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I worked as an RN for 10 years, observed hospital practices which were invariably unclean and hyperactive, wrote a paper similar to this over 30 years ago, advocated breastfeeding, home birth, etc.  Even noted in my paper the country variations in infant mortality rates.  No one cared, no one listened, and they still won't.  The medical megalopolis is immense and powerful.  I had all 4 of my children at home with neither a midwife nor a physician present.  I used logic and remained upright as much as much as possible and avoided all drugs.  I had amazingly blissful (despite the pain) births (I do not believe in the Indian Princess theory, I screamed and it was very stress relieving) and they were short, quick births.  Compared to what I see women experience in the hospital, even realizing that a lot of women are prima donnas and more interested in pain relief than child health, I consider myself one of the lucky ones to have escaped the societal pressure to do it the mechanical, controlled, humiliating, and spiritless hospital delivery.  Having a hospital delivery does not guarantee safety or health of the child and sometimes is even counter to those concepts.

posted 4 years ago
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