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!"