Letter to Marsden Wagner, M.D., M.S.:
Dear Doctor Marsden,
Your book completely changed my view of the practices of obstetricians( not that I knew much about their practices to begin with.) You did an amazing job executing your main objective which was that majority of obstetricians in America have convoluted mindsets and objectives but if they learn to work with midwives, the U.S. maternity care system would be much improved and therefore match the success of many other advanced nations. Also, this reiterated the importance of women being educated about what potentially happens to their body. Honestly, I might have underwent the "normal" procedure of birth in this country if I had not been provided the information you offered me, but gaining an actual obstetricians perspective helped me realize how that might not be something I would want to partake in. Their motives lead to unnecessary interventions that make their lives easier (but from the looks of the risk factors, not necessarily the lives of women or babies), they also lead to misinformation about their practices and the practices of their so called "competitors" (midwives) To be fair, your book does shine a very negative light on these practicing doctors as a whole but I realize the importance of this because it seems that doctors stand on their self-built pedestals that we the people help support.
I like how specifically in the last third of the book, you discuss how the medias portrayal of birth adds to the misinformation of the birth process and the added trust in doctors to make everything better. I believe this beefs up your initial argument that if women were informed about what they are experiencing, then they (we) would want better for themselves (ourselves). We have a very negative outlook on such a beautiful process which makes us afraid of our own bodies and what we are going through. From all the television shows and movies I've seen, women turn into irrational beasts screaming in the most severe pain begging out for an epidural. Based on this image, birth does seem like something that need to be controlled and restricted.
3 QUOTES THAT RELATE TO THIS POINT:
"Thanks to soap operas and sitcoms, most of the American public currently thinks birth is a surgical procedure carried out not by a woman but by a doctor (the hero)" (pg. 220)
"Any group that wants to maintain a monopoly and is worth its salt knows that controlling the media must be a key part of its strategy. Organized obstetrics in the United States puts enormous energy into what is often called "public relations". (pg 221)
"If the book or article says, 'ask your doctor,' 'trust your doctor,' or 'listen to your doctor', it has failed the trust test and should probably go back on the shelf. If it says, "trust your body," or "trust the scientific evidence,' then it is probably worth reading.(pg. 223)
You did an amazing job proving your ideas and providing an alternative perspective on our countries normal practices, but I believe to take this book further you could have provided more positive birth stories from alternative births rather than statistics that they are just "better for low-risk women". Positive stories are more encouraging and help women really grasp what having a natural birth is like. Because it is not a necessity it is nice to know what the natural option provides. Also it would have been great if more information about what qualifies as a high risk birth is very important. Not every woman is suitable for natural home births so it is important to distinguish those women apart from the majority. obstetricians do have a purpose so it is necessary to know when they are needed.
But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about what an obstetricians true intentions may be before I put all my trust in them and also how regular practices and the maternity field could greatly damage me and my (theoretical) child. In fact, I'm likely to seek the help of a midwife and experience a completely natural birth thanks to the information provided by this book.
Thank you for writing!
From, Amhara Rein
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