tossing around ideas

Some problems are just going to be around forever. So long as there are new shoes, there will always be freshly discarded gum waiting in the parking lot. Difficult in-laws, teenage pregnancy, even bad hair the morning of class pictures (and don’t forget death and taxes)—they’re all inevitable, just part and parcel of life. Too often the inevitable is just given up as impossible; some problems are just too big, too inescapable to bother.

But before giving up, imagine you were in a terrible accident and you wake up in the hospital unable to feel anything below your waist. Horrified, you listen as the doctor tells you that you’ll likely never walk again. “There’s a small chance that, given some time and a series of operations, we might can help you. But there’s really not much we can do.” Do you think you’d concede: Since the odds are against improvement, why bother? Of course not! You’d rally with that ounce of hope and say You’d sure as hell better do everything you can!

Precisely because there’s something we can do—even if that something is so small it hardly makes an impact—we have to try. It’s true: as long as there are teenagers, there will be teenage pregnancy. Adolescence is an age when we believe we are immune to everything. Even kids in the worst situations harbor some small hope that they’ll be something different than their mom, their older sister, than everyone they know. But patterns are passed down through generations because we learn by imitating what we see. It is critical that young girls (and boys, too) have positive role models and good influences somewhere in their lives, in addition to proper sexual health education.

Although I’ve never been directly affected by this problem, several people in my life have been (and I would bet that several people in your life have been, too, whether you’re aware or not). I feel very strongly about the issue of teenage pregnancy and the heartbreak associated with it.

My interest in women’s health extends beyond preventative measures for teenage pregnancies into a number of other areas in obstetrics (that’s the field of medicine concerned with everything about pregnancy). Recent volunteer experience at the Midwife Center has raised my awareness about the practice of midwifery, and I am concerned that the general public has too little knowledge of this form of obstetrical care. Most people (including myself until recently) think of midwives as archaic, some background character in some old story from the middle ages. The fact is, midwives are very much present in today’s healthcare scene. They offer an alternative to typical hospital obstetrical care—a very welcome alternative. Most often, delivery in hospitals is a very impersonal way to bring your child into the world. Hospital care of obstetric patients centers on a single, ultimate goal—the good health of mother and child. Certainly, this should be expected, and is all many mothers-to-be would (think to) ask for. But what about the experience? The most meaningful moments in the lives of some women is in the birth of their children. (Certainly not to discount the meaning of women’s lives—there is far more to us than having babies. Just note that the experience of giving birth can be incredibly emotional and moving—and meaningful.) Even when they pose absolutely no risk, obstetricians grimace at the thought of giving in to a patient’s wishes if they’re unorthodox or not in line with hospital policy. Midwives, while also primarily concerned with the good health of mother and child, tend to be much more relaxed and open to a patient’s wishes. Experiences with midwives are described as more fulfilling and warmer—yet so few women are aware of their options for pregnancy care.

A third issue is somewhat involved with the previous one. Due to legislation, Certified Nurse-Midwives are still not allowed to write prescriptions for basic medicines. Although they have training equal to that of other practitioners that do write prescriptions, some stigma against midwives as being untrained semi-professionals remains. I think this issue ought to be broached, explored, and ultimately fairly resolved.