Bedside Manners

I just found out about a lawsuit in Chicago (via REBIRTH and unnescesarian.com) between a woman who delivered a baby nine months ago and the doctor (Scott Pierce, MD - for my two Chicago readers) who, allegedly, treated her horribly. Click through for the details.

Being in labor makes a woman so vulnerable - you're scared and in pain and it's so hard, even for a woman who normally doesn't take crap from anybody, to be an advocate for herself. You really withdraw from the world, and into yourself, during labor. I am so sorry that this woman's birth was handled so horribly.

And I'm so grateful to my "support person" - BJ - for being such a wonderful advocate for me and for our babies. And I'm grateful that my doctor (if your local I'd be happy to refer you to him - email me) is a compassionate, caring man with very small hands.

I hope Catherine Skol wins her lawsuit and that Pierce is never able to afford malpractice insurance (and therefore can never practice obstetrics) again. I hope that she can send all five of her kids to college on the punitive damages that she wins, and have enough left over for a nice house and a bottle of champagne. Shame on anyone who says, "Healthy mom, healthy baby, what right does she have to sue?? It's going to make insurance rates higher for doctors, which will make care cost more, blah blah blah..." NO ONE deserves to be treated that way, no matter where they are or what they are doing. But to treat a laboring mother that way? Horrifying. Horrifying and sick and he should lose his license, even if only half of her allegations are true.