• Tue, Mar 12 - 12:12 pm ET

Mother Who Refused C-Section Thankfully Gives Birth To Healthy Baby In Spite Of Her Crazy — Not Because Of It

birth rightsLast week, Lisa Epsteen caused quite a controversy when she refused to have an emergency c-section at the request of her well-respected Florida doctor. Epsteen was a week past due with her fifth child and suffering from gestational diabetes. Most alarming, an ultrasound showed signs of fetal distress and doctors were worried that the child would die or be born with brain damage. The good news is that even though Epsteen waited days after the initial warnings before giving birth, her baby boy was born healthy on Friday, weighing 11 lbs.

The troubling news for me is that some women are taking Epsteen’s healthy birth as a sign that doctors really don’t know what they’re talking about and that we should always “Trust Mothers” to understand what’s medically best for themselves and their babies. Lisa Epsteen is being held up as a hero who was bullied by an awful doctor, Dr. Jerry Yankowitz, but did what was right.

Dr. Yankowitz did make an unfortunate choice and sent a threatening email to Epsteen saying that he would call the police and have them bring the pregnant women to the hospital for the emergency procedure. He later apologized and withdrew the threat once lawyers got involved in the situation. And he never called the police. Personally, I think he acted out of desperation, trying to coerce this woman to do what he truly believed was medically necessary to save her child.

I am truly happy that Epsteen and her child are healthy, I do not believe that we should consider her a role model. Honestly, I think she was lucky and that she needlessly put her child in danger.

I completely support the movement to give women more information and choice about their birthing experience. I think that moms-to-be should know their options and should be able to work with doctors or midwives who do their best to give each women the birth she desires. But those professionals also need to be trusted to make emergency medical decisions should it become necessary to keep both mom and baby healthy.

Lisa Epsteen had plenty of information. She had researched VBAC and she had a doctor who fully supported her attempt for the sometimes dangerous birthing choice. But when her child’s life was in jeopardy, Dr. Yankowitz needed to be able to step in and make the important medical call that was right for mother and baby. Epsteen did not allow him to do so. That doesn’t make her a hero. It makes her reckless.

We will never know exactly why Lisa Epsteen refused to give birth last Tuesday when her doctors warned of brain damage or death. The enormous pressure put on women to have the most natural, perfect birth ever could have had an impact. She could have been  scared or confused or truly believed that the procedure wasn’t necessary at that time. But if Epsteen or any mother wants the respect and trust of her doctors, she needs to afford them the same courtesy. That means that when a doctor tells you that your child’s life is in jeopardy, you do what they ask to make sure you give your child the best chance possible.

This mom isn’t a hero of birthing rights. She’s lucky.

(Photo: Steve Lovegrove/Shutterstock)

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  • kitten

    I agree with you. While there is some merit to letting babies come when ready, doctors usually do know what they are talking about. with my third child i had a dangerous condition called cholestasis of pregnancy, it effects only like 1 in 300 or something (i dont recall the exact stat), and increases the risk of still birth the further you go in the pregnancy. I was induced at 37 weeks, after holding of a preterm labor with medication and bed rest for two weeks, and my daughter was born with immature lungs. I suppose I could have felt i was ill advised, and my daughter needed longer on the inside. But my OB and the specialist both agreed that the state of her lungs she presented with probably would not have changed after 37 weeks, and the fact that i was showing preterm symptoms and the risk of still birth out weighed the fact that her lungs werent ready. She spent 1 week in the nicu, and had some early intervention services because she didnt walk (finally at 20 months) but she is now a happy and healthy almsot two year old and I dont regret listening to those doctors for one second.

  • Makabit

    Thank God mother and baby are fine.

  • Blooming_Babies

    Malpractice insurance for ob gyn’s is amount the highest in the industry, because we trust them with the most helpless and most loved amoung us. This doctor was clearly worried for the life of the baby, it appears that he was more worried than the mother. She’s no hero, this was reckless and that baby is lucky to be alive and well.

  • Blueathena623

    When a doctor who is pro vbac puts his reputation on the line to urge you into getting a csection stat, you go to the hospital.
    Honestly, with some people I just want to say, if you don’t trust any doctors, stop going to doctors. If you think you know best, use google to diagnose and treat yourself and hope you don’t die. I have a few inlaws with chronic conditions who don’t trust doctors and surprise, surprise, keep ending up in the damn hospital. One relative bought an otoscope so she can diagnose her children’s ear infections (because she doesn’t trust doctors to do it) but then gets pissed that the doctors won’t just prescribe an antibiotic because she calls up and asks for it. Medical intervention and doctors go hand in hand, so if you want medical intervention go to a doctor and listen to what she says.

    • Sara

      Fun story I read the other day (I’d link it, but I’m lazy), they are actually recommending less antibiotics for ear infections and letting a kid’s immune system try and clear them to avoid creating antibiotic resistant bacteria. That is unless there are extreme symptoms (double ear, super high fever, etc.)

  • Ordinaryperson

    I think we’re all missing the biggest problem with this story: what sane woman would choose to birth an 11 pound baby vaginally?
    Also, did I miss it, or does it say whether or not she actually got her VBAC?

    • AmazingAsh

      She gave birth via C-Section. I have no idea why there’s this sudden push to have the perfect, natural birth. I had a vaginal birth and got an epidural as fast as they’d give me one. Once they did, there was no pain and baby was out in an hour. It was the right decision for me. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve actually ever asked anyone how their child was born. All that should matter is getting the baby out safely.

    • Ordinaryperson

      Haha, it sucks that you feel the need to justify having an epidural, I had one too and I’m pretty sure that’s what saved me from having a c-section. The whole natural birth crap is just one more thing small people can use to make themselves feel better by making others feel worse. And as far as asking how a child was born goes, I always ask, close friends anyway, just because I’m nosy and love a good labour story, also I liked telling mine when it was fresh.

    • http://www.facebook.com/houde.veronique Véronique Houde

      hey, it’s not because you’re trying to justify that whatever decision you make is right for you. don’t knock the people who want to go 100% natural as much as possible, that’s what i wanted, and i didn’t do it because i’m a small person that’s trying to make myself feel better. I did it because, if I COULD safely do it, it was important for me. yet, they had to give me pitocin, and i reevaluated my plan. like they suggested above, it’s just about staying flexible and realistic. that’s all

    • Ordinaryperson

      Sorry to offend, guess I should have used the better wording or whatever in my comment. I see no problem with having a natural birth, there’s just a problem with people who hype it up to be the end all be all of birthing. Thankfully since you are not a small person, searching for ways to make other people feel bad about themselves, you weren’t who I was referencing in my comment. I also had an all natural birth on my second time around, so I really don’t see an issue going with that route.

    • educated birth

      You should do a little research on the dangers of epidurals.

    • LindsayCross

      I’m sorry I didn’t get that detail in there. I should have! She had a c-section on Friday. The doctors first requested an emergency procedure on Tuesday and Dr. Yankowitz sent his email on Wednesday.

    • Ordinaryperson

      Thanks, I probably could have googled it, but I’m a very lazy person. :)

    • LindsayCross

      You shouldn’t have to Google! It’s my job to provide the information.

    • Mel

      you call this “information”? You’re far from being accurate.

    • mrsdaff

      Plenty of women birth large babies vaginally. Unless there is a metabolic disorder in the mom (uncontrolled diabetes for instance) women can deliver large babies. My mother had one that was 11#2oz.I friend had one that was 13#. Soooo, not the point of the story!

  • chickadee

    Women who have risks associated with their pregnancies should be ready to be flexible with their birthing plans. When you know there are elements that can complicate the birth and compromise the baby’s safety, you have to at least consider the possibility that you might have to have a c-section.

    And actually, all expectant mothers should do some research regarding c-sections, because I know several women who had beautifully problem-free pregnancies and who had to have c-sections because the cord wrapped itself in such a way that it caused fetal distress during delivery.

    A c-section that is trying to minimize risk to you and your baby isn’t an evil conspiracy by the doctor. It doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to mourn he birth you wanted to have, but the priority is healthy mothers and babies, right?

  • alice

    “This mom isn’t a hero of birthing rights. She’s lucky.”

    Most important distinction ever.

  • Scoop007

    I’m so glad you posted a rebuttal to that stir post from this morning. The flagrant disregard of the full facts by the writer of that article made me stabby.

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  • Nat

    She is an effing idiot…

  • Chris

    My mother had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with my younger brother. He was also a large baby. He was so large he got stuck in the birth canal for quite awhile and was born with severe brain damage as a result. He only lived 9 months and his short life consisted of being fed through tubes and given medication just to get his body to work properly. It makes me sick that this woman chose to ignore her doctor. She is very lucky that her child is healthy despite her bad decision.

  • Rita

    You know, plenty of people drive home drunk every weekend, too, with no problems. Still doesn’t mean it should be common practice. People get lucky; lots more don’t.

  • belongtotoday

    Or maybe there’s a balance there? Writing Lisa off as a complete moron who was basically running around with a gun pointed at her belly is unfair. As is writing the Dr in this one off as some heroic martyr.

    Perhaps the fact that her baby wasn’t born with six eyes and ten limbs *was* a sign that the Doctor *just maybe* wasn’t as accurate about the fetal distress as he thought. Maybe it wasn’t just luck and if it was as serious as he thought to where she needed a cesarean within the hour, that it probably wouldn’t have just spontaneously gone away resulting in a healthy birth days and days later?

    Maybe, just maybe, Lisa *was* write in looking at some other signs (documented ad nauseum in the other posts on her)? And the fact that she apparently ultimately *did* consent to a cesarean — which should please and shut most of you up — proves that she’s not completely reckless and obsessed with her own desires?

    • Peggy

      I don’t feel anyone is “writing Lisa off a complete moron” or writing the “Dr in this one” is …”some heroic martyr”. I think they are both in the wrong. When you entrust your (your childs) care to a physician, that implies you trust their decisions and recommendations are in your (their) best interests. I’m sure she was scared (terrified?), and that potentially factored in to her decision. And certainly, while I feel his intentions were to do the best by his patient, I think the physician could have chosen a better way to communicate his feelings. As you illustrated, physicians are human-and subject to human emotions of anger, fear, frustration, and anxiety. Especially when you fear a negative outcome.

      Personally, I was surprised that a c-section was the ultimate outcome here. And while the fetus was not in imminent distress at the time of birth, that is no indicator that all is well. I hope the child has not suffered any long term consequences.

      And while I won’t harp on your grammatical errors, name calling to get your point across, especially when it is hurtful slang (tard….really?) only infantilizes your position.

  • belongtotoday

    Should add — I don’t think the mother is a hero. But I don’t think she’s a complete ponce the way she’s been written here on [sancti]mommyish. She wanted to make ONE decision for her body and her baby and unfortunately a bunch of tard writers here decided to pick it up and run with it in a very inflammatory and sensationalistic way.

    I’d like the writers and commenters here to put up the irreversible medical decisions *they’ve* made for their child so that they can be critiqued in the same way that everyone has taken it upon themselves to critique Lisa. Come on. Some of you probably have circumcised baby boys and formula fed infants and immunized your kids. If you can dish it out, you can take it too, right?

    • Blueathena623

      My son is circumcised, fed formula and breast milk, totally immunized. Have at it.

    • Blueathena623

      Oh, and here you go — after 2 months of an ear infection that won’t go away despite all the antibiotics we throw at it, my pediatrician and the pediatric ENT we saw both want my son to get tubes in his ears. I don’t want him to get tubes. My mommy gut says there should be something else we should do before resorting to surgery, and I’ve done some web research on the topic. Know what the end result is? I’ve already scheduled his surgery. Because there is a difference between wanting to get more educated on a topic to make an informed decision, and purposefully going against medical advice.

    • belongtotoday

      You did exactly the same thing as Lisa did. You went home and researched. The difference is that your story wasn’t picked up by writers determined to make you look bad for not immediately rushing your son to the hospital for surgery the moment your appointment was over.

      Lisa did not refuse (clearly, she had the cesarean) treatment. She had her child right there at the appointment and asked for time to make childcare arrangements and scheduled the cesarean for a later date than the Doctor thought. THAT IS IT. I wish people would stop acting like she slapped the Doctor in the face and said “NO, YOU’RE WRONG AND I’M NEVER HAVING A CESAREAN!” but that is the way she’s been constantly described. As someone who was a complete and immovable refusal of all treatment instead of as someone who *did* schedule their treatment and someone who maybe wanted a second opinion and yes — sometimes the internet *can* be a valid place for information especially if you don’t have a lot of time to track down and get in with another specialist.

    • Blueathena623

      Actually I agreed to the surgery when the dr suggested it. I did my research beforehand, because I was afraid the dr was going to suggest tubes. My research provided specific questions to ask, which I did, and the dr still wanted surgery, so I scheduled it as soon as I could.
      Are you seriously trying to convince me that in all the time she was pregnant, lisa did not do any research? That she had no idea what the term fetal distress means?
      Or do you think the dr was lying about the fetal distress?

    • belongtotoday

      Of course she likely knew the basics of what FD was. However she probably wanted to google specifics. Just like if your heartbeat is 97 beats a minute that’s normal but 101 beats a minute is considered Tachycardia, a potential serious problem. But the range between the two is very small. Once she had specific information on her baby (such as heartrate, size, etc) then she could research those specifics to see what the research was there and other people’s experiences.

      And I think Doctors are human and fallible. They make mistakes. They make assumptions and diagnosis that are wrong all the time. They insisted that I was having an 8 pound baby (born barely 6 lb 5 oz). They told my friend who’s the same height as me that she was too small to birth her baby vaginally (the old ‘too small hips’) and she had a cesarean and then VBAC’d twice with those same hips just fine. Bottom line, it’s well within a patient’s right to refuse treatment at any point, in my view. And I don’t think that makes them insane, negligent, idiotic, etc.

    • CMJ

      Google it? Seriously? When an extremely qualified, highly regarded doctor tells me my child is in potentially life-threatening distress, I’m not inclined to GOOGLE IT. If I am concerned, maybe I would ask for a second opinion, but, for the love of all that is holy, Google is not a doctor.

    • Annie

      Dr. Google! Ha!

      Your line of reasoning is exactly what’s wrong with this ridiculous movement. If she were concerned for the health of her child over the twee of a perfect birth experience for her, she would have gotten a second opinion from an omg ril doctor.

    • Annie

      OMGAH DON’T YOU MEAN UNNECESSAREAN???

      I’m sorry for your baby’s tubes, it’s not a big deal but it’s still horribly distressing. All of my nephews had them and it’s so sad watching a kid go under for surgery.

    • Blueathena623

      Thanks. I just don’t want him in pain anymore. He had hernia surgery when he was 6 months, so at least I know he tends to do ok in surgical situations :)

    • Blueathena623

      And cmj has a great point that I forgot — perhaps the main reason my story hasn’t been picked up was because I haven’t contacted anyone, like a lawyer.

    • Peggy

      I completely disagree here. Choosing to research PE tubes is entirely different than having a physician tell you that your child is in distress and you need an emergent procedure to save their life. PE tubes, while an important procedure, are rarely (never?) life sustaining. Emergency c-sections are usually life sustaining. It would also seem that Lisa had done her research-she chose a physician who was a known advocate for high risk VBAC plans, when most standard OB/GYNs would probably not support that decision. In my opinion, when a physician who is known to treat high risk patients recommends an emergency procedure, it is irresponsible to question that decision.

    • Exactly

      I completely agree. There was nothing wrong with her wanting a second opinion. A c-section is major surgery (nowhere near compatible to PE tubes) and she wanted to make sure it was completely necessary. Anyone who argues with her wanting to be secure about her decision on the delivery of HER child, is probably insecure about the decisions they made during their child’s birth.

    • Blueathena623

      And I might agree with you if it weren’t for the fact that she was going to a dr who was initially pro vbac, and it is my understanding she actually had to travel to see him, which means that there probably were t any other drs who would give a different second opinion. In fact, I’d think those drs would be even more likely to suggest a csection.
      As for being insecure, my kid was in the wrong position, just like hers apparently, so I knew that csection was the way to go in to insure my health and the health of my baby.

    • JessBK

      She’s already past 40 weeks and needed from Tuesday to Friday to get her ducks in a row? When you are close to term and have other kids you need to have several contingencies in place well before that!

    • Mel

      thank you “belongtotoday”… someone with a better understanding of what it’s like to be a pregnant mom being threatened. I think she needed the media attention so they wouldn’t drag her off in handcuffs. Who knows what would have happened otherwise.

    • CMJ

      Your use of “tard” makes your entire comment useless. If you want to criticize a writer make some salient points instead of being offensive.

    • belongtotoday

      I have my salient points. The fact you disregard an entire comment based on one word shows that you have no real argument. It’s like people who disregard an entire post or speech because one word is spelled wrong and turn into a spelling contest instead of discussing the points.

    • CMJ

      I don’t have a problem with her making her one decision – what I have a problem with is that instead of heeding her successful, concerned, and understanding doctor’s advice (and the medical center as well) she decided to ignore it (her prerogative) but when her doctor reacted out of concern (and I do hink the police thing was a touch excessive…if not understandable, in my opinion) she went to the media…so, she had time to call every “advocate” possible but not time to get to the hospital like was suggested? Seems a little ridiculous to me….

      And yeah, your use of the word tard is different then spelling something wrong. It’s a horrible word and extremely offensive. So, I don’t agree with using “tard” or your salient points.

    • LindsayCross

      Um. I put my parenting decisions online everyday and lots of people tell me I’m wrong. Seriously, I get criticized alllllll the time for my parenting, whether it is a medical choice or otherwise. I feel like this woman got the National Advocates for Pregnant Women involved. She spoke with the media. She kind of invited critique.

    • Annie

      “She wanted to make ONE decision for her body and her baby and unfortunately a bunch of tard writers here decided to pick it up and run with it in a very inflammatory and sensationalistic way.”

      Actually, why should anyone’s birth experience be excuse enough to risk a baby’s life? She was selfish and short-sighted and doubtless millions of other selfish and short-sighted people who had the dumb luck of being born in countries where medical intervention is even possible are setting her up as an example of how a woman’s birth plan is ultimately more important than the health of someone who’s going to be a grownup someday who would prefer that their mommy fucking gave a little and had the damn medical intervention instead of damning their child to a life of totally unnecessary suffering.

      I know this will astound some people, but in the whole birth experience, the mother’s comfort is secondary to the fucking health and wellbeing of her child.

      Yes it is ridiculous that someone would threaten legal action over not getting a c-section, I disagree with that fully, but I understand where he’s coming from. He probably has to put up with women like this daily and how he gets through it without shaking them is a testament to his adherence to first do no harm– a tenant the mother clearly doesn’t agree with.

      “Come on. Some of you probably have circumcised baby boys and formula fed infants and immunized your kids. If you can dish it out, you can take it too, right?”

      Oh, you don’t agree with immunization. That’s cute. Thanks for re-exposing the civilized world to third world diseases.

      As for formula-feeding. Fuck off. That isn’t an option for everyone, and despite what the media would have you believe, it isn’t tantamount to child abuse.

      http://jessicavalenti.tumblr.com/post/11071664621/why-breastfeeding-supremacists-can-suck-my-left-one

      Also, funny that you use the word “tard” as in insult without even acknowledging that this selfish mother nearly gave her child brain damage. Irony; you haz it!

    • http://www.facebook.com/valerisexton.jones Valeri Jones

      I honestly do not see how you can say this. Yes, everyone makes decisions that others can dislike if they wish. But this mother ignored her doctor – someone who she entrusted with her prenatal care, which is not a light decision – and went looking for support from internet friends and advocates instead. What if something had been wrong with her baby when he was born? If he had brain damage, or worse had been still born? Would you still feel the same way? Probably not.

  • Rachel Sea

    I believe quite strongly in the benefits of intervention-free birth; all research agrees that for a healthy pregnancy, attempting a non-medicated, spontaneous, vaginal birth is best for mother and baby. Healthy is the key word there. This woman and her baby were lucky. Post-maturity can be just as dangerous as pre-maturity, time will tell if the baby escaped all the effects and delays that can result.

  • belongtotoday
  • Dr Kehoe

    If real men still hold doors open for women, real women give natural births without any drugs. Just like they did 2000 years ago.

    • Makabit

      The difference being that I do not think that holding a door open has ever actually killed a man. Feel free to correct me on this if I’m mistaken.

    • LindsayCross

      Troll or sarcasm? Sometimes I can’t tell.

    • Annie

      Artfully said.

    • http://www.facebook.com/pamelamoores Pamela Shear

      Women have natural births in other developed and wealthy nations, as well as very poor ones too. America is #39, where #1 had very few maternal deaths… so yes, #39!! The way American’s are giving birth and being sheeple is NOT in their best interest, their child’s best interests or for their best health outcomes.

  • http://www.facebook.com/helenmelons Helen Louise Leyster

    https://www.facebook.com/womendeserverespectinchildbirth?fref=ts this was set up to support this stupid woman and i have been saying exactly this all week, and besides she does not know she is lucky yet, brain damage can show later on, i have read of babies having seizures and fits a few weeks after which then shows baby had issues prior to birth. I was even told I was jealous as she had a better outcome than I did as i have a child with cerebral palsy who was born after severe distress caused by negligence. I said how lucky she was to have a doctor who was willing to help the baby asap…apparently it is fantantastic because women know best and make the best decisions…they are all crackpots, yes more care and knowledge and the like is needed in childbirth but things like this are a step in the wrong direction, lisa should totally not be used as a champion for this, she is challenged and did not have her baby’s best interest.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003329844037 Tammy Gaudreault

      That page seems to be more of a ”zomg c-sections are the devils work!!1!11!” Also I hate that this page encourages mother knows best mentality. I know that maternal instincts are awesome but when it comes to giving birth, they’re not the ones who spent years in school learning everything about it. If they want mother knows best, they should do an at home birthing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/helenmelons Helen Louise Leyster

    she belongs to these ICAN groups and is a local head leader or something….ican have a vbac…well after all this will she be starting a group called I so bloody well can’t?

  • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.bourne Priscilla Anderson

    Completely agree, we’ll written.

  • http://twitter.com/MamaPapaBarn Christine M.

    So a woman finally stands up to a know it all male doctor and no one agrees? She is fine. The baby is fine. GOOD for HER. OBs are the worst of the god complex doctors out there. Mine made cry at our second appointment because I couldn’t have an opinion different from hers. She suggested I wanted to die because I wished to go IV free during labor.
    Needless to say I never went back to that practice.

    • lea

      Yeh because it is totally reasonable to judge ALL obstetricians based on your bad experience with one.

      And the fact that Lisa is fine and her baby is (apparently) fine too does not prove she was right. She was lucky. Things could have easily turned out worse, and I don’t understand why you are so willing to label this doctor as a know-it-all for trying to do his best for his patient.

    • Mel

      Lea… unless you were in that room while she was having her testing done, I don’t think you have the right to assume mother’s intuition and experience, this was her 5th, not her first… should take precedence over some test she knew was inaccurate.

    • Mel

      Thank you Christine! Someone with a brain in their head.

  • Sandy

    If what your doctor says doesnt make sense to you ask another one (a licenced one, and give him or her all details). You dont go “im right!!!” risking your own and your childs health

    • educated birth

      Have you tried to switch OB’s late in pregnancy before? Just pretend you are and make some calls. Tell me how it goes.

    • Sandy

      I said “second opinion”. Thats not changing anything. Maybe im naive and think America is evolved enough to have that ensured. Second opinion is common practice in my country

  • http://www.facebook.com/pamelamoores Pamela Shear

    OMG – the tone of this OPINION piece is not only mean spirited, but also ignorant and full of misleading half truth snippets. Gestational diabetes when managed is not a danger to baby or Mother… Having an INCONCLUSIVE result from a test, without ordering another to validate or ensure the accuracy of the first – then demanding Mom to have an emergency surgery when she is the only one within an hour’s drive of her youngest child (whom was with her while you husband was with the other children – without a vehicle!)… WHILE THE MOTHER IS STATING THERE WAS A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER SHORTLY AFTER THE TEST WAS OVER (unless you think pregnant women are too stupid to understand or feel the movement of their own baby within their bodies when moving… which of course, does seem to be your angle) is simply irresponsible and bordering on malpractice. There is just so much wrong, ignorant and blatantly STUPID/Uneducated… I don’t even know where to start. And before you try to say any crap about my posting… I’m a Nurse and will be going into my Master’s in Family Practice and Midwifery within the next 5 years (since I’m a Mother of 2 and am in no rush) – so I’ve researched this issue thoroughly, I have researched the HOSTILE CLIMATE surrounding birth in America and other Nations’ better health systems and support for women while with child, as well as seen FIRST HAND how many OBs think and treat their patients.

  • MelSharma1

    If you wanted Lisa’s side of the story then why didn’t you contact her before writing such a horrific article. A mother knows her baby. She’s not a child and it’s not her first go at this. I also know what it’s like to be sitting there in a doc office and have them not believe what you are telling them. My first child slept in the early afternoon, same time my OB wanted to do a stress test. Baby slept through the test, baby failed the test. Twice. They buzzed my belly to wake him… he moved, fell back to sleep again. That would have been grounds for an emergency c-section. Really??! They were finally able to get him moving but a less patient OB/assistant may have just concluded baby was in trouble. They certainly were not listening to me when I said baby moved constantly all day, ever day, especially at night or just after a meal… he was VERY active, except between the hours of 9 am and 11 am, my appointment was at 9:30. They looked at me with disbelief and said, we’ll have to do this test again or talk about our “options”… am I an idiot? No. Should they believe me when I say I know what time my baby sleeps or should they just blindly go by what the monitor is saying in that small 2-hr window? I think you take a doctor’s education for granted and not realize they are just people too… fallible, not god. Lisa of all people would want her baby to be born happy and healthy, wouldn’t she? You think she needs a stranger to impress upon her the importance of her own child’s life? She knew the c-section was needed and agreed to have it done… Friday. She did not agree to have it done as an emergency. There was no emergency which was proved when baby though he be large, was born healthy. She needed time to make arrangements and instead of saying this doc jumped the gun, was just trying to cover his ass, it’s easy enough to say mom was being reckless? I’m shocked and very disappointed by this perspective. C-section rates are VERY high in this country. We tell women they can’t give birth without drugs. We tell women their bodies are broken. We tell woman your baby is too big. Scare tactics. Unnecessary. Before you flap your mouth about things you don’t know or understand, don’t you think you should hear both sides of the story? And just to prove even further that doctors aren’t always right… you should know that my emergency c-section was due to a doctor messing up my epidural not once but twice. The first time he missed, the second time he went too far. He didn’t numb my lower half, he numbed my entire body instead. My baby was born with my husband in the hallway changing into scrubs while I couldn’t even move my tongue to speak. Try not swallowing for 60 seconds and see how you feel, now stretch that out over the time it took them to rip my baby from my body and tend to him while I couldn’t even communicate that I was having difficulty breathing. Couldn’t move my hands, my face, my tongue to speak. I was blinking my eyes to try to get some attention! Doctor isn’t always right. They do make mistakes… AND I may be incorrect… but I think the letter he wrote was w/o him even having examined Lisa??? I think he drafted that letter based on what his staff told him occurred the day prior? Diagnostic tools are a wonderful thing to have. They save lives. But too much information makes people distrust the process. Women were made to have babies and c-section rates in this country, FL especially, are astounding. Why is it that a midwife can have an 80 percent successful VBAC rate and a doctor won’t even attempt? C-section rates are 45%, almost HALF in our major hospitals… St. Joe’s Women’s really? Liability. Fear. That’s all I have to say on the matter… well, for today anyway!

  • Alysha Leidel

    Wow! Did you do any research before writing this article? There is an epidemic going on in this country! In the Tampa area alone we are at a 38% c-section rate. The World Health Organization says it shouldn’t be over 8%! We would trust doctors if they were showing a history of doing the right thing! C-section is a very dangerous and major surgery and should never be taken lightly. America has the highest maternal and fetal death rate out of any industrialized country. Due dates are not exact. The March of Dimes is on a war path trying to get doctors to stop inducing because of due dates or the convenience of c-sections times. Many of these babies aren’t ready yet and end up in the NICU suffering from premature ailments for the rest of their life! After having 4 children already she trusted her instincts. She could feel the baby moving although it chose not to do so for the ultrasound. There is a group called ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network). On their chat boards are mother’s feeling betrayed by doctors presenting themselves as non-intervention friendly or willing to try VBACs. But time after time when these women hit 38 weeks their tune changes. You could start by looking at the complications with future births, infertility issues and possible death from c-sections before you question why this mother didn’t run down to the operating room!

  • Jenn

    Clearly the author of this article was to lazy to do complete research, the doctors agreed to schedule Lisa to deliver on Friday then sent the harassing email because they changed their mind. As a medical professional it his job to advise not to force someone to have a procedure when it is convent for him. Also Lisa didn’t have the procedure when he demanded it because that would mean leaving her 2 year old with a stranger when her baby was not in distress. Unless you are educated in obgyn you really shouldn’t act like you are! What an ignorant writer!

  • Everybodhi

    I don’t know all the details of this persons story, but, I know mine.
    I had twins, six and a half pounds each. When I went into the hospital at nine months, in labor, my doctor arrived in a tux, telling me I took him from his party. He examined me, said twins were “locked”, and did an emergency c-section.
    If I had a midwife, she would most likely have turned the twins with her hands to deliver, one was head first, one was breach. Its not uncommon. I had two more children, and could not find a doctor that would do a vaginal birth, as the doctor that did the first c- section cut from my naval to my pubic bone, vertically.
    My births all cost five figures.