“High risk”
Repost from @charlottedoula
•
Sometimes the solution is to pick a different provider. We can help you find a practice that will support your goals. Reposted from @billieharrigan “High risk” is a category determined by various obstetrical parameters. It may or may not be related to the mother herself or the baby and may have more to do with how they practice and whether it might post a risk for litigation. What we know is that if a practitioner suspects the baby is big, it’s a risk to the mother. If the practitioner has negative biases against higher BMI then it’s a risk to the mother. If the practitioner doesn’t like clients who have a difference of opinion, it’s a risk to the mother.
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to ‘risk’. Where the research might say there’s a 0.3% potential for an adverse outcome (uterine rupture after a previous c-section), a practitioner might choose a massive intervention (repeat surgery) to avoid that potential. That may soothe the practitioner’s fears but may not be appropriate for 99.7% of their clients. And it may introduce an even greater potential for adverse outcomes due to the intervention.
‘Risk’ assumes that the obstetrical paradigm is a beneficial one for most mothers and babies. Outcomes reveal this service isn’t achieving the outcomes it promises. Instead, it’s delivering high rates of trauma, surgery, PTSD, breastfeeding failure, postpartum depression & anxiety, and thoughts of self-harm.
It’s important to evaluate the risk of using current maternity services, especially when they deem a mother ‘high risk’.