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'I brainwashed myself with the internet' Nearly 45 weeks pregnant, she wanted a "freebirth" ...
'I brainwashed myself with the internet'
Nearly 45 weeks pregnant, she wanted a "freebirth" with no doctors. Online groups convinced her it would be OK.
By Brandy Zadrozny | NBC News Published February 21, 2020
By February 2019, Judith had become unbearably anxious. The 28-year-old Pacific coast natives due date had come and gone. Just two days shy of 45 weeks pregnant, her belly was stretched so far that it shined, her body was swollen, and nearly everything from her toes to her hair ached.
For women who havent gone into labor by 42 weeks, just about every medical and birth professional recommends induction a jump-start to labor from medicines that ripen the cervix or contract the uterus. But Judith, an artist and freethinker who believes in all that hippy jazz, had a different kind of birth plan one that dismissed medical recommendations and relied on nature and intuition, that rejected a sterile hospital for a warm pool in her own home and that avoided doctors and midwives. Instead, Judith wanted to be with only her husband and her closest friend, a plan known as freebirth, or unassisted birth, by the tiny subculture of women who practice it.
Judith couldnt tell many people about that plan her husband was supportive, but most of her other family and friends would understandably worry. Instead, Judith, who asked that her full name not be published, spent the last several months of her pregnancy immersed in online spaces where women celebrated her decision and offered support and tips. Private Facebook groups, Instagram accounts, podcasts and online courses had taught Judith everything she thought she needed to know about how her baby would come into the world.
There were doubts sprouted from seeds planted by real-life friends who knew about her plan and doctors whom Judith had to see to sign up for state insurance benefits. But Judith had fortified herself against the creeping unease with the stories she read online from freebirthing mothers and the real-time support she received on Facebook. With a little help from algorithms that nudged increasingly questionable information and sources her way, Judith had become a part of the internets most extreme pregnancy communities.
[...]
Nearly 45 weeks pregnant, she wanted a "freebirth" with no doctors. Online groups convinced her it would be OK.
By Brandy Zadrozny | NBC News Published February 21, 2020
By February 2019, Judith had become unbearably anxious. The 28-year-old Pacific coast natives due date had come and gone. Just two days shy of 45 weeks pregnant, her belly was stretched so far that it shined, her body was swollen, and nearly everything from her toes to her hair ached.
For women who havent gone into labor by 42 weeks, just about every medical and birth professional recommends induction a jump-start to labor from medicines that ripen the cervix or contract the uterus. But Judith, an artist and freethinker who believes in all that hippy jazz, had a different kind of birth plan one that dismissed medical recommendations and relied on nature and intuition, that rejected a sterile hospital for a warm pool in her own home and that avoided doctors and midwives. Instead, Judith wanted to be with only her husband and her closest friend, a plan known as freebirth, or unassisted birth, by the tiny subculture of women who practice it.
Judith couldnt tell many people about that plan her husband was supportive, but most of her other family and friends would understandably worry. Instead, Judith, who asked that her full name not be published, spent the last several months of her pregnancy immersed in online spaces where women celebrated her decision and offered support and tips. Private Facebook groups, Instagram accounts, podcasts and online courses had taught Judith everything she thought she needed to know about how her baby would come into the world.
There were doubts sprouted from seeds planted by real-life friends who knew about her plan and doctors whom Judith had to see to sign up for state insurance benefits. But Judith had fortified herself against the creeping unease with the stories she read online from freebirthing mothers and the real-time support she received on Facebook. With a little help from algorithms that nudged increasingly questionable information and sources her way, Judith had become a part of the internets most extreme pregnancy communities.
[...]
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'I brainwashed myself with the internet' Nearly 45 weeks pregnant, she wanted a "freebirth" ... (Original Post)
sl8
Feb 2020
OP
Our schools probably need more teaching on how to evaluate online sources...some do.
Karadeniz
Feb 2020
#4
Delphinus
(11,830 posts)1. Discussed this
with some friends today. I feel quite sad for Judith and her husband.
Response to sl8 (Original post)
matt819 This message was self-deleted by its author.
BigmanPigman
(51,591 posts)3. No I am starting to understand why out of all the richest countries
the US is #17 now (the issue being newborn babies' and mothers' overall health). It isn't just expensive healthcare, insur, and availability of facilities, it is morons believing other morons on social media. The dumbing down of America in full view.
elleng
(130,905 posts)9. The dumbing down of America in full view,
advocated by repugs for many years.
Karadeniz
(22,516 posts)4. Our schools probably need more teaching on how to evaluate online sources...some do.
pacheen
(58 posts)5. This is so sad
Tragic. What made her so vulnerable, so naive? Her past hospital encounters?
Wonder if the child had lived, would she have objected to him receiving vaccinations?
Mosby
(16,311 posts)6. What a sad story.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)7. Dumb...
Jesus Fuckin' Christ...
elleng
(130,905 posts)8. I agree.