Suffering as a Community

I mentioned in my last post that so many of the struggles and hardships that effect us are on a finite level, often just an individual struggle or a nuclear hardship involving those in our close circle.

When the smoke from the Dixie Fire first started infiltrating our clear mountain air and posing a threat, I remember looking at the map of the fire that was then around 100k acres and feeling concerned that it was coming straight towards the south side of our precious Lake Almanor. In a moment where I would usually pray for winds to shift, I found myself at a loss for words - if I prayed that this shifted in any other direction, then the homes and lives of so many I love could be devastated. There was simply no good way for it to go.

As my family increasingly felt the negative health ramifications of the heavy smoke and ash in the air, again there was this sense of communal suffering. What were our neighbors doing? Were they staying or going? Should we keep life going as much as normal, or make another plan? Do we still have the Farmers Market or cancel it? Are there elderly people who need help getting out or finding a place to stay? In a small rural community where everyone knows everyone’s business (for better and worse!), there has been an incredible sense of camaraderie through this ordeal - from the power outage at the beginning through the now weeks of evacuation. I find a certain amount of comfort knowing that we are going through this together. Which means a heavy burden can be spread across many shoulders.

I have been touched by the amount of people near and far giving to those in need - the donations, gift cards, GoFundMe accounts - all of us have benefited from the kindness of friend and stranger through this. What an incredible gift to witness humans pulling together in a time of grief! The fire chief and Sherriff, who stayed behind in our town, continued feeding our chickens and ducks as well as countless others in town until the fire got nearer and then they moved them to a safer home of some sort. Let me tell you, we have no small number of chickens……bless them for taking the time to do what we couldn’t on our way out of town!

I am filled with gratitude at the opportunity to watch human charity pour out over those of us who are displaced. We are not together as a community enjoying a warm summer evening at the Farmers Market, but we are creating a stronger community by reaching out to one another across the miles or into the evacuation camps and offering whatever service we can render or donation we can spare. It is a good reminder that there are always those in need amongst us and I hope that we can remember and hold on to the power of generous kindness when this all passes.

And we pray it passes soon.

America! Maternal Mortality on the Rise

The United States is one of eight countries where Maternal Morbidity is on the rise.  In fact, our rate of maternal mortality has tripled since 1980.  Defined as "maternal death that is associated with pregnancy or childbirth", America now has the highest rate of maternal mortality amongst developed countries.  What a thing of horror.   

There are several reasons that this is occurring, including an increased number of surgical deliveries (which are three times riskier than a vaginal delivery), complications from augmented labors, and dietary deficiencies leading to a rise in preeclampsia and eclampsia.  This is only part of the list that we can see and study.  But the particular issue I want to address today is that of rural healthcare, as maternal death is disproportionately high in rural areas.

Living in a very isolated area, I can attest to the state of rural maternal health in America today.  The nearest hospital is 15 minutes away, a larger one is 40 minutes away, and the nearest urban hospital is an hour and a half drive.  Due to the increasing cost of obstetric services in the US, the closest hospital had to stop offering them a decade ago.  This has left people in my community with the option of driving 40 minutes to a hospital where OB services are offered by on-call family practice doctors OR drive the hour and a half to the "city" where there are in-house Obstetricians.  Add into the equation that 5 months out of the year our area is shrouded in beautiful but dangerous driving conditions.  

This situation leads women into a few undesirable predicaments:

• delivering on the side of the road, back of an ambulance, in a  rural unequipped Emergency Department OR
• arriving at the hospital in early labor to find they are 2-3cm dilated and being admitted (they can't very well be sent home!).  Subsequently, for every hour they spend in the hospital during early labor, their chances of interventions and surgical delivery increase.

Let us not forget that rural areas are often very impoverished areas.  Many of these women cannot afford to travel the distance needed to receive prenatal care.  This leads to missed visits (particularly at the end of pregnancy), and therefore, missed diagnoses of possibly fatal conditions such as pre-eclampsia (one of the big killers of mothers), hypertension, and fetal mal-position.

This is a serious problem.  Thankfully, the gravity of this issue has caught the public eye:

• NPR recently teamed up with ProPublica to research and write about Maternal Death
•  AmnestyUSA has published a fantastic piece called "Deadly Delivery"
•  International spokespersons are searching out solutions (such as Linda Robinson, who has an impactful TEDx talk on this topic).

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been one of the forerunners in offering possible solutions to Maternal Mortality.  Along with AmnestyUSA and countless other respectable organizations, the WHO has offered that an increase in midwifery care will improve outcomes for mothers and babies worldwide, particularly in rural areas.  Indeed, they have said that, "Increasing the number of midwives by 25% will reduce maternal mortality by 50%)."  Properly trained midwives are a very feasible and effective solution to the problem of Maternal Morbidity.  As French Obstetrician, Dr. Odent, has said, 

“If we want to find safe alternatives to obstetrics, we must rediscover midwifery. To rediscover midwifery is the same as giving childbirth back to women.” 

We, as Americans, need to re-evaluate maternal healthcare in this country.  For most, birth is normal and natural, not a condition needing treatment. Do not for a moment imagine that interventions are conveniences without consequences. 

 For the 15% of women in this country who have high-risk pregnancies, I am deeply grateful for a medical system equipped to save lives.  But for the 85% of women who are low-risk, having a baby is the epitome of wellness. Whether you deliver in or out of the hospital, be aware of the benefits and risks of both.  We live in a country where we have many choices, be thankful for them and make wise decisions that are the most comfortable for you.  This is your body and your baby and you have been given the intuition to care for both.  Listen to your instincts, don't ignore them even if medical professionals do.  Find care providers that you can trust and that trust you.

“Experiences have clearly shown that an approach which 'de-medicalizes' birth, restores dignity and humanity to the process of childbirth, and returns control to the mother is also the safest approach.” -Dr. Odent, MD, OBGYN

This Thing Called Maternal

“No, you may not slide down the stairs with the scissors in your hand, honey” slipped easily and calmly from my lips.  This was spoken to the same child who put his now 4-year-old hands on my shriveled stretch-marked postpartum belly and laughingly jiggled while singing, “shake the belly, shake the belly.”  What a fun new game for us…

Supported by my dear husband, my mother, my grandma, my oldest child & my midwife-sister, on October 26th I was delivered safely through childbirth for the fourth time.  I am always overwhelmed with gratitude as I lay in my bed staring at this complete human who just came out of me.  Somehow, I grew this thing, waited 40 weeks for the magic to happen, labored through the longest three inches of life and popped out a human.  The world is a wondrous place.

In the past twelve years, I’ve been a part of the miraculous emergence of over 400 little ones. Women are amazing creatures.  The journey of bringing a child into this world is one of surrender and intuition. From the first waves of nausea to the last surge of contractions, we are learning to embrace the uncontrollable storms of motherhood.  The 9 months of pregnancy are simply a concentrated form of our redefined existence.  This thing changes us. These little people have heard our heartbeat from the inside and then we continue to give that heart to them as they tromp around with it on the outside.

I sit and think on the wonder of it all.  I offer thanks for the joy of life.  I hope that the delight I have now, during nap time, I will have the strength to preserve from 6-8pm (mothers of toddlers, past or present, will know what I mean).  Today I will embrace the now of rosy cheeks and tantrums and made-up games and sleeplessness and little giggles and mopping twice a day and Dr. Seuss.  Today I will bask in this blessed life I dwell in.

Reposted from Dec 26, 2015