Hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing well. Let’s jump right in:
CATCH-UP
I don’t have too many updates regarding my last blog post: I’m continuing to go into each patient that has undergone an elective labor induction (choosing to undergo an intervention that speeds up the process of giving birth) at the CNM Service at the hospital, and essentially noting down specific effects on the health outcomes of both those mothers and their babies. By the end of this week, I’ll be moving onto next steps and drawing conclusions surrounding this narrative of female reproductive choice and seeing what effects (if any) the ARRIVE Trial (that I mentioned a couple blog posts back) has had on both patient and provider perspectives regarding elective labor induction.
REFLECTION
Looking into the broader topic of female reproductive choice, I’ve recently been reflecting upon the implications of my research after it’s completed. The entire midwifery model of care promotes physiological birth as much as possible, and aims to avoid invasive methods that escalate the process of childbirth. I’m finally slowly starting to grasp how the medicalization of childbirth has come into place, and how COVID-19 has affected this entire paradigm. I feel as though people are slowly starting to realize that if they are going to give birth (given that there are no complications and it isn’t a high-risk pregnancy that requires medical intervention), there isn’t much of a need to do it within a hospital if they are near a birth center. They can even give birth in the comfort of their own home if they feel safe and comfortable enough to do so, thus preventing further spread of coronavirus and decreasing the chances of interacting with other individuals. I’ve also been reflecting on how exactly I’d like to fit into this narrative of promoting women’s choice, and I feel as though I have a lot to learn before I make any conclusions on how I want to promote reproductive freedom. If anyone knows of any women’s health opportunities (I’m currently signed up for a doula training in the fall, but I don’t know if it will still occur due to COVID), please feel free to forward them to me!
NEXT STEPS
As usual, I will continue to update everyone on how my research progresses further. After the quick breakout session during yesterday’s seminar, where we got to hear quick updates/presentations regarding each other’s research (shoutout Ataia for having one of the most impactful projects I’ve heard of), I’m so excited for the symposium coming up in a couple weeks. It’s been a very up and down couple of months for everyone, for many different reasons, and I can’t wait to see the culmination of everyone’s hard work! I love learning, and I can’t wait to further my knowledge through learning about everyone’s research.
CLOSING REMARKS
If anyone would like to chat or rant or just talk about anything, whether it’s research related or not, please don’t hesitate to reach out! It’s unfortunate we can’t all bond in person but we can definitely utilize the technology we have to establish connections with each other. Hope you all continue to stay safe and social distance, and enjoy the rest of your week!
Take care and stay safe,
Charanya Rengarajan