Ecology of a Doula

The Utah Doula Association conference was awesome. I feel really rejuvenated. It was wonderful to be in a room of women who are working hard to make birth a safe and enjoyable experience for the women they serve. The conference was called, “Ecology of a Doula, Relationships, Education, Support”. It was hosted by the University of Utah Perinatal Education. I learned things from every speaker. Over the next couple of days I’ll tell you more about the different sessions; today I’ll tell you about just one. It was interesting that one of the speakers, Robert M. Silver, MD, changed his topic at the last minute. His paper on cesareans was presented at the National Institute of Health conference on VBAC. At this conference, he was supposed to speak on high risk situations and how doulas can help. Instead, he spoke on (insert evil music here) Cesareans: The Dark Side. He focused on long term physical impact of cesareans that most people don’t acknowledge. The list included placenta problems in future pregnancies. That is assuming you are able to get pregnant, which isn’t certain, since women with prior cesareans have a high infertility rate. They are also more likely to have etopic pregnancies. If they are able to get pregnant, they have high rates of miscarriage and stillbirth. Women with prior cesareans report chronic pain.
I found it disconcerting that when the conference organizers found out about the subject change and realized I was there, I was pulled aside and asked to “Be nice” to Dr. Silver. Did they think I would throw tomatoes or “BOO!” loudly when he said something I didn’t like? There were several times when he said something that was controversial (for instance, “VBACs are high risk”) and many in the room would turn to look at my response. I struggled to listen, take notes and keep my face impassive. After his presentation, I was the first to raise my hand. I think the whole room was holding their breath, wondering what I would say. I stood, introduced myself and asked if he would be willing to go to lunch with me. I need to call him and set it up. I guess I’ll go do that before I forget.
Hugs, The Personal Experience Expert