February 14, 2020
I see that many individuals choose to accept the "high risk" opinion 'title' their provider labeled them as. "I wish I could birth at home, but I can't because my doctor said I am high risk."
FULL STOP
The only person who can assess and deem what is and what is not risk, is YOU.
Do not open the door to paternalistic care.
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We have providers out here deeming women high risk because they are over the age of 35, having previous cesareans, GD, body size, depression, using addiction maintenance drugs, carrying multiple, or T1D. My opinion from study and experience - a freaking JOKE, all of it.
They see "high risk" when a woman is 35 years old, but if she's 34 years and 364 days - "sHe gOoD"
A woman is "high risk" birthing vaginally after a cesarean, even though its proven SAFEST to birth vaginally after a cesarean.
A woman takes the GD test (which is a joke in and of itself), gets a false positive like they more often than not provide. She's "high risk" now, due to a system that lacks knowledge on how the human body works.
Educated women find that often when their provider deems them "high risk" it isn't fact based, it's PROSPECTIVE INCOME based. Those unnecessary ultrasounds, harmful NSTs, pharmacutical interventions, and sometimes the 'unnececesareans'. That's where $ is, here in the US. Conflict of interest, or nah?
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If you have a provider that deems you high risk, PLEASE research WHY in full. Assess your own risk and decide what YOU feel is risk. If you do not agree with their opinion (yes, their label is an OPINION), you can feel empowered to tell them to take their high risk label, and shove it.
Medical providers know that most women will bend over and do whatever they suggest. They are taught how to coerce you if you do not agree, as well. They expect you to do as they say. I'm just here to let you know you have CHOICE & FINAL SAY.
Evaluate for yourself what is risk. Sometimes, their desired interventions are where the real danger occurs. Many of my past clients agree, that's why they dropped their provider and chose HOME.
By all means, if you see risk, feel afraid, or are unsure, act accordingly! Don't take some humans opinion for it, though.
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If you were deemed high risk and disagreed with your provider, feel free to share how you handled that!
#youassessrisk
#trashtheirlabels
#highriskisachosenlabel
#autonomy
#ilovethoseiserve
#OBdropouts
#LMmidwifedropout
#beempowered