Baby Bucks

In my quest to further understand our health care system and how it benefits my patients, I ordered a documentary on Netflix called "The Business of Being Born". The premise of the film is to show how delivering babies has shifted from a natural process to being a well orchestrated medical situation.  The film chronicles several pregnant women including Rickey Lake, the ex-talk show host, through their various birth experiences.

The real take-home message from this film is that our society has turned the process of being pregnant and giving birth into a medical condition and thus downplaying the significance of nurse midwives.  Take a look at this video...

Movie Trailer for The Business of Being Born

A midwife is an advanced practice nurse with extensive formal training in caring for pregnant women and delivering healthy babies. They can work in hospitals, birthing centers, and in your home. These professionals function in a similar capacity as nurse practitioners, in that they can manage yeast and urinary tract infections and STIs.  If you need a well-woman exam, they've got you covered.  While there are thousands of nurse midwives in the United States less than 3% of American woman utilize their services.

Unfortunately for nurse midwives, most women prefer to have their babies in a hospital under a doctor's supervision. This isn't always necessary seeing as though at least 80% of pregnant woman are low-risk and would greatly benefit from the expertise of a nurse midwife.

Check out these fun facts:

• Midwives attend over 70% of births in Europe

• France has the lowest infant mortality rate

• US is ranked #37 in infant mortality (two spots above Cuba)

• US is ranked #39 in maternal mortality (this number has increased from 11 to 16 per 100,000 since 1990)

The moral of today's story is ASK QUESTIONS and do your research. Should every woman go out and get a nurse midwife? No, because it's not for every woman and her situation. BUT every woman should be informed.

We spends hours researching the safest cars, car seats, strollers, etc. Shouldn't we research the safest ways to have our babies.

Food for thought.....

Gone but not forgotten...

So, the semester has finally ended. I prayed for this moment the day my women's health course started. Unfortunately I miss my beloved speculum already. My awesome preceptors and fabulous mentors Dr. J. and Dr. C.L. totally changed my grimey view of certain male and female body parts. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching woman self-breast exams; despite the fact that the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force says that its a waste of time. I met many woman who found the thought of feeling their own breasts unsettling. There were even more woman who thought looking at their own vaginas was repulsive, and yet they allow strangers to look at them and touch them and they often don't remember these peoples' names. Ummmm...no comment.

I also loved teaching young, first-time moms about maintaining their bodies during pregnancy. You would be amazed at how many pregnant woman get STIs during pregnancy. For example, a 23 yo patient presented 6 weeks pregnant, she tested positive for chlamydia. The nurse midwife strongly suggested that her partner get treatment and that she refrain from sex until after delivery. She presented one month later complaining of a weird discharge. She had trichomonas. I mean really!! So this time I not-so-subtly demanded that she shut down shop until she delivers the baby. Nothing is that good to risk endangering your unborn child.

That being said, I have registered to become a certified prenatal educator. I want to create an environment where young moms can ask questions and receive honest answers, and yes sometimes "Mama Nikki" will come out and tell them the real deal. 

I had a challenging but wonderful summer semester. I have three weeks to prepare for pediatrics in the fall...the saga continues. LOL