Ch.12/ The flawed model of evidence based care
Evidence is limited to the facts and doesn’t show us how it fits into your unique life.
I see a lot of doulas and birthworkers say that their care is “evidence based”. I’m guilty of describing my birth philosophy this way, too! Let’s talk about why balancing an evidence based model with your intuition and personal experience can create the best care plan.
Wait, evidence based is bad?!
No, not at all! I just think that by quoting something as being “evidence based” as a preference that everyone should have, you are erasing everyone’s unique experiences. We are not all the same and so our care should not all look the same.
If you really don’t want a cesarean, then you should give birth at home. That’s what the evidence says! The statistics show that homebirths have a far lower cesarean rate than hospital births.
But we know that not everyone should give birth at home. There are so many other factors to consider – how far away do they live from the hospital? How does their insurance cover homebirths? Do they emotionally want a homebirth? Do they feel safest there? The list goes on and on.
If someone who really does not want a cesarean yet they choose to give birth in a hospital, it does not mean that they are making a bad decision for themselves and their baby. Of course not. They are making the best decisions for their family based on the evidence, their personal situation, and how they feel about it.
Evidence is important but it is so complex and to fully understand it and it’s implications you have to do a lot of research. And even with all the research that’s available, there is still room for error or not getting a full picture.
Pregnancy is notoriously underfunded for research. Pregnant people rarely want to be tested on and there isn’t a ton of money being used to fund research for “women’s issues”.
It’s impossible to know everything about birth, let alone remember that when you’re in labor. Instead, focus your prenatal journey on education and then reflection on what makes sense for you.
Let’s talk more about how to balance evidence with your intuition.
Schedule a consult with me.
