Prenatal Care
Notes
It is your human right to deny any test you feel uncomfortable with. It is your responsibility to decide which tests and style of prenatal care you would like to participate in. In this course, I discuss all common prenatal tests that are conducted in pregnancy. While you have the right to refuse any test or procedure some medical providers will try to coerce and manipulate people into participating. Doctors and midwives have called Child Protective Services and other law enforcement agencies on parents who do not comply with recommended interventions, tests, or procedures. While I would argue that it is within your human right to decline any procedure, it can still create unnecessary drama for parents to fight the system and have to defend themselves. I feel that it is valuable to note that if you plan on refusing most or all tests and procedures a wild pregnancy or pregnancy without medical observation might be a good option for you. If you don’t want the services that medical providers offer then it is best to not engage with those systems at all to protect you and your family.
Prenatal care is not all or nothing. Some care options are …
Doula/birthkeeper support prenatally and/or postpartum and/or at birth
Medical midwifery prenatal care and then freebirth
Limited medical midwifery prenatal care (custom schedule)
Testing with midwife or clinic with no formal established prenatal care
Prenatal care with OB and then leave care to freebirth
Full prenatal care schedule with midwife or OB and birthing in their care
Wild pregnancy and freebirth
Midwifery care postpartum
As you can see, you can do a combination of things. It is important to find a midwife or doctor that you trust. Medical providers have been known to call CPS on people who do not participate in all of their recommended tests and procedures and freebirthing women. It is so important to find someone with a good reputation and respect for your autonomy and freedom to choose. Unfortunately, not every person has integrity. Many people are not completely transparent. This is why I frequently speak to the importance of interviewing care providers and interviewing local birth workers and women to assess their real life experiences. It breaks my heart to see families unnecessarily harassed by medical providers or state organizations.
Wild Pregnancy- A Wild Pregnancy is when a woman chooses to not participate in mainstream medical prenatal care from a medical midwife or doctor. There are ways for women to assess the health and wellness of themselves and their babies through other nonmedical means. Mindfulness practices such as meditation or yoga can help women connect to themselves and their babies in this way. Some women choose to participate in nonobstetric supportive therapies such as chiropractic care, massage therapy, movement/exercise practices, craniosacral therapy, reiki, and acupuncture, among many others. Many times women who choose to have a Wild Pregnancy continue to have a Freebirth.