Kismet!

I had the most interesting random meeting today.

As a massage therapist, I occasionally perform fill-in work at a spa in the city of Chicago. Yesterday was one of those days. My last client proved to be a talkative one, making small talk about relaxation music, which lead to me talking about music used for hypnosis and a conversation about my involvement with hypnotherapy. This occasionally comes up in my client sessions, as clients are curious about how I got into massage therapy, how long I've worked at that location, and what I do with my life outside of massage. This time was different.

As I talked about my work with hypnotherapy, I said my main focus was working with women who were preparing to give birth. This often intrigues my clients (but not always!), and this client was intrigued, asking how it worked, etc. I said the major premise is that childbirth shouldn't be painful, as every other normal body function happens without pain, and the source of that pain is fear and tension in the mother's body. He was very, very interested and said it made sense.

The next thing I remember is my client telling me he was an anesthesiologist. I thought (and said), wow, that's interesting. I asked if he worked in Labor & Delivery. Yes, he said. The room started spinning! Automatically, I thought, this guy must be an advocate for drugs during labor, and I probably have a lot of explaining to do!! Why did I say all of that simple language about birth without even thinking about who my audience was?? I was most definitely talking down to him! The thoughts were racing.

But he was surprisingly easy to talk to and accepting of everything I said. (I also felt kinda bad that we were talking through his massage, but neither of us could resist!)

Then, the most interesting part was revealed: He works for one of Chicago's most interventive, epidural-laden, non-natural-birth-friendly, "baby factory" (I won't reveal the name to preserve privacy on this public forum, but ask me personally and I'll tell you)! Without blinking an eye, he tells me how that hospital just works on getting women in-and-out, actually using the phrase "baby factory," and he doesn't quite agree with the rushing of all of the births. After all, he said, what would happen if we just see how things progress on their own? He says (and I know this well) that so many women are given oxytocin (a.k.a., "Pitocin" or "Pit"), even without any idea of what unknown effects it has, and it is clear that he is frustrated by the machine of this hospital.

Then, he says something very interesting. He mentioned that electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) has never been shown to improve outcomes--a clear, indisputable fact from scientific literature. I was shocked that he knew this--more specifically, I was shocked that medical doctors knew this fact so well, even though it is standard procedure. Clearly, the frustration is felt by those working on the "front lines" and not just us doulas and childbirth educators!! He made it clear that malpractice was the driving force for the use of EFM. I knew this, but clearly the validation was priceless.

We then talked about the specifics of epidural use. In particular, the fact that this hospital does not use "walking epidurals" (which would, essentially, give the mother more mobility and ability to work with her body--a very good thing) because of liability issues. This means that the hospital could be liable if the mother was a little unsure of her footing and slipped while walking, moving, sitting on a birth ball, etc. So, even though a lower dose of anesthetic would be helpful in so many ways, it is looked over in the name of liability by this hospital (and, I'm sure, many others).

He also described why IV narcotics are used. I won't go into that here, but he clearly stated that this type of anesthetic needs to be removed 2 hours before the birth because it can cause serious, life-threatening breathing problems in the baby--causing a need for resuscitation and intubation (and, of course, the requisite stay in the NICU, away from mom & dad).

He said his instructor was trained in the use of acupuncture and he is personally interested in alternative approaches to pain relief in the hospital--including hypnosis--in order to prevent the obvious side effects of medical anesthesia. He asked about other, less interventive hospitals and what they offered that helped mothers. I mentioned the use of water. And, not just water, but permanent tubs, like at West Suburban, since the moveable tubs seem to annoy the nurses who have to take the time to fill them (and so they often don't). He asked why water was helpful. He was truly interested and intrigued in the alternatives.

In the end, I learned a valuable lesson (one that was validated by one of the comments on my Facebook status): Even medical professionals are frustrated by the state of maternity care!! Interestingly enough, though, it takes more than just one frustrated person, even if a medical doctor, to change the state of hospital policy and procedure. In some ways, this is frustrating. In other ways, it is encouraging--because it means that those of us who are frustrated are not just daydreaming or full of fantasy about care.

Speaking of fantasy, I'm hoping to arrange an in-service where I can go and talk to the residents about the use of hypnosis during birth. In particular, I would love to emphasize the benefits of relaxation (and the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle) and the reality of hieghtened suggestibility during labor.