Bulldog Inducement

[Glamourcide]

I just don't get why they're so set on going in so early - if they're so concerned about the birth interfering with the stupid footy game, why not go for an induction (I mean, seeing as they're so convinced that she'll bust her waters while he's trying to kick a goal or whatever it is they do in a football game) a few days before so that she can watch from the comfort of her hospital bed, or if she recovers really well, from home? Why two whole weeks early, when bub might not be ready?

I mean I'm all for freedom of choice, but my condition is that the choices must be informed ones, and it just doesn't sound like this pair have done their homework. As I said earlier, I made a similar mistake and thought an induction was just a simple procedure with no complications, had I known then what I know now I probably would have held out for a spontaneous labour despite the medical condition that led me to push ahead with an induction. I certainly should have done my research first and I think someone needs to point out a few facts and offer a few alternatives to this couple.

[briggsy's girl]

i don't agree with induction for convenience - as much as i sprouted off befored DD arrived that i wanted her out, and all that crap, i was really upset at having to be induced (for medical reasons)

having said that though - i just want to point out that we probably shouldn't be saying that it's all happening because of a game of FOOTBALL - yeah, it's being put in the media because of the fact the Bulldogs made the finals, but this is his JOB - and some people simply can't get time off work to be with their partners while they give birth. this player is contracted to play football - that is his full time occupation at this point.

i wanted to point out that my only reasons for contemplating a non-medical induction was to make sure my DH was able to be there because his JOB meant he may not be able to be there

yup - i think footy finals is a stupid reason to be induced, and i really hope it doesn't turn sour on them - but i think we also need to look at the reality of jobs and contracts and things - i can almost guarantee there are other BB members whose partners weren't able to be at the birth of their child due to work constraints - it just wasn't a big media write up cos their jobs weren't so public

[kirsty_lee]

This is from another post that I posted in. I didn't see this one lol

So I was watching tv last night and quickly heard a news story about one of the AFL players wives, inducing herself 2 weeks before her baby is due so that her husband won't 'potentially' miss the finals football. The people reporting this story seemed to wholeheartedly agree with her decision because "as if you would want to have the child that cost the team the finals game" if he/she's dad couldn't play due to BEING THERE FOR YOUR BIRTH! I find it really wrong and just wanted to see if maybe I was the only one lol. I am a footy fan, but come on.

[harleysgirl]

I think this is really sad, have they thought about the fact the baby is not ready so might be on the smaller size and will possably have jaundice? all these factors could keep her in hospital for longer anyway and what about the fact they are going to have a newborn for the finals? ever think that lack of sleep may make him play worse? plus he should be there for the newborn to learn about he/she not off playing football! i know this is his job but hey everyone else seems to be able to take time off to have a baby????

Oh and i think hes up him self to think that hes the only one that can make this time win the finals!

ok got carried away lol

[willow5]

"We had a baby boy Cohen born in 2007 two weeks premature, which didn't worry us because it was around Christmas time," Lake said.
Of course I'm sure it was much more convenient!

"But with finals, and wanting to have Shannon's and my parents over, we thought it was a lot easier to do it a couple of weeks early and the doctor said it was fine.
Oh well yeah finals and the parents over couldn't muck those plans around

"Obviously the idea was to do it mid-week because with footy finals I didn't want to be worried about it around Saturday or Sunday."
Obviously! you wouldn't want to "be worried" about giving birth on the weekend near finals



"We wanted a girl and we wanted to get it out of the way and find out," Lake said.
All these comments make it sound like they're buying a car not having a baby!!!

[Smoke Jaguar]

I really don't think the AFL would sanction separating dads-to-be from being there for their wives over contractual issues! They're not shift workers and the PR machine alone would see them give parental and family leave, alone - not to mention club management, psychs etc. So, I'm not really seeing the 'job' side of the coin here. Even footy clubs know that players are not irreplaceable.
Kristy Lee - I agree, I haven't actually heard ANY media criticism about this. I'd say this is because interventions like inductions (and the cascade!) are so normalised that they are not questioned for safety of the child - so many in our society just assume that because it's medically overseen that it's safe. After all, we've got politicians who are willing to spout that Australia is amongst the best maternity providers in the world...which is patently untrue when you look at anything resembling facts!
It remains in my opinion that this story represents a lot that is wrong with our society, our approach to birth, our approach to expedience in life, our approach to mothering and parenting, our skewed values of who should be exalted in our communities.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

I was going to start a thread on this once i heard it on the radio yesterday.. how stupid can some people be?

I have been told i might have to be induced at 39wks and thats the EARLIEST they are allowed to do it, by the dates given on the radio this woman will only just be 37-38 wks, do they not consider the babies health AT ALL?

I am dreading that i might have to be induced and can't see why anyone would make this choice just for football !
Don't get me wrong i love my footy but seriously people!

And what idiot doctor has agreed to this, seems money and a football name gets you everything you want in life... i think its ridiculous.

Sorry so glad i got that out has been bugging me since yesterday!

[briggsy's girl]

[QUOTE=Mayaness;1954715]I really don't think the AFL would sanction separating dads-to-be from being there for their wives over contractual issues! They're not shift workers and the PR machine alone would see them give parental and family leave, alone - not to mention club management, psychs etc. So, I'm not really seeing the 'job' side of the coin here. /QUOTE]


don't get me wrong - i don't agree with what is happening re the induction AT ALL - i'm just trying to see the other side of the coin here and look at it from their perspective. average afl player has a limited "career" in which they have the opportunity to earn themselves decent money and set them and their family up - how many of them disappear into obscurity? a player who has appeared and played well in finals footy has more negotiating power than one that hasn't. they need to sell themselves when re-negotiating contracts and this is a huge thing in their minds (well, i'm assuming.,,) as well as looking at their options after playing. i don't agree with it - but we DO live in a society that puts importance on those factors. it happens in every type of employment really - those that have the most "experience" are seen as a better catch.....

ultimately, they've made a decision that they have to live with - WHY they decided to go public i have NFI - why even announce it - why not simply make a "proud daddy" announcement once the baby is here? no one would have been any the wiser...

[LimeSlice]

I think my issue is not that I dont understand his committments or how long he has the opportunity to play finals football for - it is that she isn't even due until the 16th. Now they have to make it through tht efinals to still be playing then in the first place.

Why would you induce unnecessarily TWO weeks early, when she could be induced the week bore the grand final if they make it that far? Why put your baby at risk, your partner at risk, when it is completely unnecessary - EVEN for the purposes they have quoted as the reasons?

The fact that this has been touted in the media as something he should be proud of, that he is putting his team first as he should because as a woman said las tnight on TV "It isn't just him, it is a whole team and a whole year of football to get here..." - what about his FAMILY team? What about acknowleging that the welcoming of a new life FAR more important than a football match, or any other job for that matter. If he cant be there for the birth, tough tits! If it means that much to him he will have to grow a pair and make an actual decision about which is more important to him.

Their choice speaks volumes about wha tthey consider the most important priority in their family's life, and it is sad.

[kirsty_lee]

Yeah Lime, it's just completely bloody bizarre. It's ok to scream "women's rights" when a woman wants to induce herself 2 weeks before her due date so her husband can run after a ball on the field, WHICH mind you puts herself and her baby at risk. Yet they are trying to ban home births? It's like where do you draw the line? It's ok to have a choice SOMETIMES?

[Bathsheba]

I like that last sentence Kirsty lee.... the same sentence resonates with me quite frequently... good point!

Brian Lake, though, is not just kicking a footy around on a field. He is an elite sportsman, a professional. He is currently not under contract and highly underpaid by his club (probably due to salary cap limitations)... anyhow that is not really relevant. But a few people have alluded to his career as just playing footy. It's more than that. Refusing to accept that just diminishes the argument. Football might not be your focus in life but you can't dispute that it is a multi-million dollar industry based on consumer demand. I completely understand it when people post in frustration that football is such a trivial part of life... I too once really hated the sport (when I was exposed to rugby). But now I consider myself a fan. Most people who know me know that I tend to think too much about things and this doesn't exclude football. It is something that fascinates me because it brings so much about human nature to the fore. It brings out the best and worst in people.... both as fans as players. It generates a lot of healthy discussion: about morality (should a player play so passionately that he puts another players safety at risk? etc) and in OUR society... our safe peaceful war-free society we "need" this "conflict" in our lives to exercise our emotions and arguably our bodies. Brian Lake is not just playing footy... he is not just entertaining... he is a part of the process which helps us explore and deal with conflict. This needs to be acknowledged.

The fact that the media have decided that this aspect of his personal life is worthy of discourse is interesting and instead of being outraged by what this couple is doing we should take the opportunity to open up a larger discussion about it. All of us do things without properly considering the consequences. Most of us blame our busy lives: "I'm too busy to research all the pros and cons" and this couple are just the same. I get frustrated when people don't stop to think about what all the Coke they drink is doing to their bodies... we all have our focusses and our blind-spots.

I am not defending Mr and Ms Lake... I am hoping that something good might come out of this. As a viewer of many Footy shows i do see that often an issue (eg sexual harassment, think of Sam Newman's antics) is often given much needed attention and is discussed thoroughly and often intelligently (believe it or not) and often the people who need to hear it most actually sit up and pay attention because it's all in the name of football. Does this make sense? Not meaning to be an intellectual snob... but the average person needs an interesting context to bother giving anything that doesn't directly affect them more than a seconds thought Footy IS an interesting context to millions of people, like it or not. That's why it gets the advertisers dollars. If it's footy then people take notice. We should learn to do what they already know: spring-board our own agenda off the foot of the footballer! Write to Sam's Mail Bag girls... if you really want a chance at expressing your concern. Don't expect a good reaction... but even a bad reaction can be good: "Any publicity is good publicity" and all.

[Lulu]

I understand all the important footy business blah blah, I'm a follower myself - but if he takes his career so seriously (not just him ykwim?), why not plan it so your baby is NOT due anywhere near such an important time.

FGS, I didn't want a baby at Xmas, so I avoided conceiving during the right time, simple.

[Bathsheba]

LOL Lulu... my first baby was a "whoopsie" and born December 23rd! I'm assuming this baby's birthday wasn't planned in detail. As a highly fertile person I can't criticise that aspect of things I guess... often it's beyond your control... maybe their contraception just failed.

[Astrid]

I though they were encouraged to plan their babies for the off season. Can't remember where I heard it.

[Lulu]

Hang on though - an 'elite' sportsperson usually has most of their lives planned or controlled in some way. I'm pretty sure 'elite' sportswoman have the nous to make it so they are not pregnant during the Olympics....

[Bathsheba]

Yes, that would an interesting topic on The Footy Show Lulu!

[LimeSlice]

There are many MANY players over the years, good and average, that have missed finals and GRAND finals to be at the birht of their children...and many that chos eto play those games over attending the birth...
The fact that the wants to choose football finals over the birth of his child, but it too spineless to stand up and admit it, so will manipulate a natural process to the point of risk to both mothe rand child just to avoid the conflict (rather then dealing with the conflict) is still my sticking point.

And as wonderful adn fulfilling we as a society find football and how much money it makes and people it employs - at the end of the day, it IS JUST A FOOTBALL MATCH...it isn't like he is perorming life saving surgery that day, or donating a kidney to a dying child...or on deployment to Afganistan...He is simply one of 22 men that day who will try and win a football match.
If he really is that good he will get picked up next year whether he plays finals or not.

The notion that a doctor who takes an oath to first do no harm would condone and allow this sort of cavalier "convenience" attitude with no dire medical need is abhorant, and again, speaks volumes of the docotors priorities - I tell you I hope he doesn't make it on TV - ther eis no way on earth I would allow myself to be treated by such an ob, ever, after agreeing to this.

[Erin_25]

I agree in regards to the time & was actually suprised to read of the players that were or were not by their partners side at finals time for the birth of a baby. I guessed it would be encouraged to DTD after finals LOL.....it's amazing how many AFL players get married come Oct, Nov etc. But like most people would know, esp on here that they are not always planned, or you can try & try for so long that you are not going to stop just for that. Guess that's where you make the decision, do you be there, miss it or get induced! She could go a week over for all we know I guess they are not willing to take any chances. Perhaps she's been told she is likely to go early.......we only get from it what we've read & that was a completely one issue article. We don't know that they have been ill informed, we can only presume from the way it read IYKWIM. We don't know what info they have been given.

To me it's a little like the argument for or against bottle/breast.....or to circumcise or not to, cloth v's disposables. We all have reason for what it is we choose, they are not always considered right & sometimes choices are made on poor information, lack there of or just personal choice. Either way these things are all available, so if they are available then they are available IYKWIM (did that make any sense LOL). Anywho that's just IMO.

FWIW I don't agree with how early they are choosing but YES I was induced with DS due to my husbands work. It was not a choice we made lightly but we had many things to factor in & considre & that is what worked for us.