Mother Sues OB Who Said She "Deserved Pain"—And Gave It to Her

Miriam Axel-Lute — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Catherine Skol, former Chicago cop and mother of five, is suing her OB for abusive treatment during the birth of her fifth, nine months ago. If you've heard of the case, and the arguments that she's "just suing over rudeness" and should quit it because she's going to make malpractice rates go up, I suggest you go here, and read the details of the allegations.

I don't suggest you read it if you are pregnant and about to head into a hospital delivery however.

According to the suit, defendent Scott Pierce, who was filling in for the Catherine Skol's primary OB, was so incensed that she hadn't called him before heading to the hospital (an instruction her main OB had never given her) that he decided she "deserved" pain, refused an epidural, put her in intentionally painful positions, insisted she push before she was sufficiently dilated, kept telling her she was going to hemorrhage, wouldn't give her enough anesthesia before stitching her up and told her husband to "hold her down" instead, and talked loudly and crudely on a cell phone about an abortion in the room. There's more. It's truly astounding, in a nauseating kind of way.

(Confidential to "Linka" who called Skol a wimp for complaining about not getting her pain meds: I'm no fan of routine epidurals and had my kid with none, but I would never claim to know out of context when one was appropriate. And I'd like to see you get stitches for a severe laceration on your vulva without anesthesia, not mention all that other crap.)

As much as I've heard plenty of horror stories about OBs and their attitudes, I have to say that this is a category all its own, and sounds to me like the sort of extremely aggressive behavior that arises when people are on something illegal or are having, shall we say, certain brain chemical imbalances. Not that there aren't people out there who are just that awful, but they don't generally keep a job like doctor very long.

In fact, his behavior bothers me less than the commenters who say that because she and the baby are physically healthy, she should shut up and deal. Aside from being cruel, the behavior described was dangerous. If it's anything like she described, he should have his license revoked. People sue all the time for doctors failing to prevent problems they couldn't have prevented—that's one of the reasons our c-section rate (and malpractice insurance) is so high. Here's a case where the doctor was actually in the wrong rather than just getting the blame for a tragedy. This is what lawsuits are for.

Photo by Bloomsberries.

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Tell Dr. Phil About Your Home Birth—If You Dare

Miriam Axel-Lute — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:55:00 GMT

Dr. Phil is seeking home birth stories. But not just any home birth stories. He wants just the bad ones—the ones you regret, the ones that made you have your next kid in the hospital.

I'm sure those exist somewhere. I'm sure it is partly just who I know that the only parents I've heard of regretting their choice of birth location are people who went to hospitals (which is not to say that everyone who chooses a hospital regrets it certainly).

And Dr. Phil has a right to focus his shows how he wants. If I were doing a show on home birth myself, I don't think I'd go out of my way to find one that had been a disaster.

Nonetheless, it's awfully hard to look at the questions he's asking and not fear that the show will be a massive fear-mongering misconception fest, which is a definite problem as home birth keeps facing legal challenges. You can almost hear the condescension dripping:

"Did you want to have a soothing experience where you were in control and could bond with your child?

Did it not go the way you planned?

Did you have your second child the traditional way in a hospital?"

I suspect that I'm not the only mother whose reasons for to giving birth at home were a damn sight more numerous and complex than just wanting a "soothing experience" (though, frankly, feeling safe and calm is not just a perk—it can make labor a lot shorter). In fact, pne of my reasons was that our (trained, experienced, prepared for emergencies) midwives understood that birth usually doesn't go as planned and can't really be controlled. OBs and hospitals tend to forget that and are all too ready to make extreme interventions not because something is dangerous, but just because it's inconveinent or unexpected. For me, since my kid had unexpectedly turned breech the night before, being at home meant the difference between a trouble-free, quick delivery and an unnecessary c-section.

There are a number of midwifery and doula groups, as well as individuals, encouraging women to bombard Dr. Phil with positive home birth stories. I sent him mine, but I'm not sure how how much good it'll do. Sounds like his mind is made up. I think the suggestion someone made to pester Oprah to do a show of positive home birth stories (and, I would add, include real home-birth midwives talking about how they bring oxygen and know how to do sutures and do transport to the hospital when warranted) might have a greater effect in the long run. Or am I giving up on the good doctor too easily?

Photo, "Prepared," by freckle'sphotos.

Strollerderby : birth horror stories

Mother Sues OB Who Said She "Deserved Pain"—And Gave It to Her

Tell Dr. Phil About Your Home Birth—If You Dare