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Originally Posted by CharlieToaster  I don't think they have the right to attend a birth. It is basically their job but that's pretty much up in the air depending on doctors.
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OK, so I'm confused. I thought you were saying it was "treating the doctor like crap" to not tell him, in the first place, that you only plan to use his services for the 1st trimester. So you think that is an OK thing to do? What then
do you think is "treating the doctor like crap"?
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Originally Posted by CharlieToaster To assume you are going to receive bad care from a doctor or in a hospital is ignorant.
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Oh, I'm in total agreement with you there! Hospitals & docs vary widely - just like all people do!
However, you need to be cautious.
To assume you'll get non-evidence based care by an American OB is not ignorant -it's actually the opposite! it's being informed of the facts. Because the simple facts are that the majority of American OBs do NOT practice evidence-based care! Therefore, you are correct in assuming you won't get evidence-based care. You have to be an informed consumer.
Again, I think it's only being smart & informed to assume an (again, American) OB will be hostile to HB. (Again, that is ACOG's official stance.)
In the absence of other facts, you have to assume someone will go the way of the majority - be cautious & don't expect anything better than average until you have good reason to believe otherwise! Again, that's why I stand by my original statement that I don't think the original poster should tell her OB that she plans to transfer out of his care in the 2nd trimester, if all is well.
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Originally Posted by CharlieToaster If you were unable to make a decision at some point in your birth wouldn't you want someone to have your best interest in mind? I know of no doctor who just does something without asking.
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Well, legally, the ONLY time a doc can make a decision when you are "unable to make it yourself" is when you are completely unconscious! That is a very rare event in birth today. But, of course, you should chose an HCP you trust, so that if you were to be unconscious, you could trust that HCP to make a decision for you. (of course that's not the only reason you need to trust your HCP, but that's another topic!)
Uh, really? I hear stories all.the.time of docs either doing something without asking, or, most often
pressing women into doing what they think is best. Such as induction or CS for "suspected fetal macrosomia" (known as "the big baby card") or induction for post-dates ("The dead baby card.")
You might want to check out the book, "Pushed" by Jennifer Block for more insight on this type of thing.
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| Everyone is always given options if they are able to respond. I don't think you could get away with that anymore. Too much liability. |
Wait wait, are you saying here that docs won't do things without a woman's permission because of the liability? Haha! Definitely not so! Docs & hospitals aren't prosecuted for doing things without getting a woman's permission, such as episiotomy or vaccines for baby. If it's considered "standard of care" & you can't prove damages from it, you'll get no where in court. Plus, most of us sign a standard consent form to consent to treatment in the course of birth. (although some take the time to modify the form, but that's a rare step.)
As a matter of fact, the book "Pushed" even interviews an attorney who's helping improve maternity care & she said exactly that - technically, giving a woman an episiotomy without her consent is the crime of "battery" but no court will convict, she won't even take the cases. (And women have reached out to her about it.)
Docs themselves have said, "You get sued for the CS you don't do, not the one you do." (Said in the movie BoBB.) And it's true - our society favors technology, medicine, action and interventions - the OB can always protect himself saying, "There were heart decels, I had to use the vacuum." It's INACTION - it's doing nothing - that they fear they can't protect against in court.
