About me
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I'm a mom who is trying to speak out against the state of maternity care in this country. I was bullied into an unnecessary cesarean section during the birth of my second child. I had been in active labor for 6 hours. While I was fully dilated and pushing,the doctor arrived and said she wanted to do a c-section. I asked why, and instead of answering my questions, she threatened me. She said I did not care if my baby died or was brain damaged, and that she would call "legal people to force me to consent." I signed, because I thought they would knock me out and do it anyway. (remember, I'm hard labor and scared - logical Lindsay would not have signed this without discussion) My son was born at 4:54 pm, and the doctor left the hospital at 6 p.m.
I complained ,but the practice just apologized for her "bedside manner." The Board of Medical Examiners found no cause for discipline. Society said "a healthy baby is all that matters." Meanwhile, my mental health was shattered. I suffered nightmares and panic attacks before being diagnosed with PTSD. It wasn't the surgery, which brings over a third of US babies into the world, that traumatized me. It was that it was performed by a woman who told me I don't matter. That I'm just a body, an object, a means to an end. It's being told that asking questions means I don't care about my children. That 'legal people' will let her do whatever she wants to do to me. That pulling a healthy baby from my uterus makes it ok to abuse his mother. What happened to me is not uncommon. What I did about it, however, is.
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