Sunday, October 21, 2007

Unassisted childbirth in the New York Post

The New York Post published an article about UC today in their Page Six magazine. I thought the writer, Annemarie Conte, did a nice job! She really allowed the UCer's (and one woman planning a UC) to share their thoughts, and they all had great things to say!

This article actually wasn't typical in that it primarily focused on a woman who is planning a UC basically because she must choose between a repeat C-section (after two successful VBAC's!) and a UC. No doctors or midwives are willing (or perhaps legally able) to take her on.

Of course there were the usual comments from those who don't approve. One doctor who was interviewed said UC was "scary, scary, scary." I was disappointed to see this comment from writer Jennifer Block, author of the wonderful new book "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care." She said, "The presence of someone who's trained is what makes homebirth safe." Even some midwives I know would disagree with that statement.

I will be curious to see if the article generates any more publicity for UC. There are lots of media people in NYC. But then again, up until now, most members of the US media (or their higher-ups) have had no interest in the subject. We'll see.

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