person's 'opinion' dangerous is that he knows it is heavily weighted by his qualifications. Many women will not go away and think 'well, that's just one person's opinion', they will say 'it's his opinion, but he is a qualified OB and should know what he's talking about' - THAT is where the disempowerment lies.
I'm with you, Kelly, I have some choice adjectives in mind, but for now they will remain in my mind!
This is the kind of OB who likes to have the decisions deferred to him. He doesn't care if someone 'shops around' because he knows the ones who do, and who want a water birth, are likely to have less respect for him than he would desire. They would actually want to see him as more of an equal participant in the birth, and I don't think he'd like to come down from his pedestal for that. Women like myself and many others on BB would just want more input and control into the process.
To deride the power of a waterbirth is REALLY arrogant! How the hell would he know about 'primordial feminine powers'? How dare he suggest that this is a myth? Why give an opinion on something you don't know about? That way lies folly - who does that but a fool? The best thing he could have said here in relation to water birth is 'I don't attend these, you'll need to find someone who does. As someone who doesn't do them, I have no experience to comment on the merits, or otherwise, of these'...but he didn't. He decided to show more enlightened women that he isn't comfortable with women taking on their own birthing experiences. I mean, what would we know, the baby only comes out of us. You would think that after witnessing so many births, he might actually credit women with something for being able to experience such an event. But no. As merely a vessel for another life, with no capacity to influence my own outcomes, I put at risk the life of my little boy when I had a waterbirth. My arse!!
I see what you are getting at, too, Kelly. It's the whole point of Belly Belly. "Take ownership of your birthing body" is one message I take away from here. This man is the antithesis of that.