Two Worlds Unite

"All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take."

~Mohandas Gandhi

I have gotten a lot of questions and doubts from family, friends, and colleagues regarding how I am handling the situation.  "Going to the hospital and being put on medications? Doesn't that go against everything you believe in with Chiropractic?"....."That's not Chiropractic"...."So much for your natural pregnancy and childbirth, huh?"..."I guess you CAN'T control everything, can you?".  Well, here's MY truth:  Everything that is being done is because I AM AGREEING to it.  There are medications I have refused because frankly, I don't need them, and guess what...my Dr. and the nurses are OK with it!!  As for the "That's not Chiropractic" and "So much for your natural pregnancy and childbirth" comments....Chiropractic isn't about medicating vs. not medicating.  It is not about hospital birth vs. home birth.  What Chiropractic IS about is making sure there is no interference to the nervous system to prevent your body from functioning how it is supposed to...by removing vertebral subluxation.  PERIOD.  Guess what....I have been adjusted regularly for the past 10 years and I continue to get adjusted as I'm sitting here in a hospital bed.  Now is even more important than ever because there are more stressors being put on my nervous system.  Here is another fact:  Even though I'm in the hospital and on medications, INNATE IS STILL WORKING!!!!  No amount of medication given to me, no amount of bed rest is MAKING this baby grow and develop....Innate is.  When it comes time to deliver, I plan on doing it vaginally, drug-free, in a calm surrounding, being coached by my husband, with my Doc only there to "catch", as long as the baby isn't in distress from being born too early Dr. Francois will delay cord clamping, the baby will go directly onto my chest...the nurses can "clean" him/her there. This baby also will still NOT get vaccines, Vit. K, or eye drops.  How does that take away from a natural birth?


This brings me back to the situation at hand....I have said it before and I will say it again:  There is a time and place for every branch of health care.  I teach patients that the letters after a Doctor's name just gives someone an indication of HOW they treat patients (which tools/techniques they use).  A DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) is focused on making sure the body is working the way it was designed to.  It is a vitalistic approach to "health" by focusing on proactive care.  The patients will get sick, but their body's will work as designed to fight disease.  An MD will treat conditions via medications and surgery.  They are allopathic in the approach and are great for trauma or emergency care when the body's healing abilities can't keep up with the rate of breakdown.  These are all fundamental principles that I have understood for years.  It has taken this experience to really not only test my faith in these principles, but also my follow-through.

The strength of my conviction wasn't clear to me until I was admitted to the hospital.  From the moment I saw the image on the screen, my mind switched from "Mommy"-mode to "Clinical"-mode.  I tried to make it a point to turn off the "Dr." brain when I went in for visits to take in the entire experience and not over think or take any part of this experience for granted.  It clicked back on when I saw what was ahead of me.  I guess that explains my "composure" even as we were shown to my room at the hospital.  Dr. Francois arrived shortly after we did and was surprised at how well I had held up...I guess I just hadn't let myself feel it yet.  

My reception was mixed, as I half-way expected.  Most people, unfortunately, are so set in their paradigm of thinking of healthcare that they have little to no tolerance for thinking outside their reality.  This was a sad truth I learned early in my "Chiropractic Life".  It didn't worry me too much because most importantly, my Dr. and I were on the same page as to how we wanted to approach this pregnancy.  Everyone else had to follow.  As I was getting settled the hurried chaos began.  I started getting blood drawn, an IV was being started (I was a little dehydrated, so any "needle- procedure" was made more difficult), blood was being drawn, and I was being put on the fetal monitor.  Amidst all the "madness" there was only 1 "negative" interaction I had with a nurse.  In trying to distract me, she asked, "Not exactly what you counted on, huh?"  I said how it was a vast difference from the home birth I originally wanted.  Oooooohhhh....the dirty "H" word.  Her face grimaced as she gave me a disgusted look and said, "Don't get me started on home births....you actually wanted like the whole tub and everything??" and then scoffed.  My response was, "Not necessarily a tub...just home where I'd be comfortable."  I could tell from that moment that I was definitely NOT gaining a friend.

As a lab tech was finding a vein for a blood draw, "Nurse Cratchet" was trying to locate the baby on the fetal monitor.  I realized that she was pressing pretty hard with no concern to my comfort.  The lab tech asked, "Am I hurting you?"....to which I responded, "Not as much as it is hurting lower."  Of course, I was referring to the "seeking out" of the baby.  Nurse Cratchet just gave me a glance and said, "Yeah, I'm sure this hurts."  Hmmm.....funny.....it hasn't hurt since.  Fortunately for me, that was the only encounter I have had with her.  Other than that, everyone welcomed us with understanding and care.  Knowing the possible length of time I could be in the hospital, I just hoped at that time that there could be a mutual respect for approaches and opinions of the situation.  Otherwise, it is going to be a looooooooooong stay!!