The skeptical ob.

The Skeptical OB

Ok, another member posted this in another thread, but I thought it might be more relevant for discussion elsewhere.

This woman certainly goes a long way towards reinforcing the stereotype of ob's being scare-mongers who medicalise what is a normal process. And boy, can she be nasty! This line in particular

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But a full term baby who dies in labor should not be forgotten so easily. Tell us, Ms. Fraser, how joyous is the birth if the baby is dead?

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in reference to Janet Fraser(The Skeptical OB: Janet Fraser, how joyous is the birth if the baby is dead?) kinda made my blood run cold. Despite what you might think of Janet Fraser, surely that's a bit uncalled for?

Whaddya reackon, about the blog in general?

She's also bagged Gloria Lemay....

A very tasteless blog, and well, not surprising to be honest. I wouldn't be following her blog, it seems like an attempt to dis her 'competition' - she's treating this as turf wars and it's not what it's about. Why argue your case for business when it should be about a woman's right to choose. Seems like everything but birth you can have your rights respected with your choices when it comes to the medical profession...

OH wow. I really don't know what to say about that. She is to birth what Fred Nile is to conservative religion. I have never read anything so ignorant and dangerous in my life. The scary thing is that she has followers that take her word and gospel. I think it is beyong insideous that she held Janet up as an example in such a horrific manner.

She speaks of Gloria Lemay's pros and cons of epidurals:

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Evidently there's only one "pro", relief of pain, and a long list of "cons," nineteen in all. The list is a hodgepodge of minor "risks" (itching, shivering from cold liquid) and made up "risks" (feeling "detached," decreased infant responsiveness).

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Oh well don't mind us if we feel detached from our babies, or we feel sad or worried at reduced infant responsiveness, that's just silly and unimportant :o

She also seems to make the link between natural birth advocacy and the abortion pro-life stance... lovely.

And this is also very empowering :rolleyes:

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The secondary purpose of a childbirth attendant is to comfort the mother as she endures the excruciating pain of labor. The history of childbirth has also been a continuing effort to master the pain of childbirth.

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I read both and found both left me feeling disgusted - and some of the comments!!

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She also seems to make the link between natural birth advocacy and the abortion pro-life stance... lovely.

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The secondary purpose of a childbirth attendant is to comfort the mother as she endures the excruciating pain of labor. The history of childbirth has also been a continuing effort to master the pain of childbirth.

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And this is also very empowering :rolleyes:

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Oh now she is just generalising, Id hardly call labour excruciating and Ive done it three times. WITHOUT DRUGS. Mastered the pain just fine. I really think maybe there needs to be better standards for people wanting to be OBs and anyone else in the birthing field.

she's just got a grudge it seems.

Imagine being in her position...studying at one of the best universities in the US with the world as your oyster, only to find yourself barely publishing ONE book and resorting to blogging to get any kudos in a field that you obviously are not performing well in (lack lustre at best!) and being way beyond in the years to better yourself. wasted opportunity much lol??

I don't know whether I am in an overly optimistic mood at the moment, but from my perspective I like the blog because it is an example of the extreme OB view of natural birth and can be used as a tool to show women that "no, we are not kidding you when we say "they" are working to subvert womens' natural childbearing abilities". That said, it can only be seen in this light if you have already "seen the light" so to speak (ie: you don't or no longer buy into the OB-driven scaremongering around birth). If you were on the fence in any way or still were of the view that childbirth was more likely to kill you than lead to a healthy baby, the blog would be quite a compelling one.....

They both (the ob and the JB woman) are probably the brick walls at either end of the spectrum. Good for a giggle but not worth getting upset about. Somewhere in between (like most things) would be a good starting point I reckon.