Prom let every high school student live out their childhood dreams before they become adults. They get to dress up fancy like their parents, spend lot of money, drink and eat with out restraint and have the freedom to act alone. After this moment, their lives stop being planned out for them. They make their own decisions, weather to go to college, work, do nothing or travel. This life changing experience is great and may effect the future decisions of each person.
Before most kids enter high school the dream of going to prom is alive in their minds. It’s looked at as a stepping-stone to adult hood and freedom. Movies, books and fair tales keep the tradition of prom alive. This tradition has been keep vibrant and alive by the industry behind it making money off prom. This industry is just like the funeral industry and the food industry. This industry is keep alive with a constant reminder that prom is a right of passage in to the real word.
With out the hype around prom and the tradition. It is a gather of almost all the people that you spent high school with coming together to celebrate the end of a long journey. A lot of people will never see each other again. It could be a solemn occasion but instead we party it out and celebrant some of the best year of our lives coming to an end. It’s ironic.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
XC- COTD4
Dickinson, Emily. "What care the Dead, for Chanticleer." American Poems . N.p., Published/Written in 1955 . Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10544>.
The dead have no feelings and no cares anytime of year.
This poem can bring comfort to people morning, letting them know the dead is always around them no matter where they are.
Dickinson, Emily. "I measure every Grief I meet."American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15394>.
Grief can stem from many things. People judge others grief to either fell better or worse about their own grief.
This poem may help people grieving realize their subconscious actions. People grieving over a death want to assume they are always the person in the room with the most grief when really they might not be.
Dickinson, Emily. "I had no time to Hate." American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10430>.
Life is short so before you die don’t hate; try to love.
I feel this poem can help people think positively about the deaths of their loved ones. It tells people to not feel hateful at the grave of the person your seeing feel love for the persons life.
Scott Holland, Henry. "Remembrance Poems and Quotes for a Funeral or Memorial Service."Memories are Forever.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.memories-are-forever.org/funeral/poemsquotes.htm>.
The recently passed should not stop a family from talking about them better yet it they should keep that person alive through the good times that person brought them.
This poem could be very beneficial to people who feel that they cant talk about the love ones that passed. The poem may open a door for people to feel as if the person they lost is still in their life.
Dickinson, Emily. "If I can stop one Heart from breaking." American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10871>.
If we can make a difference in a life we will not live in vain.
This poem could be the thoughts of a funeral director. When I read this poem I felt like these thoughts would run through a funeral directors minds when reflecting on why they do what they do.
Dickinson, Emily. "It is an honorable Thought."American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10898>.
We have come up with stores that make us immortal even though nothing is immortal in our world. We see thing get old and die everyday.
This poem made me think of the people that can’t accept death for what it is. This could lead people to understand life can never be immortal.
Dickinson, Emily. " It struck me -- every Day."American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10314>.
The pain of morning a love one never goes away. It can re-open like a scab at any time.
This poem describes how many people go through the mooring process when they have lost a loved one. Many people feel they can get over a loss but truly it lives on with them. This may help morning people to realize that the pain can last forever and therefore manage it better.
Dickinson, Emily. "It was not Death, for I stood up,."American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10462>.
Dickinson, Emily. "Poets' Corner ." theotherpages.org. N.p., 1880s. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/dickin01.html>.
Tagore, Rabindranath. "Remembrance Poems and Quotes for a Funeral or Memorial Service."Memories are Forever.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.memories-are-forever.org/funeral/poemsquotes.htm>.
Herrick, Robert. "The Funeral Rites of the Rose."eulogyspeech.ne. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.eulogyspeech.net/funeral-poems/The-Funeral-Rites-of-the-Rose.shtml>.
Hughes, Langston. "Wake." eulogyspeech.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.eulogyspeech.net/funeral-poems/Wake.shtml>.
Joyce, Sean. "The Funeral." eulogyspeech.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.eulogyspeech.net/funeral-poems/The-Funeral.shtml>.
Dickinson, Emily. "Emily Dickinson : A clock stopped—not the mantel’s." portablepoetry.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.portablepoetry.com/poems/emily_dickinson/a_clock_stoppednot_the_man.html>.
Dickinson, Emily. "Pain -- has an Element of Blank --." American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10602>.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Hw 55
After studying about the funeral industry in depth and thinking about how I want to be buried. I wanted to know if my parents had talked about their funerals with each other or if they had even started to think about their own funeral.
My parents are not on the same page when it comes to them knowing how each other wants their funnels to be but they have thought about their own funerals. My mother believes that my father wants a full catholic funeral with a wake, a mass and a grave burial. On the contrary though, my dad is happy with just a ceremony in his honor and to be cremated. My father was more in the ballpark when describing my mother’s funeral. He was right in saying that she wants to have a traditional Jewish funeral but my mom as of now want to be buried not cremated. My parents after being interviewed said that they had not put much thought into how they wanted to be buried till after their parents died two years ago. Both their parents had mini books written on how they wanted their funerals to be and how they wanted to be buried. My mom finds it depressing and does not like to think about her funeral. She told me the times she has thought about it, she can’t make up her mind whether or not to be buried or cremated. My dad told me he was not confident in what he wants to do for his funeral but he knows he wants to be cremated in the end. But that could change.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Hw 54
I grew up with parents that have different religious backgrounds. Neither of my parents were very religious but they wanted to raise me Jewish, the religion of my mother. That decision didn’t really stick. I celebrated all the catholic holidays of my father religion and all of the Jewish holidays of my mother’s religion. I never though of religion as anything important because it was never taken seriously in my house hold. Now that I understand religion I made up my own beliefs that a line with Christianity, Judisum and Buddhism. I believe in a higher being and I want there to be an after life but in the back of my mind I know there’s no ways of knowing so why should I think there is one. Some people call this agnostic but I don’t think my beliefs a line them very well.
My beliefs of the after life our undecided because I cant figure out why we live this life if we one day we die and don’t know anything. Then with that there’s no point in living so there has to be something but this something has to apply to all creatures of the earth not just humans. But what if we were the insides of a creature and we were not part of a universe. You never know. I have never read the bible or the torah.
I have a big belief in karma as well. It is the acting force that completes the circle of right and wrong. Karma is a major part of Buddhism and to get more knowledge on it I talked to a lady down the hall from me named Florence who converted to Buddhism 40 years ago and study it in Japan for many years.
Florence first told me about how she became a Buddhist. It was 1970 and Florence was having many troubles in her life. She decided to leave the U.S and travel to Japan for week to get away from her problems. There she walked in to a Buddhist school and herd what the religion had to offer. She was told of three values to live by that would help with her stress and lead her to happiness. One: Life as we know it ultimately is or leads to suffering/uneasiness in one-way or another. Two: Suffering is caused by craving. Three: Suffering ends when craving ends. Florence understood and liked what she was told. She felt that it made life easier and she understood it more. Florence’s trip went from one week to two months; she studied with monks to learn everything there was about Buddhism.
My interview began. Florence how were you able to drop your life so quick and know that Buddhism was the right life choice?
My beliefs of the after life our undecided because I cant figure out why we live this life if we one day we die and don’t know anything. Then with that there’s no point in living so there has to be something but this something has to apply to all creatures of the earth not just humans. But what if we were the insides of a creature and we were not part of a universe. You never know. I have never read the bible or the torah.
I have a big belief in karma as well. It is the acting force that completes the circle of right and wrong. Karma is a major part of Buddhism and to get more knowledge on it I talked to a lady down the hall from me named Florence who converted to Buddhism 40 years ago and study it in Japan for many years.
Florence first told me about how she became a Buddhist. It was 1970 and Florence was having many troubles in her life. She decided to leave the U.S and travel to Japan for week to get away from her problems. There she walked in to a Buddhist school and herd what the religion had to offer. She was told of three values to live by that would help with her stress and lead her to happiness. One: Life as we know it ultimately is or leads to suffering/uneasiness in one-way or another. Two: Suffering is caused by craving. Three: Suffering ends when craving ends. Florence understood and liked what she was told. She felt that it made life easier and she understood it more. Florence’s trip went from one week to two months; she studied with monks to learn everything there was about Buddhism.
My interview began. Florence how were you able to drop your life so quick and know that Buddhism was the right life choice?
Monday, May 9, 2011
Hw 53
Precis:
It’s Saturday night in the Bronx and it’s booming with music and partying. Every Ghanaian person is at the funeral down the block for Gertrude Manye Ikol. She passed away just a few months ago and everyone is celebrating. Now I know what your thinking how heart less can these people be celebrating a woman’s death but in the Ghanaian culture death is horned in celebration. Unlike in the American culture where we sit solemn and reflect on the past life that was lost. The Ghanaian people celebrate the life that was just with them. These funerals are talked about like parties for every one to attend. They have an open bar and a dance floor that is open all night. The funerals are social gathering that are happening more and more all over the Bronx’s. A Ghanaian funeral is the second most expensive event in an Ghanaians life after their wedding.
It’s Saturday night in the Bronx and it’s booming with music and partying. Every Ghanaian person is at the funeral down the block for Gertrude Manye Ikol. She passed away just a few months ago and everyone is celebrating. Now I know what your thinking how heart less can these people be celebrating a woman’s death but in the Ghanaian culture death is horned in celebration. Unlike in the American culture where we sit solemn and reflect on the past life that was lost. The Ghanaian people celebrate the life that was just with them. These funerals are talked about like parties for every one to attend. They have an open bar and a dance floor that is open all night. The funerals are social gathering that are happening more and more all over the Bronx’s. A Ghanaian funeral is the second most expensive event in an Ghanaians life after their wedding.
DOLNICK, SAM. "Dance, Laugh, Drink. Save the Date: It’s a Ghanaian Funeral. ." New York Times (2011): n. pag. Web. 9 May 2011.
There is a link between doctors and patients when they have been together for many years. I have just lost a patient and a friend. It hurts me not because it is a failure to me as a doctor but because I lost a friend, a piece of my family. I like to go to my patient’s funeral to given my final regards because I have cared for them and become very close with them. I find more times than not I am praised as a respected guess but then end up becoming a question in the back of peoples minds so I try to not over stay my welcome. It is hard to see people who you’ve shared some of their most personal conversations with not moving.
There is a link between doctors and patients when they have been together for many years. I have just lost a patient and a friend. It hurts me not because it is a failure to me as a doctor but because I lost a friend, a piece of my family. I like to go to my patient’s funeral to given my final regards because I have cared for them and become very close with them. I find more times than not I am praised as a respected guess but then end up becoming a question in the back of peoples minds so I try to not over stay my welcome. It is hard to see people who you’ve shared some of their most personal conversations with not moving.
OFRI, DANIELLE. "A Doctor at the Funeral." New York Times (2011): n. pag. Web. 9 May 2011.
I never could have guessed that a party would be thrown as a funeral and it be socially accepted. This idea blew up in my mind; I started planning my own funeral party but wait I’m not ready to die any time soon. This way of celebrating death made me think of it in a new light and made sense to me. Instead of sitting in sadness about something I can’t change I should be happy for the life that was with me not so long ago. I think that I would feel better surrounded by a bunch of happy people then a bunch of sad. In our country this is not a socially acceptable and I would love for that to change.
I respect everything doctors do to save lives but I don’t know if I would want the doctor of my loved one to be at their funeral because emotions run high at a funeral and I would not want anyone blaming the doctor for anything that might have happened. I think that of the doctor wants to come they can before or after everyone is there. I just feel better for this way.
Retired Gravedigger
Q: Do you believe in the after life?
A: I believe in the after life because I am a Christian man and my religion specks of there being an after life. Christianity talks about the after life talking you to heaven or hell.
Q: Do you believe that how your buried can led you to a happier or better after life?
A: I believe that as long as you are buried in the ground respectfully by your loved once you will be going to the right place in the after life.
Q: Personally I am creped out by cemeteries. How did you get comfortable being in a cemetery at night?
A: I needed money to put food on my table for my wife and I. I said screw being scared of what I have no proof excites like zombies and ghosts and started digging with my thoughts.
Q: Do you know how you want to be buried when you die?
A: I want to have a nice funeral in a church, with a nice casket and a wake. Then I want to be buried next to the rest of my family.
At 70 with a bad back grocery shopping is not an easy job but neither was grave digging. A new friend of mine Lenny needed help with his grocery shopping and I volunteered to help in exchange fore an interview. He gladly accepted. Lenny had been a gravedigger for 40 years before he retired five years ago. His back problems put him out of work. Lenny has always been a tough guy but not so book smart. He started a family early in life and need away to support them. He found being a gravedigger work perfect for his life style. Lenny is a Christian man that lives by the bible. After know his background I started asking him tough questions about his beliefs, which he didn’t like very much. I questioned the idea of the after life and if heaven and hell were real. I asked him, if the people who wrote the bible knew all the information about earth we know today would they believe in what they wrote? Lenny said assertively, “I was raised to live by what the bible preaches and also I’m an old man, when I question things it leads me to question my life and my actions which makes me sad.” I could understand what Lenny was trying to convey. By questioning the social practices of our society it leads us to question our actions and beliefs. It’s a very sad and depressing thinking this way. As we passed through the flower section I asked Lenny how he wanted to be buried? He answered the question from the same point of view as all the other questions. “I will follow what the Christian religion says to do.” I got a little frustrated because over this year I have been learned to think past my bubble thoughts and really think about what I do and say. I said plan and simple “have you ever questioned the funeral practices or looked for alternative practices done in other cultures.” Lenny looked at me if I was crazy. I had hit a brick wall with Lenny; he was a die heart believer in his faith.
The funeral industry is the one industry that I believe can be changed for the better in this country but will it ever?
If home funeral were legal in NYC; would that be good or bad?
I respect everything doctors do to save lives but I don’t know if I would want the doctor of my loved one to be at their funeral because emotions run high at a funeral and I would not want anyone blaming the doctor for anything that might have happened. I think that of the doctor wants to come they can before or after everyone is there. I just feel better for this way.
Retired Gravedigger
Q: Do you believe in the after life?
A: I believe in the after life because I am a Christian man and my religion specks of there being an after life. Christianity talks about the after life talking you to heaven or hell.
Q: Do you believe that how your buried can led you to a happier or better after life?
A: I believe that as long as you are buried in the ground respectfully by your loved once you will be going to the right place in the after life.
Q: Personally I am creped out by cemeteries. How did you get comfortable being in a cemetery at night?
A: I needed money to put food on my table for my wife and I. I said screw being scared of what I have no proof excites like zombies and ghosts and started digging with my thoughts.
Q: Do you know how you want to be buried when you die?
A: I want to have a nice funeral in a church, with a nice casket and a wake. Then I want to be buried next to the rest of my family.
The funeral industry is the one industry that I believe can be changed for the better in this country but will it ever?
If home funeral were legal in NYC; would that be good or bad?
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Hw 52
Precis:
Funeral homes thrive off the human raise thinking of it self as the superior race because from this thinking humans don’t accept death as the end of life just the first step to something greater. Funeral homes exploit this belief by providing a service that claims it can help loved ones reach a better place in the after life.
Quotes:
"This isn't my life. For me it's a project. I can walk away. Not so for the families who are stuck with their grief, or even the family undertakers who are stuck with one another." (Page. 205)
"The myth that the vaulted body lasts forever is hard to shake, and the idea of dissolving into a conservation easement, no matter how beautiful the view, is still too much like going ovo-lacto: only a few have the taste for it." (Page. 217)
“I look at you, you look at me, we contribute to society,” he says. “Then we die.”” (Page. 224)
“This, he says, might be the future of the funeral trade: change how people understand death. Like religion used to do.” (Page. 248)
“Which leaves us with the ceremony. I see no difference between the Celebration of Life and the rite of Christian burial. Both use storytelling to take the sting out of death. One praises the life that was, the other the life that follows.” (Page. 272)
Funeral homes thrive off the human raise thinking of it self as the superior race because from this thinking humans don’t accept death as the end of life just the first step to something greater. Funeral homes exploit this belief by providing a service that claims it can help loved ones reach a better place in the after life.
Quotes:
"This isn't my life. For me it's a project. I can walk away. Not so for the families who are stuck with their grief, or even the family undertakers who are stuck with one another." (Page. 205)
"The myth that the vaulted body lasts forever is hard to shake, and the idea of dissolving into a conservation easement, no matter how beautiful the view, is still too much like going ovo-lacto: only a few have the taste for it." (Page. 217)
“I look at you, you look at me, we contribute to society,” he says. “Then we die.”” (Page. 224)
“This, he says, might be the future of the funeral trade: change how people understand death. Like religion used to do.” (Page. 248)
“Which leaves us with the ceremony. I see no difference between the Celebration of Life and the rite of Christian burial. Both use storytelling to take the sting out of death. One praises the life that was, the other the life that follows.” (Page. 272)
Analysis:
Humans don’t except the end of anything. If runs out, finishes, they try to replace it in the world. When death comes humans can’t do anything or replace the life that has been lost. They have come up with stories of new worlds and new lives that they will find after they have passed. These stories are amplified through a belief system called religion. Religion brings people together that share a common theory on what happens after death. Most of these stories tell of events, places and powers that humans can only dream of which makes them appealing. As a society we make death seem more appealing through stories, T.V. shows and movies. Humans think of themselves as being the smartest species and don’t accept death for what it is; we believe we our meant for more. The funeral companies use these common beliefs to their advantages by exploiting peoples feelings and views making them indulge in a misconception that their services our the best and only services honorable enough to berry a loved one properly. This topic relates to the birth unit because the doctors in the GYOB practices create a misconception that the best and only way to deliver a baby safely is to get it delivered in a hospital but it’s not true. These two pieces of people’s lives are the some of the most important times in their lives and they don’t want to feel like their doing it wrong. They follow the “professionals” or what I like to call the businessmen, who preach that they know what’s best for a person.
Humans don’t except the end of anything. If runs out, finishes, they try to replace it in the world. When death comes humans can’t do anything or replace the life that has been lost. They have come up with stories of new worlds and new lives that they will find after they have passed. These stories are amplified through a belief system called religion. Religion brings people together that share a common theory on what happens after death. Most of these stories tell of events, places and powers that humans can only dream of which makes them appealing. As a society we make death seem more appealing through stories, T.V. shows and movies. Humans think of themselves as being the smartest species and don’t accept death for what it is; we believe we our meant for more. The funeral companies use these common beliefs to their advantages by exploiting peoples feelings and views making them indulge in a misconception that their services our the best and only services honorable enough to berry a loved one properly. This topic relates to the birth unit because the doctors in the GYOB practices create a misconception that the best and only way to deliver a baby safely is to get it delivered in a hospital but it’s not true. These two pieces of people’s lives are the some of the most important times in their lives and they don’t want to feel like their doing it wrong. They follow the “professionals” or what I like to call the businessmen, who preach that they know what’s best for a person.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Hw 51
Precis:
Funerals can be expensive if not planned for ahead of time and can cause additional stress and financial debt to a families pain. A family always wants the best for their loved ones but to get it they need to shell out big bucks. When it comes to the ability of balancing the grief of a love one and planning a respectful funeral for most people cant handle it.
Funerals can be expensive if not planned for ahead of time and can cause additional stress and financial debt to a families pain. A family always wants the best for their loved ones but to get it they need to shell out big bucks. When it comes to the ability of balancing the grief of a love one and planning a respectful funeral for most people cant handle it.
Quotes:
"Grief is mixed up with guilt and shame and the dynamics of family politics. Sons and daughters will compete for the role of Most Crushed by the Loss, they'll fight over the menu for the reception as if it’s the dead man's estate...families do what's expected of them. They follow a social script." (Page. 116)
“But it seemed to me he was doing what the script told him to do; put people at ease by lightening the mood. That was his role.” (Page. 119)
“What made Ray Brent Marsh different from his neighbors was not that he was insane, but that he’d lost all reverence for and fear of the dead.” (Page. 131)
"There is far more profit in creating memories and keepsakes than in caskets." (Page. 141)
"For nearly two hundred years, funeral service has had a firm foundation in American culture based upon Judeo/Christian priorities... The question is, what does the consumer really want, and how could operators achieve superior profits by breaking with the past." (Page. 141)
"We're no longer part of a community of believers, but a marginally organized tribe of individuals, where each life story is as important as the next." (Page. 146)
“The Mennonites have it easier: same casket, same hymns, sane prayers, and everyone knows the script. This is what it must be like to live in an ordered universe, where the roads meet at right angles at every miles and, if you’re good you pray and marry the girl God wants you to marry, His plan will be reveled when you die.” (Page.191)
In part two of Curtains I learned a lot about the funeral industry along with some social aspects about a funeral. In our society there our social expectations for men and woman that are to be upheld at all times. One big expectation for men is that we our not allowed to cry. It shows weakness when men are supposed to be strong. These social expectations are still valid during a funeral when a man could be at his weakest, morning the loss of a love one. He might shed a tear but in societies eyes he must stand strong. When my father lost his mother he was very sad, he shed tears by himself in our house but not in public. When it came time for the funeral he was able to stand strong and be the man society wanted him to be. I feel that these standards weather held up in everyday society or not should not apply in the mist solemn occasions such as funerals.
"Grief is mixed up with guilt and shame and the dynamics of family politics. Sons and daughters will compete for the role of Most Crushed by the Loss, they'll fight over the menu for the reception as if it’s the dead man's estate...families do what's expected of them. They follow a social script." (Page. 116)
“But it seemed to me he was doing what the script told him to do; put people at ease by lightening the mood. That was his role.” (Page. 119)
“What made Ray Brent Marsh different from his neighbors was not that he was insane, but that he’d lost all reverence for and fear of the dead.” (Page. 131)
"There is far more profit in creating memories and keepsakes than in caskets." (Page. 141)
"For nearly two hundred years, funeral service has had a firm foundation in American culture based upon Judeo/Christian priorities... The question is, what does the consumer really want, and how could operators achieve superior profits by breaking with the past." (Page. 141)
"We're no longer part of a community of believers, but a marginally organized tribe of individuals, where each life story is as important as the next." (Page. 146)
“The Mennonites have it easier: same casket, same hymns, sane prayers, and everyone knows the script. This is what it must be like to live in an ordered universe, where the roads meet at right angles at every miles and, if you’re good you pray and marry the girl God wants you to marry, His plan will be reveled when you die.” (Page.191)
Analysis:
In part two of Curtains I learned a lot about the funeral industry along with some social aspects about a funeral. In our society there our social expectations for men and woman that are to be upheld at all times. One big expectation for men is that we our not allowed to cry. It shows weakness when men are supposed to be strong. These social expectations are still valid during a funeral when a man could be at his weakest, morning the loss of a love one. He might shed a tear but in societies eyes he must stand strong. When my father lost his mother he was very sad, he shed tears by himself in our house but not in public. When it came time for the funeral he was able to stand strong and be the man society wanted him to be. I feel that these standards weather held up in everyday society or not should not apply in the mist solemn occasions such as funerals.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Hw 49
From Steph - Hw 47
I was shocked that everyone you interviewed was unsure of how they wanted to be buried, yes it's a sad thing and yes we are young but it eventually has to be talked about. Although I don't know exactly what I want once I die I do know that I want my funereal to be like a party and I don't want people to be sad and cry. I enjoyed that you asked everyone if the funeral was religiously orientated, and reading about how Jewish families handle death was interesting. Over all your post was good, just reread your work for grammar and spelling mistakes. Keep up the good work!
From Michelle - Hw 48
By interviewing your parents about the care of the dead, something I'm sure you would have never done, or I would have done with my own parents before this unit. You were able to find out about your parents views on the care of the dead and even found that they act similarly during these situations.The line I most valued was," I agree with my parents even when I questioned the system being morally right... Yet I thought this system was a social practice and all social practices have bonders that if crossed you were out casted but the system allows for any variation imaginable which makes it beautiful." From every units we have learned some way of how our social practices may seem normal but actually if looked more closely have a negative aspect, so I wonder what it'll be in this unit. Only thing that would have made this post even better would have been questioning parents a little more, maybe how they want to be cared or the emotions that they or other around them felt during a funeral or any other question you had. But other than that good job
PS did this comment before you labeled your best blog post
I also believe that teenagers should not think about how they want to be berried. It's a depressing topic that I would not want anyone to think about till they have to. Young people have a lot of life left to live, they should not rush to think about the end of it. The line "As children we our kept away from it and as teenagers we our taught that it can happen to any one at anytime. As adults we have to lean to embrace it because it is all around us everyday." caught my attention because this is social norm that is in place here in the United states but not in most other countries. I wonder if you compared this process to other country. What would you find similar and different about it. Great Post.
From protege - Hw 47
I can see what you were talking about when you said that most teens share your point of view because all of them felt that they were too young to think about death and all of them have had a personal experience with death.
I was shocked that everyone you interviewed was unsure of how they wanted to be buried, yes it's a sad thing and yes we are young but it eventually has to be talked about. Although I don't know exactly what I want once I die I do know that I want my funereal to be like a party and I don't want people to be sad and cry. I enjoyed that you asked everyone if the funeral was religiously orientated, and reading about how Jewish families handle death was interesting. Over all your post was good, just reread your work for grammar and spelling mistakes. Keep up the good work!
From Michelle - Hw 48
By interviewing your parents about the care of the dead, something I'm sure you would have never done, or I would have done with my own parents before this unit. You were able to find out about your parents views on the care of the dead and even found that they act similarly during these situations.The line I most valued was," I agree with my parents even when I questioned the system being morally right... Yet I thought this system was a social practice and all social practices have bonders that if crossed you were out casted but the system allows for any variation imaginable which makes it beautiful." From every units we have learned some way of how our social practices may seem normal but actually if looked more closely have a negative aspect, so I wonder what it'll be in this unit. Only thing that would have made this post even better would have been questioning parents a little more, maybe how they want to be cared or the emotions that they or other around them felt during a funeral or any other question you had. But other than that good job
PS did this comment before you labeled your best blog post
From Mentor - Hw47
I also believe that teenagers should not think about how they want to be berried. It's a depressing topic that I would not want anyone to think about till they have to. Young people have a lot of life left to live, they should not rush to think about the end of it. The line "As children we our kept away from it and as teenagers we our taught that it can happen to any one at anytime. As adults we have to lean to embrace it because it is all around us everyday." caught my attention because this is social norm that is in place here in the United states but not in most other countries. I wonder if you compared this process to other country. What would you find similar and different about it. Great Post.
From protege - Hw 47
I can see what you were talking about when you said that most teens share your point of view because all of them felt that they were too young to think about death and all of them have had a personal experience with death.
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To Steph -
I liked the order you asked your questions in, it made you interview stronger. You stated that" Although she isn't very religious she respects the social norms of society and handles the care with respect." I found this very true in my interviews as well. People had either religion beliefs to follow or there own beliefs but they still respected and followed what they thought were the social norms for the care of the dead. I feel you could have found another connection but I enjoyed reading your post.
I liked the order you asked your questions in, it made you interview stronger. You stated that" Although she isn't very religious she respects the social norms of society and handles the care with respect." I found this very true in my interviews as well. People had either religion beliefs to follow or there own beliefs but they still respected and followed what they thought were the social norms for the care of the dead. I feel you could have found another connection but I enjoyed reading your post.
To Michelle -
First I want to say your blessed because a lot of my family has past away in resent years. You talked about one of your class mates ding which I can't imagine ever happening to one of my fellow classmates. This must have been a bit traumatizing for you seeing a person the same age as you dying. A friend i lost contact with died and it was hard for me to handle. I cant imagine what you went threw at the age of 13. You made a great comment "As a child, I was innocent and the concept of dead people hadn’t been introduced to me yet" Children are hidden from death in general because adults feel that death is to real for them to see. But is it really to real, if children's shows didn't portray people as living forever would it be hard for children to accept? Great Post !!!
First I want to say your blessed because a lot of my family has past away in resent years. You talked about one of your class mates ding which I can't imagine ever happening to one of my fellow classmates. This must have been a bit traumatizing for you seeing a person the same age as you dying. A friend i lost contact with died and it was hard for me to handle. I cant imagine what you went threw at the age of 13. You made a great comment "As a child, I was innocent and the concept of dead people hadn’t been introduced to me yet" Children are hidden from death in general because adults feel that death is to real for them to see. But is it really to real, if children's shows didn't portray people as living forever would it be hard for children to accept? Great Post !!!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Hw 50
Precis:
My new job as an undertaker has let me explore how the care of the dead is viewed in today’s society. As time went on my thoughts on care of the dead changed and I found that undertakers make the dead come alive. The body is filled with artificial chemicals, dressed; powdered and put is a coffin all to mask death. At first working with the dead was not that pleasant, the smells and the chemicals that were used were not pleasant. I am learning that the care of the dead is a business out to make money more than a service for the dead.
Quotes:
“The sociologist Zygmunt Bauman says that humans are the only creatures who know they’re going to die, and even worse, they know they know it, and it’s not something they can “unknow”.” (Page. 7)
“The whole puzzle of how we deal with death comes down that nasty poster: what to do what’s left behind?” (Page. 23)
"In the office, Richard's quick estimate, not including cemetery expenses, comes to $7,680, which he rounds up to $7,900 to provide wiggle room. Then if the final bill is less than the estimate, they'll feel like they got a deal." (Page. 39)
Quotes:
“The sociologist Zygmunt Bauman says that humans are the only creatures who know they’re going to die, and even worse, they know they know it, and it’s not something they can “unknow”.” (Page. 7)
“The whole puzzle of how we deal with death comes down that nasty poster: what to do what’s left behind?” (Page. 23)
"In the office, Richard's quick estimate, not including cemetery expenses, comes to $7,680, which he rounds up to $7,900 to provide wiggle room. Then if the final bill is less than the estimate, they'll feel like they got a deal." (Page. 39)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Hw 48
I interviewed my parents and it went great, they had a lot of insights and a lot to say on the subject. Both my parents have spent a good deal of time taking care of the dead but in very different ways regarding their religious backgrounds.
My father comes from a very Christian family even though he himself is not very religious. He was drafted into the military during the Vietnam War but was sent to North Korea to guard the DMV line. My father watched many comrades die and sent back to America to be buried. He told me that the army knew how to move dead body like a well-oiled machine, never messing up. Ten years after my father got out of the military his fathers died. His mother was very distraught and he took control of his father burial making all the arrangements for the funeral, the wake and the church, which were all things that by his religion must be done when a person dies. He found it very easy to make all these arrangements fast with no problems almost like what happened in the army. I later asked him from what he had gone through planning his father’s funeral and seeing how the army handled death if he thought that this was a common social practice across the U.S and if so was it good. He answered, “No; it’s perfect. People that are dealing with death should not have problems arranging a funeral. Our “system” if you want to call it that doesn’t make people worried and stressed.“
My mother comes from a Jewish family that escaped from Russia many years ago. As a late teen she experienced her mothers death and watched how her father and her family handled the care of her mother. She sat Shiva as all Jewish families do when a love one dies, rabies came to her house to pray with her family and she went to temple. Later in life my uncle, her brother died and she being the next oldest made all the arrangements for his burial. She found out surprisingly, how simple it was to plan everything. This shocked her because it was so routine for the people she called when planning the funeral. They didn’t make her feel less important but this was their job and they were proficient at it. I asked her if she thought this was common. She stated, “Yes I think it’s common and great.”
My parents believed that the dominant social practices concerning death in America are perfect and help maybe even save some of the pain that a difficult burial would bring about. My parents agree that the care of the dead should be handled in a timely matter and the system put in place is able to do that, still holding the life of the person in the highest respect. I agree with my parents even when I questioned the system being morally right. There is no more efficient way to bury a loved one respectfully. Yet I thought this system was a social practice and all social practices have bonders that if crossed you were out casted but the system allows for any variation imaginable which makes it beautiful.
I found that my parents experience and handle death almost the same way, which shocked me because they both came from very different religious backgrounds. They both sit in silence for a moment when they hear the news. Then they want to talk about their feeling with each other and call friends and family. If they are the closest relative they plan the funeral with out hesitation making it the exact way they person wanted it. My parents have been practicing this routine for years and they feel it’s the best way to pay their respects.
My father comes from a very Christian family even though he himself is not very religious. He was drafted into the military during the Vietnam War but was sent to North Korea to guard the DMV line. My father watched many comrades die and sent back to America to be buried. He told me that the army knew how to move dead body like a well-oiled machine, never messing up. Ten years after my father got out of the military his fathers died. His mother was very distraught and he took control of his father burial making all the arrangements for the funeral, the wake and the church, which were all things that by his religion must be done when a person dies. He found it very easy to make all these arrangements fast with no problems almost like what happened in the army. I later asked him from what he had gone through planning his father’s funeral and seeing how the army handled death if he thought that this was a common social practice across the U.S and if so was it good. He answered, “No; it’s perfect. People that are dealing with death should not have problems arranging a funeral. Our “system” if you want to call it that doesn’t make people worried and stressed.“
My mother comes from a Jewish family that escaped from Russia many years ago. As a late teen she experienced her mothers death and watched how her father and her family handled the care of her mother. She sat Shiva as all Jewish families do when a love one dies, rabies came to her house to pray with her family and she went to temple. Later in life my uncle, her brother died and she being the next oldest made all the arrangements for his burial. She found out surprisingly, how simple it was to plan everything. This shocked her because it was so routine for the people she called when planning the funeral. They didn’t make her feel less important but this was their job and they were proficient at it. I asked her if she thought this was common. She stated, “Yes I think it’s common and great.”
My parents believed that the dominant social practices concerning death in America are perfect and help maybe even save some of the pain that a difficult burial would bring about. My parents agree that the care of the dead should be handled in a timely matter and the system put in place is able to do that, still holding the life of the person in the highest respect. I agree with my parents even when I questioned the system being morally right. There is no more efficient way to bury a loved one respectfully. Yet I thought this system was a social practice and all social practices have bonders that if crossed you were out casted but the system allows for any variation imaginable which makes it beautiful.
I found that my parents experience and handle death almost the same way, which shocked me because they both came from very different religious backgrounds. They both sit in silence for a moment when they hear the news. Then they want to talk about their feeling with each other and call friends and family. If they are the closest relative they plan the funeral with out hesitation making it the exact way they person wanted it. My parents have been practicing this routine for years and they feel it’s the best way to pay their respects.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
*********Hw 47*********
My Interviews below gave me a good overview at what teenagers think about the care of the dead. None of my interviews brought out big insights but I found that some of my beliefs align with other teenager’s beliefs.
The most common answer to a question came from the most personal question in the survey. Which I found weird but exactly aligned with my beliefs; do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die? The answer came with a straight face from every person; no I’m too young. I have the same feelings toward the issue because it just brings sad thoughts to the forefront of my mind. When people are young they tend to try to stay away from death. As children we our kept away from it and as teenagers we our taught that it can happen to any one at anytime. As adults we have to lean to embrace it because it is all around us everyday. Even though adults don’t want to think about death they can’t be blind to it because it’s their job to talk care of the dead. Most people in my interviews had been to funerals in their families, which means that they have seen what taken care of the dead is like but none of them knew how they wanted to be taken care of when they die. It’s a hard topic for a young person to think about but I think it’s important for every young person to give it some thought. You never know what could happen in the crazy world we live in.
Person # 1
Q: Have you had family members die in your life?
A: Yes, many. Three out of four of my grandparents and my uncle have died.
Q: Have you been to a funeral?
A: I have been to all the funerals in my family and more.
Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?
A: Yes my whole family is Jewish. We always sit Shiva, comforting the person who lost a love one and we always follow the wishes of the person passing in how they want to be berried.
Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?
A: I think that the dead should be put in their resting places as fast as possibly to move them to the after life.
Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?
A: NO!!!! Don’t want to think about that.
Person # 2
Q: Have you had family members die in your life?
A: Yes, just one.
Q: Have you been to a funeral?
A: Yes only one.
Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?
A: No it was not, my father just wanted the people that cared about him to pay their respects and for him to be berried.
Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?
A: The dead should be cared for because it’s respectful.
Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?
A: No I’m too young
Person # 3
Q: Have you had family members die in your life?
A: No, not yet.
Q: Have you been to a funeral?
A: Yes a friend of mine committed suicide.
Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?
A: Yes it took place in a church because she was catholic. There was a wake before she was berried.
Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?
A: I believe that the care of the dead needs to be respected and taken care of.
Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?
A: I have thought about it but it made me cry so I stopped. I’m too young to this about it.
Person # 4
Q: Have you had family members die in your life?
A: Yes my grandparents.
Q: Have you been to a funeral?
A: Yes it was sad.
Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?
A: Yes my family is catholic. The ceremony took place in a church and there was a wake.
Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?
A: The dead is to be cared for by the living it is like the cycle of life.
Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?
A: Too much time left to live.
The most common answer to a question came from the most personal question in the survey. Which I found weird but exactly aligned with my beliefs; do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die? The answer came with a straight face from every person; no I’m too young. I have the same feelings toward the issue because it just brings sad thoughts to the forefront of my mind. When people are young they tend to try to stay away from death. As children we our kept away from it and as teenagers we our taught that it can happen to any one at anytime. As adults we have to lean to embrace it because it is all around us everyday. Even though adults don’t want to think about death they can’t be blind to it because it’s their job to talk care of the dead. Most people in my interviews had been to funerals in their families, which means that they have seen what taken care of the dead is like but none of them knew how they wanted to be taken care of when they die. It’s a hard topic for a young person to think about but I think it’s important for every young person to give it some thought. You never know what could happen in the crazy world we live in.
Person # 1
Q: Have you had family members die in your life?
A: Yes, many. Three out of four of my grandparents and my uncle have died.
Q: Have you been to a funeral?
A: I have been to all the funerals in my family and more.
Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?
A: Yes my whole family is Jewish. We always sit Shiva, comforting the person who lost a love one and we always follow the wishes of the person passing in how they want to be berried.
Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?
A: I think that the dead should be put in their resting places as fast as possibly to move them to the after life.
Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?
A: NO!!!! Don’t want to think about that.
Person # 2
Q: Have you had family members die in your life?
A: Yes, just one.
Q: Have you been to a funeral?
A: Yes only one.
Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?
A: No it was not, my father just wanted the people that cared about him to pay their respects and for him to be berried.
Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?
A: The dead should be cared for because it’s respectful.
Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?
A: No I’m too young
Person # 3
Q: Have you had family members die in your life?
A: No, not yet.
Q: Have you been to a funeral?
A: Yes a friend of mine committed suicide.
Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?
A: Yes it took place in a church because she was catholic. There was a wake before she was berried.
Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?
A: I believe that the care of the dead needs to be respected and taken care of.
Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?
A: I have thought about it but it made me cry so I stopped. I’m too young to this about it.
Person # 4
Q: Have you had family members die in your life?
A: Yes my grandparents.
Q: Have you been to a funeral?
A: Yes it was sad.
Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?
A: Yes my family is catholic. The ceremony took place in a church and there was a wake.
Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?
A: The dead is to be cared for by the living it is like the cycle of life.
Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?
A: Too much time left to live.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Hw 46
The first reaction I was taught to have after my initial grief of a love one is to rush to figure out what their final wishes were. I was also taught to find out what their religious background was and make sure that their religious beliefs will be satisfied. Theses are the basics in honoring a person’s death and I agree that this is what needs to be done so a person had a happy after life.
I personally have not taken care of the dead but I have seen what taking care of the dead is like. It’s not a pretty sight; it entails a person to put all there emotions aside and have a sense of determination to do right by the person who just passed. I have had a lot of my family members die throw out my life and I have seen how each side of my family handles the passing of their loved ones. Religion and the last will of the person passing plays a big role in how they are berried. My family follows the religious practices of the person who has died and honors how they wanted to be berried. This process is hard for any family but they must press through it as a family and come out stronger because of it.
I personally have not taken care of the dead but I have seen what taking care of the dead is like. It’s not a pretty sight; it entails a person to put all there emotions aside and have a sense of determination to do right by the person who just passed. I have had a lot of my family members die throw out my life and I have seen how each side of my family handles the passing of their loved ones. Religion and the last will of the person passing plays a big role in how they are berried. My family follows the religious practices of the person who has died and honors how they wanted to be berried. This process is hard for any family but they must press through it as a family and come out stronger because of it.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Hw 45
Stephs comment to me -
Your main idea which compared and contrasted the difference between midwives that just practice at houses, and midwives who practice in birthing centers in hospitals was very interesting and caught my attention.
I truly valued how you went out of your way to find a midwife who you could interview, I also valued how after you entered the 11Th floor and found no one, you continued your journey until you found a midwife who you cold interview. I wasn't interested in this topic before but after reading you project I realized how important this topic really is. I would like to dig deeper into your project and see how other midwifes compare or contrast to what Sandy said, and compare what doctors think. Great project, keep up the great work.
My comment to Steph-
Steph thank you very much for taking the time to read my post that means a lot to me. I want to dig deeper into this project because I know Sandy’s point of view does not apply for every midwife. The next steps I would take in this project would be to talk to a midwife that works at private birthing center and see what she says in contrast with what Sandy told me. If I wanted to take the project a step further I would relate all the information I collected to midwives that deal with home births.
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Jayson Comment to me -
Evan, I found your speech very influential, and the fact that you were able to interview a midwife at St Lukes Hospital is something that shows you put effort in to it. Also, I found it extremely interesting how the midwife responded to your question on nightmarish practices at hospitals with a "it all has a purpose if it is needed".
My comment to Jayson –
Thank you so much for reading my post it means a lot to me. I also found that line very interesting; it caught me off guard in my interview because I did not expect her answer to be that simple. I expected for a complex answer that would have confused me but yet the she gave me the simplest answer and it confused me.
Your main idea which compared and contrasted the difference between midwives that just practice at houses, and midwives who practice in birthing centers in hospitals was very interesting and caught my attention.
I truly valued how you went out of your way to find a midwife who you could interview, I also valued how after you entered the 11Th floor and found no one, you continued your journey until you found a midwife who you cold interview. I wasn't interested in this topic before but after reading you project I realized how important this topic really is. I would like to dig deeper into your project and see how other midwifes compare or contrast to what Sandy said, and compare what doctors think. Great project, keep up the great work.
My comment to Steph-
Steph thank you very much for taking the time to read my post that means a lot to me. I want to dig deeper into this project because I know Sandy’s point of view does not apply for every midwife. The next steps I would take in this project would be to talk to a midwife that works at private birthing center and see what she says in contrast with what Sandy told me. If I wanted to take the project a step further I would relate all the information I collected to midwives that deal with home births.
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Jayson Comment to me -
Evan, I found your speech very influential, and the fact that you were able to interview a midwife at St Lukes Hospital is something that shows you put effort in to it. Also, I found it extremely interesting how the midwife responded to your question on nightmarish practices at hospitals with a "it all has a purpose if it is needed".
My comment to Jayson –
Thank you so much for reading my post it means a lot to me. I also found that line very interesting; it caught me off guard in my interview because I did not expect her answer to be that simple. I expected for a complex answer that would have confused me but yet the she gave me the simplest answer and it confused me.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Hw 44
Protege -
From what I heard, Sandy seems like a very confident midwife and seems to understand the ins and outs of the job well. I think that it was very interesting though, how she seemed to have a different opinion of the job than you did and how she perfers to work in a hospital becuase of the emotional security it gives her.
The main point of your project was to find out if Leake & Watts, Spence-Chapin, Bethany Christian Services were accepting of same sex parents adopting children.
I really like that your project was very meaningful to you, it added a connection to your work that I could not find in my project. I found it weird that Spence-Chapin didn’t have an answer for you. Have they never been asked this question? I have no personal connection to your project but I have friends that are gay and they will one day face this dilemma; which really should not be a dilemma. I feel you could have either asked more questions or gone deeper in to why a orphanage would not want same sex parents to adopt.
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To Matt S -
The main point of your project was to understand why Latino woman don’t use midwifes.
I really like that you got many different sources to answer your question. It made your project stronger giving the option of a real people and statistics. This project is important to the Latino people of America and also to the other people of America. Matt you made a good point when stating “I also looked at teh idea of latin women getting pregnant at younger ages. 52 percent of latin women got pregnant at least once before the age of 20. Why is this valid? This shows that latin women are too young to understand birt.” This is important for all women to know at all ages. I learned a lot from your blog great job.
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To Michelle -
The goal of your project was to research the differences between birth in the United States and birth in India an contrasting them.
I found it very interesting that India woman did want their husbands in the delivery rooms. As you stated Indian woman vale there men but they don’t want them in the room while they give birth unlike in America where wives want there husbands in the room with them. Your project mattes to me because I plan to travel the world when I get older and I never know what I will need to know. You project was very interesting and it tough me knew things I would have not thought to look up on my own.
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Mentor -
This was a very good and interesting project. It allowed you to go deeper into the study of birth and let you explore a topic you care about. I found it great that you were determined to get your questions answered even when at times the outlook didn’t seem optimistic. “After seeing this sign I heard nothing. I was confused, was I in the wrong place? I expected to hear tons of talking, yelling and people moving all around but it was silent. I walked around the bland white hallways of the 11th floor and no one was there.” This let me know that you cared about your topic and that you were deeply interested in what you were learning. I learned a lot from your project even though I have already done this type of research before having my own baby.
From what I heard, Sandy seems like a very confident midwife and seems to understand the ins and outs of the job well. I think that it was very interesting though, how she seemed to have a different opinion of the job than you did and how she perfers to work in a hospital becuase of the emotional security it gives her.
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To Steph -The main point of your project was to find out if Leake & Watts, Spence-Chapin, Bethany Christian Services were accepting of same sex parents adopting children.
I really like that your project was very meaningful to you, it added a connection to your work that I could not find in my project. I found it weird that Spence-Chapin didn’t have an answer for you. Have they never been asked this question? I have no personal connection to your project but I have friends that are gay and they will one day face this dilemma; which really should not be a dilemma. I feel you could have either asked more questions or gone deeper in to why a orphanage would not want same sex parents to adopt.
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To Matt S -
The main point of your project was to understand why Latino woman don’t use midwifes.
I really like that you got many different sources to answer your question. It made your project stronger giving the option of a real people and statistics. This project is important to the Latino people of America and also to the other people of America. Matt you made a good point when stating “I also looked at teh idea of latin women getting pregnant at younger ages. 52 percent of latin women got pregnant at least once before the age of 20. Why is this valid? This shows that latin women are too young to understand birt.” This is important for all women to know at all ages. I learned a lot from your blog great job.
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To Michelle -
The goal of your project was to research the differences between birth in the United States and birth in India an contrasting them.
I found it very interesting that India woman did want their husbands in the delivery rooms. As you stated Indian woman vale there men but they don’t want them in the room while they give birth unlike in America where wives want there husbands in the room with them. Your project mattes to me because I plan to travel the world when I get older and I never know what I will need to know. You project was very interesting and it tough me knew things I would have not thought to look up on my own.
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Mentor -
This was a very good and interesting project. It allowed you to go deeper into the study of birth and let you explore a topic you care about. I found it great that you were determined to get your questions answered even when at times the outlook didn’t seem optimistic. “After seeing this sign I heard nothing. I was confused, was I in the wrong place? I expected to hear tons of talking, yelling and people moving all around but it was silent. I walked around the bland white hallways of the 11th floor and no one was there.” This let me know that you cared about your topic and that you were deeply interested in what you were learning. I learned a lot from your project even though I have already done this type of research before having my own baby.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Hw 42
After watching The Business Of Being Born and doing independent research I still had pressing questions about midwives and birthing centers. From the movie and our class discussions I gathered a vibe that midwives didn’t like hospitals and were against most of the practices that hospitals preformed on a women while they were in labor. I wanted to find out why then would a midwife want to work in a birthing center that was located in a hospital rather than work in a private birthing center. Didn’t they want to get away from hospital practices? This question could not be answered by research alone; I needed to interview a midwife that had made this choice for herself.
I went to my local birthing center at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital to get some of my questions answered by a midwife. I didn’t call ahead and didn’t have an appointment with a midwife but I was able to walk in and go to the birthing center on the 11th floor. It seemed strange and a little scary that I was never questioned about where I was going. Could anyone just walk in and do whatever they want? When I got out of the elevator, the sign on the wall said in big letters St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Birthing Center Welcome. This sign made me feel better after exiting a giant silver bright elevator that made me feel like I was locked in a prison. After seeing this sign I heard nothing. I was confused, was I in the wrong place? I expected to hear tons of talking, yelling and people moving all around but it was silent. I walked around the bland white hallways of the 11th floor and no one was there. It felt deserted. I finally saw a cleaning lady and found out that all the doors are locked and you need to buzz for entry. This was to make sure that no unauthorized personnel entered the baby areas as they called it. I buzzed the birthing center but no one was there, I could not believe it. A nurse came to the door and told me that no midwives were there and I could check the 12th floor where hospital births happen. The door shut and my jaw dropped. When the door was opened there was still no sound. Were birthing centers really that unpopular or that uncommon of a practice? This hospital gave up a whole floor to make a birthing center and there was not one patient?
When I got to the 12th floor it was quite again. This is not what they show in the movies. I walked down the hall and found a door where everyone was, located. I asked the anesthesiologist, who was sitting at the front desk, if I could talk to a midwife for a school project. He told me he would check and brought me a nurse. I repeated my clam to the nurse and she looked worried and skeptical. I asked her why she chose to work in a hospital and not a birthing center and she said she couldn’t answer that and told me she would get a midwife for me. I thought I had hit a dead end but after ten minutes she came back with Sandy, a licensed midwife of more than 35 years. She said she just delivered a baby but was glad to talk to me. I was delighted and shocked, sweating at the brow. I asked her why she chooses to work in a birthing center that is located in a hospital and not at a private birthing center? Her response was simple, I can be the midwife in the birthing center but if anything goes wrong I have a hospital one floor above ready for any emergency. It’s the best of both worlds. I was astonished it was that simple. Because of my preconceived notions about midwives I assumed it was a job issue or money issue. Unlike the midwife in The Business Of Being Born, Sandy was glade to have the hospital at her disposal.
I asked Sandy about all the other nightmarish hospital atrocities that I thought she would be against like inducing pregnancy, c-section, pain drugs, heart monitors and the beds with leg holders but she was for all of it and said it all has a purpose if it is needed. I was puzzled by her response. I stated that the rate of c-sections had risen dramatically over the past ten years and that I thought that the feelings of all midwives were that they were against them. She shut me down, stating that c-sections don’t just happen; two doctors have to agree that it’s a necessary procedure and while the rise in c-sections has occurred so have the number of malpractice lawsuits. Doctors are scared of malpractice lawsuits and losing their job. They would rather do the c-section and have a better chance of delivering a healthy baby then risk the baby dying because they didn’t. This made sense and I asked her if she approved of pain drugs? “Yes” she said in a perky voice; if you need them get them. I got all my questions answered and thanked Sandy for all her time.
Going into my interview I had a set view on midwives that was wrong but it was ok because through my questions I discovered another side of midwives that I didn’t know. I came into this interview with a set list of questions and left all of them answered.
I went to my local birthing center at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital to get some of my questions answered by a midwife. I didn’t call ahead and didn’t have an appointment with a midwife but I was able to walk in and go to the birthing center on the 11th floor. It seemed strange and a little scary that I was never questioned about where I was going. Could anyone just walk in and do whatever they want? When I got out of the elevator, the sign on the wall said in big letters St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Birthing Center Welcome. This sign made me feel better after exiting a giant silver bright elevator that made me feel like I was locked in a prison. After seeing this sign I heard nothing. I was confused, was I in the wrong place? I expected to hear tons of talking, yelling and people moving all around but it was silent. I walked around the bland white hallways of the 11th floor and no one was there. It felt deserted. I finally saw a cleaning lady and found out that all the doors are locked and you need to buzz for entry. This was to make sure that no unauthorized personnel entered the baby areas as they called it. I buzzed the birthing center but no one was there, I could not believe it. A nurse came to the door and told me that no midwives were there and I could check the 12th floor where hospital births happen. The door shut and my jaw dropped. When the door was opened there was still no sound. Were birthing centers really that unpopular or that uncommon of a practice? This hospital gave up a whole floor to make a birthing center and there was not one patient?
When I got to the 12th floor it was quite again. This is not what they show in the movies. I walked down the hall and found a door where everyone was, located. I asked the anesthesiologist, who was sitting at the front desk, if I could talk to a midwife for a school project. He told me he would check and brought me a nurse. I repeated my clam to the nurse and she looked worried and skeptical. I asked her why she chose to work in a hospital and not a birthing center and she said she couldn’t answer that and told me she would get a midwife for me. I thought I had hit a dead end but after ten minutes she came back with Sandy, a licensed midwife of more than 35 years. She said she just delivered a baby but was glad to talk to me. I was delighted and shocked, sweating at the brow. I asked her why she chooses to work in a birthing center that is located in a hospital and not at a private birthing center? Her response was simple, I can be the midwife in the birthing center but if anything goes wrong I have a hospital one floor above ready for any emergency. It’s the best of both worlds. I was astonished it was that simple. Because of my preconceived notions about midwives I assumed it was a job issue or money issue. Unlike the midwife in The Business Of Being Born, Sandy was glade to have the hospital at her disposal.
I asked Sandy about all the other nightmarish hospital atrocities that I thought she would be against like inducing pregnancy, c-section, pain drugs, heart monitors and the beds with leg holders but she was for all of it and said it all has a purpose if it is needed. I was puzzled by her response. I stated that the rate of c-sections had risen dramatically over the past ten years and that I thought that the feelings of all midwives were that they were against them. She shut me down, stating that c-sections don’t just happen; two doctors have to agree that it’s a necessary procedure and while the rise in c-sections has occurred so have the number of malpractice lawsuits. Doctors are scared of malpractice lawsuits and losing their job. They would rather do the c-section and have a better chance of delivering a healthy baby then risk the baby dying because they didn’t. This made sense and I asked her if she approved of pain drugs? “Yes” she said in a perky voice; if you need them get them. I got all my questions answered and thanked Sandy for all her time.
Going into my interview I had a set view on midwives that was wrong but it was ok because through my questions I discovered another side of midwives that I didn’t know. I came into this interview with a set list of questions and left all of them answered.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Hw 40
Hey Peggy Vincent, thanks for writing Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a midwife. Your main argument comparing the differences between doctors and midwifes allowed me to see the pros and cons of both practices of childbirth. The book left me as an informed individual, allowing me to be able to make more informed decision when it comes to the birth of my own child.
"Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?"
Well, in the last third of the book you focused on what a midwife needs to do to succeed and what a midwife should not being doing, which connected back to the first 2/3rds of the book. But let me be more specific.
On page 244 why are you, a licensed midwife, not allowed to have input in what happens to your patient once they get to the hospital? Do you lose all say in her birthing process as if they fired you? And on page 246 after finding out Patties baby was going to have problems for the rest of its life and you need to get lawyers ready incase she sued. Were you worried that this one problem might be the end of your practice as far as the insurance companies were concerned? You were having problems with them before hand. Also on page 248 how shocked were you to hear that a dead baby was worth nothing to the world, almost like a mother signs her baby’s life away right before she gives birth?
"But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?"
Well, let's be clear, your text sought to provide a clear historical analysis about the evolution of midwifery and show the differences in midwifes practices verse doctors practices from the perspective of a midwife who despite the odds gained the respect of her peers and the respect of highly regarded doctors. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, to elaborate more on the story where you used your midwife instincts to save lives that other wise in a hospital would not have been saved. But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about the journey midwifes have to go through to gain the respect they have today and also making me realize what it takes to be a midwife. In fact, I'm likely to do more research on what it takes to be a midwife and I now look at midwifes in a whole new light as a result of your book.
"Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!"
Monday, March 14, 2011
Hw 38
Baby Catcher
Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent is organized into separate sections, each having a central topic about being a midwife. These sections are further divided into sub-sections containing more in depth aspects of being a midwife.
The major question this book is trying to answer is how does having a midwife differ from having a doctor during your pregnancy? Midwifes have closer relationships with their “clients” which they end up calling friends unlike doctors who always thinks of their patients as clients. Doctors want to be brief and efficient so as not to get attached to their patients or waste the hospital’s money. A midwife wants to have a more personal experience with the mother they’re helping.
The book’s major insight in the first 100 pages is that pregnancy should be split into smaller parts to gain better understanding of the process. This makes it easier for a soon-to-be mother to handle it. This insight sounds like the right thing to do for all pregnant women because when people think of pregnancy they think of a long uncomfortable and stressful process but if it is explained in stages before they start the process it makes it a lot easier for them to handle. People who don’t understand the process listen to what the doctor says without asking questions and never know the outcome of what they are doing until after they do it. They believe that understanding the process is hard and only a professional can understand it.
The five aspects of birth that deserve public attention are the choose to have a midwife over a doctor, the pro of having a home birth over having a hospital birth, our body’s were made to have babies with out technology, what brought upon the practice of OB/GYNs and that hospitals are as much of a business as McDonalds are.
In the book Peggy uses first hand experiences to support all her arguments. Her stories are engaging; full of details and concise leaving clear accurate pictures inside her reader’s minds. “Dead silence. I cleared my throat, and their faces spun my way as if I’d blown a whistle.” P.45
By Peggy Vincent
Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent is organized into separate sections, each having a central topic about being a midwife. These sections are further divided into sub-sections containing more in depth aspects of being a midwife.
The major question this book is trying to answer is how does having a midwife differ from having a doctor during your pregnancy? Midwifes have closer relationships with their “clients” which they end up calling friends unlike doctors who always thinks of their patients as clients. Doctors want to be brief and efficient so as not to get attached to their patients or waste the hospital’s money. A midwife wants to have a more personal experience with the mother they’re helping.
The book’s major insight in the first 100 pages is that pregnancy should be split into smaller parts to gain better understanding of the process. This makes it easier for a soon-to-be mother to handle it. This insight sounds like the right thing to do for all pregnant women because when people think of pregnancy they think of a long uncomfortable and stressful process but if it is explained in stages before they start the process it makes it a lot easier for them to handle. People who don’t understand the process listen to what the doctor says without asking questions and never know the outcome of what they are doing until after they do it. They believe that understanding the process is hard and only a professional can understand it.
The five aspects of birth that deserve public attention are the choose to have a midwife over a doctor, the pro of having a home birth over having a hospital birth, our body’s were made to have babies with out technology, what brought upon the practice of OB/GYNs and that hospitals are as much of a business as McDonalds are.
In the book Peggy uses first hand experiences to support all her arguments. Her stories are engaging; full of details and concise leaving clear accurate pictures inside her reader’s minds. “Dead silence. I cleared my throat, and their faces spun my way as if I’d blown a whistle.” P.45
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Hw 37
Nick Protege -
I thought that your best thought was "I could not believe this mother could not feel contractions till she reached about eight centimeters. From all the stories I have herd at three centimes the pain is almost unbearable." This showed that you were really paying attention to what the mothers were saying. These interviews inspired me to go for what I want no matter what the cost.
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Michelle Comrade to me -
I found that after every story you would say what you had learned, what you found interesting and what questions each of their stories had provoked you to have. For example after first story you wrote, "She also loved the fact that she was fat and could eat whatever she wanted because in our society women want to be skinny so people will accept them and look at them as pretty. " You went deeper into the simplicity of how ahppy she was to jusrt eat and not worry about getting fat. To perfect your post I believe you should have questioned some of what they said after their retelling of their birth story. Other than that good job!
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Steph Comrade to me -
It was very interesting how you interviewed multiple mothers who had C- Sections and how they both said it was less painful. Your interviews were very detailed and intriguing, one thing you could work on is digging deeper and analyzing what the mothers said about birth. Other then that your post was very good I can't wait to read more.
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To Steph from me -
I like that you found three birth stories that were different and unique to one another. I thought it was interesting that you questioned the mothers diet in story two as if she could have prevented her baby from being fat. You questioned the mother’s actions in story one as if she did something to her stomach to almost lead her baby to death. I don’t think a mother would try to kill her child right before it is born. Do you think these things happed only because of the mother or are these things common? I think you could have elaborated on the story a bit more.
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I thought that your best thought was "I could not believe this mother could not feel contractions till she reached about eight centimeters. From all the stories I have herd at three centimes the pain is almost unbearable." This showed that you were really paying attention to what the mothers were saying. These interviews inspired me to go for what I want no matter what the cost.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michelle Comrade to me -
I found that after every story you would say what you had learned, what you found interesting and what questions each of their stories had provoked you to have. For example after first story you wrote, "She also loved the fact that she was fat and could eat whatever she wanted because in our society women want to be skinny so people will accept them and look at them as pretty. " You went deeper into the simplicity of how ahppy she was to jusrt eat and not worry about getting fat. To perfect your post I believe you should have questioned some of what they said after their retelling of their birth story. Other than that good job!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steph Comrade to me -
It was very interesting how you interviewed multiple mothers who had C- Sections and how they both said it was less painful. Your interviews were very detailed and intriguing, one thing you could work on is digging deeper and analyzing what the mothers said about birth. Other then that your post was very good I can't wait to read more.
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To Steph from me -
I like that you found three birth stories that were different and unique to one another. I thought it was interesting that you questioned the mothers diet in story two as if she could have prevented her baby from being fat. You questioned the mother’s actions in story one as if she did something to her stomach to almost lead her baby to death. I don’t think a mother would try to kill her child right before it is born. Do you think these things happed only because of the mother or are these things common? I think you could have elaborated on the story a bit more.
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To Michelle from me -
I agree with you when you said, that this assignment "let me know a lot more about pregnancy that I would have never dared to ask." This assessment made me ask questions that I other wise would feel to uncomfortable to ask. I feel you could have interviewed more people and made the person you interviewed dig deeper. I look forward to reading your later posts.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Mentor to me -
I enjoyed reading each of the mother's personal experiences. I thought the third interview was beautiful when the mother learned she was having twins. Also, interview one was very touching when the mother discovered she was pregnant after waiting her entire life.
It might have added a different and altogether unique perspective if Evan had interviewed a father describing his experience in the labor room.
I enjoyed reading each of the mother's personal experiences. I thought the third interview was beautiful when the mother learned she was having twins. Also, interview one was very touching when the mother discovered she was pregnant after waiting her entire life.
It might have added a different and altogether unique perspective if Evan had interviewed a father describing his experience in the labor room.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Hw 36
Interview 1:
Face to face
I was finally FAT!!!!! I’m a skinny lady and I had wanted a baby my entire life and I was finally pregnant after trying for a couple of years. I had always weighed 83 pounds and now there was a baby inside me and I weighed 115. I could eat anything I wanted. The last two months it had been hard to get off the bed. I had to roll off and I could only sleep on my back. My feet were swollen and my snow boots barely fit. I was always so busy because of work, preparing for the baby and packing for a new apartment. I never stopped. I made sure before the baby arrived I had his room set up. When I realized I was having a baby I began reading countless baby books and I was going to Lamaze classes. The night it all happened I went to the bathroom at around midnight and my water broke. I couldn’t have had more then an hour of sleep that night. It was not painful at first. I felt no contractions so I woke my husband up and told him to call my doctor. Since I was not in immediate pain I cleaned the water on the bathroom floor. Who knew when I would return from the hospital? The doctor told me to go the emergency room where he would meet us. Once we got there my contractions were still not happening at the full extent so they put me in a room until the contractions got stronger. I was both happy and nervous waiting for my baby; it was indescribable. The doctor came in ten minutes later and told me there was problem and I would have to have a c-section immediately. I was nervous about the baby’s health but the doctor said it would be fine and nothing was wrong with the baby. He kept apologizing to me over and over again before the c-section because most women want a natural birth but I didn’t mind. I was happy I was not going to be in any pain. My baby came right out and the whole process only took two hours or so, it was great.
This mother always wanted to have a baby and loved having one just like so many other women. She also loved the fact that she was fat and could eat whatever she wanted because in our society women want to be skinny so people will accept them and look at them as pretty. Unlike most mothers this mom was okay not going through a natural birthing process. She didn’t need to feel the pain of a natural birth and was not worried about the local anesthesia.
Interview 2:
Face to Face
It was my second child so I knew the drill. I was getting fat and I had no worries because I had made a plan. I lived in a small house so we split my first son’s room in half so each child would have their own room. It took a lot of work but my husband got it done. Most of the furnishings a baby needs we saved from my first son so we didn’t buy much. My mother in law kept reminding me everything to do just like she did with my first son. It got to me just like the last time but I didn’t ever say anything. My doctor told me my baby would be due on the twenty-second of September. But by September 30th when my baby hadn’t come the doctor induced me. It took a long time for my water to break and my contractions to start. Then there were complications and I required a c-section. I was delighted I would not be going through a natural birth for a second time. The first time was a great experience but this pain is not something you want to go through a second time.
Mom number two brought up that a natural birth was painful just as many moms describe the process and when having a second child she didn’t want to bare the pain again. Since this mom had a child before she was fully prepared before this baby arrived at home.
Interview 3:
Phone call.
I found out I was having twins. For the next couple of months I was getting used to the idea of not just being the parent of one child but two children. We bought plenty of diapers and started to get the nursery stocked on all the goods. During the first trimester I was healthy except for my fatigue. During my second trimester, I got some energy back and started showing but I also started swelling up. My ankles and legs were huge by my 5th month and I was starting to get really uncomfortable. At 32 weeks I went in for routine steroid shots to mature the baby’s lungs in case they came early. When they put me on the monitor they noticed I was having contractions!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it. I couldn't feel them but I guess they were big enough to be concerned about, so they checked me and I was 3 centimeters dilated and my son's head was at 0 station. Basically he was ready to come out and I didn't even know it! My doctor decided to get me on magnesium to try and stop my labor. It worked. At 34 weeks, 4 days I started having only what I can describe as the worst heartburn I have ever had. It felt like someone had poured acid in my stomach. Then after two days of this, I told my husband that I didn't think I could take it anymore; my water broke while I was lying there in bed. I started getting the real contractions about 15 minutes later when we were being admitted at the hospital. I had no idea they would be that painful. It was like the pain shifted from the heartburn to my upper stomach to my low menstrual-like cramping, which felt totally different than the pain I had experienced the last two days. The labor pains were like menstrual cramps times 100. It started off bearable but after a couple hours, I couldn't take it anymore and I was only dilated to a 3. I got my epidural after 4 hours of contractions. I pushed as the doctor instructed me to. My boy came out first and then my girl. It really was not that hard.
This mother didn’t feel her first contractions, which were 2 weeks early. Her baby was coming out and the doctors thought it was appropriate to stop it. When her water broke she felt what contractions are supposed to feel like. She had intense pain until she was able to get an epidural, which a lot of mothers get to relive some of the pain.
Interview 4:
Phone call
On Christmas morning I was exactly 36 weeks pregnant. I had everything ready for our baby. I don't know why but my husband and I were both up at six in the morning. My five other kids were still sleeping. So my husband and I decided to have sex. It was eight now and we were downstairs opening presents when I felt some cramping. I thought it was nothing so we continued opening gifts. When it was about nine I started having heavy cramps. I went to the bathroom and my water broke just as I walked in. I called my husband to the bathroom and he was shocked. My husband is a pediatrician and he checked me and saw I was ten centimeters. He was helping me up the stairs (so we could go to our bed) and I felt the urge to push. He told me to just hold it and we had three more steps to go. I got into my bed and I let out a yell. My husband told me he could see the head. One more push and the baby's head was out. Apparently the shoulders were in an awkward position so it made it extra hard for me to push the baby out. When the baby finally came we were both so happy to see it was a girl. Out of six we finally had a girl!
I could not believe this mother did not feel contractions until she reached about eight centimeters. From all the stories I have heard at three centimeters the pain is almost unbearable. It might be that she had given birth to five kids but it would still hurt I think. The sex she had that morning is probably the reason that her pregnancy was induced.
I want to explore more in depth what a woman actually experiences during labor.
Face to face
I was finally FAT!!!!! I’m a skinny lady and I had wanted a baby my entire life and I was finally pregnant after trying for a couple of years. I had always weighed 83 pounds and now there was a baby inside me and I weighed 115. I could eat anything I wanted. The last two months it had been hard to get off the bed. I had to roll off and I could only sleep on my back. My feet were swollen and my snow boots barely fit. I was always so busy because of work, preparing for the baby and packing for a new apartment. I never stopped. I made sure before the baby arrived I had his room set up. When I realized I was having a baby I began reading countless baby books and I was going to Lamaze classes. The night it all happened I went to the bathroom at around midnight and my water broke. I couldn’t have had more then an hour of sleep that night. It was not painful at first. I felt no contractions so I woke my husband up and told him to call my doctor. Since I was not in immediate pain I cleaned the water on the bathroom floor. Who knew when I would return from the hospital? The doctor told me to go the emergency room where he would meet us. Once we got there my contractions were still not happening at the full extent so they put me in a room until the contractions got stronger. I was both happy and nervous waiting for my baby; it was indescribable. The doctor came in ten minutes later and told me there was problem and I would have to have a c-section immediately. I was nervous about the baby’s health but the doctor said it would be fine and nothing was wrong with the baby. He kept apologizing to me over and over again before the c-section because most women want a natural birth but I didn’t mind. I was happy I was not going to be in any pain. My baby came right out and the whole process only took two hours or so, it was great.
This mother always wanted to have a baby and loved having one just like so many other women. She also loved the fact that she was fat and could eat whatever she wanted because in our society women want to be skinny so people will accept them and look at them as pretty. Unlike most mothers this mom was okay not going through a natural birthing process. She didn’t need to feel the pain of a natural birth and was not worried about the local anesthesia.
Interview 2:
Face to Face
It was my second child so I knew the drill. I was getting fat and I had no worries because I had made a plan. I lived in a small house so we split my first son’s room in half so each child would have their own room. It took a lot of work but my husband got it done. Most of the furnishings a baby needs we saved from my first son so we didn’t buy much. My mother in law kept reminding me everything to do just like she did with my first son. It got to me just like the last time but I didn’t ever say anything. My doctor told me my baby would be due on the twenty-second of September. But by September 30th when my baby hadn’t come the doctor induced me. It took a long time for my water to break and my contractions to start. Then there were complications and I required a c-section. I was delighted I would not be going through a natural birth for a second time. The first time was a great experience but this pain is not something you want to go through a second time.
Mom number two brought up that a natural birth was painful just as many moms describe the process and when having a second child she didn’t want to bare the pain again. Since this mom had a child before she was fully prepared before this baby arrived at home.
Interview 3:
Phone call.
I found out I was having twins. For the next couple of months I was getting used to the idea of not just being the parent of one child but two children. We bought plenty of diapers and started to get the nursery stocked on all the goods. During the first trimester I was healthy except for my fatigue. During my second trimester, I got some energy back and started showing but I also started swelling up. My ankles and legs were huge by my 5th month and I was starting to get really uncomfortable. At 32 weeks I went in for routine steroid shots to mature the baby’s lungs in case they came early. When they put me on the monitor they noticed I was having contractions!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it. I couldn't feel them but I guess they were big enough to be concerned about, so they checked me and I was 3 centimeters dilated and my son's head was at 0 station. Basically he was ready to come out and I didn't even know it! My doctor decided to get me on magnesium to try and stop my labor. It worked. At 34 weeks, 4 days I started having only what I can describe as the worst heartburn I have ever had. It felt like someone had poured acid in my stomach. Then after two days of this, I told my husband that I didn't think I could take it anymore; my water broke while I was lying there in bed. I started getting the real contractions about 15 minutes later when we were being admitted at the hospital. I had no idea they would be that painful. It was like the pain shifted from the heartburn to my upper stomach to my low menstrual-like cramping, which felt totally different than the pain I had experienced the last two days. The labor pains were like menstrual cramps times 100. It started off bearable but after a couple hours, I couldn't take it anymore and I was only dilated to a 3. I got my epidural after 4 hours of contractions. I pushed as the doctor instructed me to. My boy came out first and then my girl. It really was not that hard.
This mother didn’t feel her first contractions, which were 2 weeks early. Her baby was coming out and the doctors thought it was appropriate to stop it. When her water broke she felt what contractions are supposed to feel like. She had intense pain until she was able to get an epidural, which a lot of mothers get to relive some of the pain.
Interview 4:
Phone call
On Christmas morning I was exactly 36 weeks pregnant. I had everything ready for our baby. I don't know why but my husband and I were both up at six in the morning. My five other kids were still sleeping. So my husband and I decided to have sex. It was eight now and we were downstairs opening presents when I felt some cramping. I thought it was nothing so we continued opening gifts. When it was about nine I started having heavy cramps. I went to the bathroom and my water broke just as I walked in. I called my husband to the bathroom and he was shocked. My husband is a pediatrician and he checked me and saw I was ten centimeters. He was helping me up the stairs (so we could go to our bed) and I felt the urge to push. He told me to just hold it and we had three more steps to go. I got into my bed and I let out a yell. My husband told me he could see the head. One more push and the baby's head was out. Apparently the shoulders were in an awkward position so it made it extra hard for me to push the baby out. When the baby finally came we were both so happy to see it was a girl. Out of six we finally had a girl!
I could not believe this mother did not feel contractions until she reached about eight centimeters. From all the stories I have heard at three centimeters the pain is almost unbearable. It might be that she had given birth to five kids but it would still hurt I think. The sex she had that morning is probably the reason that her pregnancy was induced.
I want to explore more in depth what a woman actually experiences during labor.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Hw 35
In my opinion, an interview is something that must be done face to face to understand what a person is trying to convey in their answers. However, throughout my five interviews with friends ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old I didn’t always have that luxury and it showed in their responses. In my interviews I started with a prompt that I hoped would insure well thought out answers. My opening began, “When I ask a question, take the first answer that comes to mind and hold it. Then let the other responses you are thinking about come to the surface of your brain and put those thoughts together and give me a response.”
The first part of my interviews consisted of a series of six general questions that interested me. I received a great deal of similar answers when asking the individuals about teen pregnancy T.V. shows, their views on birth, and what they knew about the pregnancy process. When I asked if it was a parent’s obligation to make sure that their child had a better life than they did I received the same answer, which was surprising to me. In each interview the person stated that it was not the parent’s job to make sure that their child had a better life than they did. This baffled me because I believe the opposite and could not understand why they thought this way. My friend, Molly, said the only thing that allowed me to somewhat understand what they all thought. “It’s not a parent’s job to make their child have a better life; but to support their child in what they want to do no matter what.” This comment allowed me to understand that as long as your child is doing what they love they will have a great life.
The second part of my interview was having my friends think about birth in depth. I described a scenario that would change their lives and asked them to imagine whatever I said as if it was happening to them. I told each of them they were pregnant and I was the first one to inform them and, if this was the case, would any of their answers change. This question, no matter if asked face-to-face, typed or described though video chat did I sense I got an honest response. Both Jasmin, whom I video chatted, and Anna, whom I interviewed face-to-face, looked down at their bellies and thought about what I had just said. Of course, neither could possibly have an honest response unless they were actually pregnant. But Jasmin said she would keep the baby and not change her mind. Anna said she thought about what it would feel like to have a life inside her but she realized that the baby would not have a good life and neither would she. She kept her ideas the same. Meaghan said she would change her belief and ideas if this happened to her. Before, she didn’t think that having a baby could hurt a mother mentally but at her age she knows that it could have serious a impact on her and her baby’s future. Molly would keep the baby because of her religious background. Stephanie was undecided whether she would keep her baby; but given the situation she would most likely not keep it because of her age and all the responsibilities a mother must face.
From these interviews I learned a lot about what my generation thinks about birth. I thought that my ideas and beliefs about birth might change but they didn’t and that’s okay with me.
The first part of my interviews consisted of a series of six general questions that interested me. I received a great deal of similar answers when asking the individuals about teen pregnancy T.V. shows, their views on birth, and what they knew about the pregnancy process. When I asked if it was a parent’s obligation to make sure that their child had a better life than they did I received the same answer, which was surprising to me. In each interview the person stated that it was not the parent’s job to make sure that their child had a better life than they did. This baffled me because I believe the opposite and could not understand why they thought this way. My friend, Molly, said the only thing that allowed me to somewhat understand what they all thought. “It’s not a parent’s job to make their child have a better life; but to support their child in what they want to do no matter what.” This comment allowed me to understand that as long as your child is doing what they love they will have a great life.
The second part of my interview was having my friends think about birth in depth. I described a scenario that would change their lives and asked them to imagine whatever I said as if it was happening to them. I told each of them they were pregnant and I was the first one to inform them and, if this was the case, would any of their answers change. This question, no matter if asked face-to-face, typed or described though video chat did I sense I got an honest response. Both Jasmin, whom I video chatted, and Anna, whom I interviewed face-to-face, looked down at their bellies and thought about what I had just said. Of course, neither could possibly have an honest response unless they were actually pregnant. But Jasmin said she would keep the baby and not change her mind. Anna said she thought about what it would feel like to have a life inside her but she realized that the baby would not have a good life and neither would she. She kept her ideas the same. Meaghan said she would change her belief and ideas if this happened to her. Before, she didn’t think that having a baby could hurt a mother mentally but at her age she knows that it could have serious a impact on her and her baby’s future. Molly would keep the baby because of her religious background. Stephanie was undecided whether she would keep her baby; but given the situation she would most likely not keep it because of her age and all the responsibilities a mother must face.
From these interviews I learned a lot about what my generation thinks about birth. I thought that my ideas and beliefs about birth might change but they didn’t and that’s okay with me.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Hw 34
In the United States, society looks at birth as both a good and a bad thing. When a teenager gets pregnant, society considers it a bad thing because we feel that a teenager is not fully developed to supply the necessary nutrition to the fetus and is not psychologically prepared to raise a child. As well, society thinks that most teenagers don’t have money to support their child because they’re still in school and don’t have a full time job. Alternatively birth is viewed at as a good thing in society when people are thought of as old enough to make conscious decisions about their life. At this age, society believes that they know the full responsibilities that having a baby entails and have planned financially for it.
A baby can be kept for many reasons. It could be planned, kept because of religious reasons or a family’s personal values. In the general, babies are looked at as gifts from god. But when a baby is unplanned and will not have the support of a good home is it right to bring them in to the world? If sex was forced on a woman and her values say to keep it should she? These questions, ask whether a baby is always a gift.
What type of physiological effect does having a baby have on a woman?
How does teen pregnancy T.V. shows effect teens?
How does a woman’s organs shape around the baby?
After the water breaks, why can’t a woman push the baby right out?
A baby can be kept for many reasons. It could be planned, kept because of religious reasons or a family’s personal values. In the general, babies are looked at as gifts from god. But when a baby is unplanned and will not have the support of a good home is it right to bring them in to the world? If sex was forced on a woman and her values say to keep it should she? These questions, ask whether a baby is always a gift.
What type of physiological effect does having a baby have on a woman?
How does teen pregnancy T.V. shows effect teens?
How does a woman’s organs shape around the baby?
After the water breaks, why can’t a woman push the baby right out?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Extra Credit
Contact: Lucille E. Bruto Tel: 212-875-8958 Coordinator of DOROT
I live in a building that is classified as a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community or a NORC by the New York City Department of Aging. This title allows the building to receive money from the city to finance programs and other events for the elderly. A NORC is a community or neighborhood where residents remain for years and age as neighbors. In my building they have banded together and developed services to aid those needing assistance; thereby, retaining the highest quality of life for all residents as they age. The community offers services and amenities to serve their residents such as social and recreational programs, continuing education programs, information and counseling, outside maintenance and referral services, emergency and preventive health care programs, meal programs, transportation on a schedule, and many more. These programs are run by an organization called DOROT. DOROT sends volunteers and social workers to work and plan events for the elderly. It was an outreach program in my building that contacted DOROT to help our building in 1996.
A wonderful woman named Florence, whom I have known for most of my life, is elderly and suffers from terrible hip problems and arthritis in multiple places. She can barely walk now and is bound to a wheel chair. I have been raised to always lend a helping hand and my family has reached out to Florence ever since I can remember. I have fixed her computer more times than I can count, gotten her groceries and talked to her often. Over the past six days, I visited Florence frequently to keep her company and help her in her home. I was able to assist her a great deal. My first task was to organize and clean her kitchen. Florence has always loved to cook so she has numerous pots, pans, bowls and every kitchen appliance you can imagine but over the past three years she has not been able to bend and reach or put back any of them neatly. I cleaned her entire kitchen out and organized he shelves so they look as beautiful as she remembered. I also helped her go grocery shopping and got her the newspaper every morning. I took walks with her in the snow to make sure she stayed safe and moved furniture around her house. Sometimes we just sat and talked. On very damp days her legs are always in extreme pain and it is difficult for her to move around much. The best medicine for her is laughter and that’s what I was able to provide.
The twelve hours of community service was nothing compared to seeing how happy it made her feel to have me regularly visit her. When I think of a dominant social practice that an old person faces, the first thought in my mind is someone locked in their house not talking to anyone. Florence defies that social practice; even in her pain she packs a lunch and brings it to the community room to eat with a group of her neighbors on days when the weather is better and she can manage they go outside. She does not want to live isolated in her apartment; she wants to be free like she was when she was younger. I see no social practices that would ever undermine her chance of living a well life.
I live in a building that is classified as a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community or a NORC by the New York City Department of Aging. This title allows the building to receive money from the city to finance programs and other events for the elderly. A NORC is a community or neighborhood where residents remain for years and age as neighbors. In my building they have banded together and developed services to aid those needing assistance; thereby, retaining the highest quality of life for all residents as they age. The community offers services and amenities to serve their residents such as social and recreational programs, continuing education programs, information and counseling, outside maintenance and referral services, emergency and preventive health care programs, meal programs, transportation on a schedule, and many more. These programs are run by an organization called DOROT. DOROT sends volunteers and social workers to work and plan events for the elderly. It was an outreach program in my building that contacted DOROT to help our building in 1996.
A wonderful woman named Florence, whom I have known for most of my life, is elderly and suffers from terrible hip problems and arthritis in multiple places. She can barely walk now and is bound to a wheel chair. I have been raised to always lend a helping hand and my family has reached out to Florence ever since I can remember. I have fixed her computer more times than I can count, gotten her groceries and talked to her often. Over the past six days, I visited Florence frequently to keep her company and help her in her home. I was able to assist her a great deal. My first task was to organize and clean her kitchen. Florence has always loved to cook so she has numerous pots, pans, bowls and every kitchen appliance you can imagine but over the past three years she has not been able to bend and reach or put back any of them neatly. I cleaned her entire kitchen out and organized he shelves so they look as beautiful as she remembered. I also helped her go grocery shopping and got her the newspaper every morning. I took walks with her in the snow to make sure she stayed safe and moved furniture around her house. Sometimes we just sat and talked. On very damp days her legs are always in extreme pain and it is difficult for her to move around much. The best medicine for her is laughter and that’s what I was able to provide.
The twelve hours of community service was nothing compared to seeing how happy it made her feel to have me regularly visit her. When I think of a dominant social practice that an old person faces, the first thought in my mind is someone locked in their house not talking to anyone. Florence defies that social practice; even in her pain she packs a lunch and brings it to the community room to eat with a group of her neighbors on days when the weather is better and she can manage they go outside. She does not want to live isolated in her apartment; she wants to be free like she was when she was younger. I see no social practices that would ever undermine her chance of living a well life.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hw 33
\Max-
I agree 100% with you that dying alone is the most nightmarish practices around illness and dying. To accept death is hard enough but to do it alone is something i wish upon no man. I liked that you asked your reader to imagine what you would feel like if this happened to you. "Just imagine literally being the most scared you have been ever and not having anyone around you to assure you that things will be okay and that they are there for you." It gave me a real connection to what your were talking about.
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Javon-
It is hard to think about one day ending up in a hospital very ill but to prevent ending up there sooner we have to think about what we do to our bodies now. You made an excellent point at the beginning of your post, "Aren't hospitals there for us(patients) to be aided? I understand that not everyone can be saved and that every doctor is not a good doctor but shouldn't the hospital be somewhere we feel safe?" I agree with you but i was not surprised about the fact that"More people die in hospitals today then anywhere else." When ever a person gets sick they go to the hospital and before most people die the are sick so they go to the hospital. The hospital can save people but when people rush to the hospital before their death doctors can't do anything to save their life.
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Younger Person-
He made a mistake and commented on my comment of Javons post.
I agree with the point that Javon made when he essentially said that some people are beyond help but that doesn't mean that we can't help them emotionally.
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Older Person-
The quote I appreciated was "Even when you have health insurance it doesn't cover everything." The reason I liked it was because most teens and young adults are not aware of this fact.
This unit was extremely insightful for Evan. He was aware that problems existed with health care in the US but he did not exactly know the issues. He was totally impressed with the issues of cost and how doctors treat their patients when it comes to end of life decisions.
I agree 100% with you that dying alone is the most nightmarish practices around illness and dying. To accept death is hard enough but to do it alone is something i wish upon no man. I liked that you asked your reader to imagine what you would feel like if this happened to you. "Just imagine literally being the most scared you have been ever and not having anyone around you to assure you that things will be okay and that they are there for you." It gave me a real connection to what your were talking about.
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Javon-
It is hard to think about one day ending up in a hospital very ill but to prevent ending up there sooner we have to think about what we do to our bodies now. You made an excellent point at the beginning of your post, "Aren't hospitals there for us(patients) to be aided? I understand that not everyone can be saved and that every doctor is not a good doctor but shouldn't the hospital be somewhere we feel safe?" I agree with you but i was not surprised about the fact that"More people die in hospitals today then anywhere else." When ever a person gets sick they go to the hospital and before most people die the are sick so they go to the hospital. The hospital can save people but when people rush to the hospital before their death doctors can't do anything to save their life.
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Younger Person-
He made a mistake and commented on my comment of Javons post.
I agree with the point that Javon made when he essentially said that some people are beyond help but that doesn't mean that we can't help them emotionally.
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Older Person-
The quote I appreciated was "Even when you have health insurance it doesn't cover everything." The reason I liked it was because most teens and young adults are not aware of this fact.
This unit was extremely insightful for Evan. He was aware that problems existed with health care in the US but he did not exactly know the issues. He was totally impressed with the issues of cost and how doctors treat their patients when it comes to end of life decisions.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Hw 32
During this unit I learned incredible nightmarish aspects about the social practices of illness & dying. Before this unit I didn’t know much about health care coverage and how fortunate I was to have it. The health care system in this country does not exist to help the people; it exists to make money off the one thing that happens to all people, getting sick. Even when you have health insurance it doesn’t cover everything. After talking and watching movies on health care I’m scared about my future in the health care world. I ask such questions as will it get harder to get health care, will I be able to afford it for my family? I don’t want to be left in the dust like so many other Americas who don’t have health care coverage in the United States.
After watching Near-Death, I was nervous about going to hospitals because of its portrayal of doctors. In Near-Death we saw doctors provide false hope for patients, not ask patients how they want to die and talk to family members behind patients’ backs. I don’t want to be left out of discussions about my own sickness. In order to try to disprove the nightmarish dominant social practices I saw in Near-Death I chose to interview a doctor I knew. She spoke about all the good hospitals do for their patients and contradicted the social practices seen in the film. She also shared how our government is trying to make hospitals better.
This unit has opened my eyes and taught me valuable lessons about the health care industry. I will be better prepared as an adult knowing the choices I will have to make.
After watching Near-Death, I was nervous about going to hospitals because of its portrayal of doctors. In Near-Death we saw doctors provide false hope for patients, not ask patients how they want to die and talk to family members behind patients’ backs. I don’t want to be left out of discussions about my own sickness. In order to try to disprove the nightmarish dominant social practices I saw in Near-Death I chose to interview a doctor I knew. She spoke about all the good hospitals do for their patients and contradicted the social practices seen in the film. She also shared how our government is trying to make hospitals better.
This unit has opened my eyes and taught me valuable lessons about the health care industry. I will be better prepared as an adult knowing the choices I will have to make.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Hw 31
Max-
I enjoyed hearing that your cousin will be alive for 10 more years. I thought it was great that you were able to tell him that he would have more time on earth then he thought. I expected AIDs to be a much shorter death. But a disease that gives 25 years to live is one of the best to get because thats a quarter of a life time, you can do a lot in that time. You need to proof read your work and fix spell mistakes but over all it was a good project.
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Alex-
Your project feel right in to your lap but not in the way you wanted. I know how hard it is to see some one commit suicide and how it makes you think about life and the world but i have never thought about the aspect of the mind dying and the body wanting to live. "How can the mental part of you want to die but the physical part of you want to keep going? I know that the girls body wanted to live because she was still breathing after she was hit by the train." I thought this was a very interesting insight. It shows me that you took time to think about this girls death and the time you spent looking at her.
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Susan Gordon-
The best part of the blog was Dr. Burn's interview. The points that were interesting were that she does not give false hope to patients but rather emphasizes being positive. I also found it fascinating that many end of life patients are not mentally alert and that when she finds a patient depressed she makes the appropriate referral. Additionally, I appreciated Evan's comment about the patient having full control over their end of life decision.
I think this blog is well-developed and clearly points out and summarizes the differences between the movie and and what actually takes place in a hospital setting.
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Matt B-
Facing death is my greatest fear so i know where your coming from. It is that impossible journey to understand death. You fell you should understand it hearing about it and seeing it but you never do until you experience it at least thats what I've herd. Your speech in class made me want to read your blog post because it was powerful and mysterious. I liked the line,"It happens whether your ready or not. A long life is not promised." because its as true as can be and your promised nothing in this word.
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Nick-
I think that Dr. Burn answered every question in an extremely honest manner. I know that to me taking about death is much more awkward and weird. I can only assume that this is easy for her because she has seen death so many times. But that raised a question for me, When does death stop being important?
I enjoyed hearing that your cousin will be alive for 10 more years. I thought it was great that you were able to tell him that he would have more time on earth then he thought. I expected AIDs to be a much shorter death. But a disease that gives 25 years to live is one of the best to get because thats a quarter of a life time, you can do a lot in that time. You need to proof read your work and fix spell mistakes but over all it was a good project.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alex-
Your project feel right in to your lap but not in the way you wanted. I know how hard it is to see some one commit suicide and how it makes you think about life and the world but i have never thought about the aspect of the mind dying and the body wanting to live. "How can the mental part of you want to die but the physical part of you want to keep going? I know that the girls body wanted to live because she was still breathing after she was hit by the train." I thought this was a very interesting insight. It shows me that you took time to think about this girls death and the time you spent looking at her.
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Susan Gordon-
The best part of the blog was Dr. Burn's interview. The points that were interesting were that she does not give false hope to patients but rather emphasizes being positive. I also found it fascinating that many end of life patients are not mentally alert and that when she finds a patient depressed she makes the appropriate referral. Additionally, I appreciated Evan's comment about the patient having full control over their end of life decision.
I think this blog is well-developed and clearly points out and summarizes the differences between the movie and and what actually takes place in a hospital setting.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt B-
Facing death is my greatest fear so i know where your coming from. It is that impossible journey to understand death. You fell you should understand it hearing about it and seeing it but you never do until you experience it at least thats what I've herd. Your speech in class made me want to read your blog post because it was powerful and mysterious. I liked the line,"It happens whether your ready or not. A long life is not promised." because its as true as can be and your promised nothing in this word.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nick-
I think that Dr. Burn answered every question in an extremely honest manner. I know that to me taking about death is much more awkward and weird. I can only assume that this is easy for her because she has seen death so many times. But that raised a question for me, When does death stop being important?
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Christain-
After hearing your speech in class i was very interested in your point of view on illness and dying. When you stated, "So what would a person with a terminal illness fulfill their neediness with? The care from others? Love and support from family and friends? How much more different is that from a person who doesn't suffer from an illness?" I really liked that you made this point because I to think about how a persons desires change when there faced with terminal illness. I would like to know how my desires would changed faced with death. But I dont want to die any time soon. Everyone I have talked to says life does not feel as strong till your dying.Sunday, January 16, 2011
Hw 30
To find out if what we learned about the dominant social practices around illness & dying in a hospital were true I interviewed a doctor about how they feel and handle illness & death in their hospital. In class, we saw Near-Death a documentary about how doctors handle death with their patients. From the movie we found that doctors provide false hope for patients, don’t ask them how they want to die, talk to family members behind their backs and have important meetings about patients in the open. I decided to see if doctors really do these things so I interviewed a close friend of mine, Patricia Burns, an Assistant Attending Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Hospital, about how she handles illness & death in her hospital.
Patricia Burns
Assistant Attending Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Hospital
Q: Do you see illness and death at your job?
A: I see illness everyday but not much death in my field of work.
Q: If a patient of yours dies in the hospital how do you handle it?
A: First, I help the person’s family handle the immediate issue of death. Then I try to find out their religious beliefs so I know how to act next. I then give them space so they are able to let their emotions out but if they can’t accept what just happened. I try to introduce them to the idea that death is one stage in life everyone goes through.
Q: Now, personally, how do you handle the death of a patient?
A: I have different relationships with different patients. I feel closer to some patients than others; it also matters how long I have had the patient under my care. I feel it’s alright for doctors to feel sad about a patients death but I also feel it’s important that a doctor’s sadness doesn’t get in the way of their job. I can share my feelings and talk with my family. In the moment, it’s an opportunity that belongs to the patient's family. I may shed a tear but I don’t want to impose on people’s feelings.
Q: How is how you handle death different from your co-workers?
A: It affects each person differently. Ssome people choose to feel nothing and other people make it part of their life. I work in the woman’s imaging field at the hospital and I do procedures on women who might have or have had breast cancer. Nurses that have had breast cancer before sometimes have a hard time not telling their story to every patient that walks in. I think it’s bad for nurses to tell stories about when they were sick because it’s not their time to be heard it’s the patient’s time to act and let their feeling out. I also think this affects nurses abilities to do their job well because they want to talk about what happen to them instead of listening to the patient.
After my interview with Dr. Burns I saw major differences from how the movie portrayed doctors and how Dr. Burns portrayed herself and her colleagues. Dr. Burns stated that she does not practice giving false hope to her patients but helps them handle the pain they are feeling. I also found that Dr. Burns asks her patients how they want to die unlike in Near-Death but this can now happen in all hospitals because President Obama is trying to make this option open to all patients in America. He proposed giving doctors a bonus for talking to their patients about death. “2011 would let the government pay doctors who discussed end-of-life care options with their patients during annual visits.” (TOWEY 1
I also learned that family members are just informed about their loved ones and not given any power over their well being and when a patient is talked about with other doctors its behind a closed door so the patient's privacy is respected. This makes me feel better about hospitals. One of the most interesting things I learned is that a patient can be depressed before death, which can alter an end of life decision.
This interview shows me, that in the last decade, that the dominant social practices of illness & dying have changed a great deal in our hospitals. This change is for the better because it means we are caring for our patients in a more humanistic way. I enjoyed studying this subject because it made me feel better about going to hospitals.
Bibliography
TOWEY, JIM. "Obama's end-of-life bungling." New York Post (2011): 1. Web. 18 Jan 2011. <http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/obama_end_of_life_bungling_M3v6alI9iFO7cZETf5ZqJO>.
Patricia Burns
Assistant Attending Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Hospital
Q: Do you see illness and death at your job?
A: I see illness everyday but not much death in my field of work.
Q: If a patient of yours dies in the hospital how do you handle it?
A: First, I help the person’s family handle the immediate issue of death. Then I try to find out their religious beliefs so I know how to act next. I then give them space so they are able to let their emotions out but if they can’t accept what just happened. I try to introduce them to the idea that death is one stage in life everyone goes through.
Q: Now, personally, how do you handle the death of a patient?
A: I have different relationships with different patients. I feel closer to some patients than others; it also matters how long I have had the patient under my care. I feel it’s alright for doctors to feel sad about a patients death but I also feel it’s important that a doctor’s sadness doesn’t get in the way of their job. I can share my feelings and talk with my family. In the moment, it’s an opportunity that belongs to the patient's family. I may shed a tear but I don’t want to impose on people’s feelings.
Q: How is how you handle death different from your co-workers?
A: It affects each person differently. Ssome people choose to feel nothing and other people make it part of their life. I work in the woman’s imaging field at the hospital and I do procedures on women who might have or have had breast cancer. Nurses that have had breast cancer before sometimes have a hard time not telling their story to every patient that walks in. I think it’s bad for nurses to tell stories about when they were sick because it’s not their time to be heard it’s the patient’s time to act and let their feeling out. I also think this affects nurses abilities to do their job well because they want to talk about what happen to them instead of listening to the patient.
Q: Do you lie to your patients?
A: No, I don’t ever lie to my patients. Sometimes I have them focus on positive things before a biopsy comes back because I might have a good idea of what the outcome will be and if I feel they may not be mentally ready for the truth. I tell them we are taking one step at a time and if there is an issue you and your doctor will talk about it. A lot of times its better to give a person a week to think of what could happen and maybe be a little more open that the test results could come back positive.
Q: When a patient is on their deathbed do you ever refrain from telling them the whole truth and give them false hope?
A: I never gave false hope to a patient that I know would not live. If I am in the situation I say it in a polite way. If they ask me if its time to call their family I say if it were me I think at this point I would. Also, often around the time of death a patient is no longer mentally present.
Q: Do you talk to your patients about how they want to die?
A: I saw people in the hospital on their deathbeds when I was interning and doing my residency at hospitals. The doctors and I would talk through different options with the patients so they were well informed. When talking to the patients we would explain the medical terms so they fully understood what we are talking about. Then we would have a family meeting where we go through what the patient want to do. But some times the patient and their family don’t see eye to eye. No matter, what I have to do what the patient wants.
Q: What do you do if you think a patient is making the wrong choice by giving up?
A: Patients choose what they want to do first but if I feel they are making a bad choice I explain everything the best way I can. I also look if the patient is depressed because; if so, it might be impairing their judgment and they can get help for that first. That’s what I think happened to my sister.
Q: Is talking about a patient around the halls common?
A: Most times if we our talking about a certain patient we go to inner dispensary conferences where we talk privately with the patient’s doctor and other professionals in the field helping on the case about what direction to take next.
A: No, I don’t ever lie to my patients. Sometimes I have them focus on positive things before a biopsy comes back because I might have a good idea of what the outcome will be and if I feel they may not be mentally ready for the truth. I tell them we are taking one step at a time and if there is an issue you and your doctor will talk about it. A lot of times its better to give a person a week to think of what could happen and maybe be a little more open that the test results could come back positive.
Q: When a patient is on their deathbed do you ever refrain from telling them the whole truth and give them false hope?
A: I never gave false hope to a patient that I know would not live. If I am in the situation I say it in a polite way. If they ask me if its time to call their family I say if it were me I think at this point I would. Also, often around the time of death a patient is no longer mentally present.
Q: Do you talk to your patients about how they want to die?
A: I saw people in the hospital on their deathbeds when I was interning and doing my residency at hospitals. The doctors and I would talk through different options with the patients so they were well informed. When talking to the patients we would explain the medical terms so they fully understood what we are talking about. Then we would have a family meeting where we go through what the patient want to do. But some times the patient and their family don’t see eye to eye. No matter, what I have to do what the patient wants.
Q: What do you do if you think a patient is making the wrong choice by giving up?
A: Patients choose what they want to do first but if I feel they are making a bad choice I explain everything the best way I can. I also look if the patient is depressed because; if so, it might be impairing their judgment and they can get help for that first. That’s what I think happened to my sister.
Q: Is talking about a patient around the halls common?
A: Most times if we our talking about a certain patient we go to inner dispensary conferences where we talk privately with the patient’s doctor and other professionals in the field helping on the case about what direction to take next.
After my interview with Dr. Burns I saw major differences from how the movie portrayed doctors and how Dr. Burns portrayed herself and her colleagues. Dr. Burns stated that she does not practice giving false hope to her patients but helps them handle the pain they are feeling. I also found that Dr. Burns asks her patients how they want to die unlike in Near-Death but this can now happen in all hospitals because President Obama is trying to make this option open to all patients in America. He proposed giving doctors a bonus for talking to their patients about death. “2011 would let the government pay doctors who discussed end-of-life care options with their patients during annual visits.” (TOWEY 1
I also learned that family members are just informed about their loved ones and not given any power over their well being and when a patient is talked about with other doctors its behind a closed door so the patient's privacy is respected. This makes me feel better about hospitals. One of the most interesting things I learned is that a patient can be depressed before death, which can alter an end of life decision.
This interview shows me, that in the last decade, that the dominant social practices of illness & dying have changed a great deal in our hospitals. This change is for the better because it means we are caring for our patients in a more humanistic way. I enjoyed studying this subject because it made me feel better about going to hospitals.
Bibliography
TOWEY, JIM. "Obama's end-of-life bungling." New York Post (2011): 1. Web. 18 Jan 2011. <http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/obama_end_of_life_bungling_M3v6alI9iFO7cZETf5ZqJO>.
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