Giraffes More Speciose than Expected

Scientific American: Our Understanding of the Labor Experience Is Overdue for Change
By Krystal D'Costa on January 17, 2018

Review by Tanessa Farley

The blog I selected discussed the topic of current treatments for woman in labor and the question of whether they are outdated or not. The article “Our Understanding of the Labor Experience Is Overdue for Change” by Krystal D’Costa expounds on how some health practices being used in today’s healthcare are outdated and in need of improvement. D’Costa begins the article by summarizing “the complications tennis champion Serena Williams faced after the birth of her daughter” (D’Costa, 2018). Williams began experiencing a number of symptoms which led her to believe she needed certain medical treatment considering her own personal medical history and medications. When she expressed her concerns to a nurse, the nurse “assumed that the new mother was having an adverse reaction to her pain killers” (D’Costa, 2018). It took Williams consistent persistence to finally get her the treatment she needed. Following the public release of her experience, many women stepped forward with their own personal accounts of such treatment. Through these stories we can see what needs to change in our medical environments for women before and after labor.

The issue is not that doctors and nurses are refusing to give the women the treatment they request but rather they feel as though their medical needs and wants are being ignored rather than acknowledged. The article goes on to explain how the practices of labor and delivery are greatly influenced by “the research of Dr. Emanuel Friedman. One of the most influential results of his work came from the graphical analysis of labor progression in the 1950s which generated the ‘Friedman curve’” (D’Costa, 2018). The Friedman curve tracks the dilation throughout labor and makes a predicted outcome of how long it should take the body to dilate to a certain parameter within a given period of time. There are a number of aspects that are worrisome within this technique. The discovery of this technique was a great advancement in the medical field especially for this time but when we look at our resources within today’s age we can see what needs to be considered within the use of this technique. First when this was created it was only comparing women within the US and also makes the assumption that the labor experience is the same for every woman. “It does not take into account unique individual factors such as age, number of children, weight, fetal weight, etc.” (D’Costa, 2018).

Seeing that this technique does not take into consideration the natural differences between all women, it is possible that labor interventions are taken when they are not totally necessary. The article addresses that possibility that women will dilate at different rates and just because a woman is not dilating 1 cm for every hour doesn’t mean that any interference is necessary in order for her labor to continue regularly. We also must take into consideration whether this is the first birth for the mother, or if she has had multiple vaginal births in the past. They tested their theory on a number of women and found that the average timing and dilation of women was much different from that originally given through the Friedman curve. D’Costa explained the findings that “the average time needed for cervical dilation to advance by 1 cm was more than 1 hour until 5 cm was achieved for women in this population for whom this was their first labor” she also went on to explain that for “women who had experienced labor previously, and labor progression became more rapid from 7 cm” (D’Costa, 2018).

Overall the findings in this study have opened a new door of research and knowledge of the process of labor and delivery. The Friedman curve is still a good base yet we must recognize every woman’s body is unique and individual and will not give birth and go through labor the same as another woman’s body. Healthcare is constantly a popular topic which is always under much discussion in the US, and people are always looking for ways to improve our current techniques and practices. D’Costa makes it clear that she finds this evidence to be a way for women to “advocate for changes in the way American hospitals in particular view and treat them during labor” (D’Costa, 2018). Women should feel as though their opinions and concerns are acknowledged and heard. With this research we can see a door opening to new practices and new ways of looking at the process of labor and how we can best support women as they go through this process.

In my personal opinion I find it important to look at this study and realize the fact that we can constantly be improving our techniques and practices especially in the medical field. This study was the tip of the iceberg, it brought one of many issues to the attention of the public but there are many other practices that we can improve and change.

D'Costa, Krystal. “Our Understanding of the Labor Experience Is Overdue for Change.”Scientific American Blog Network, 17 Jan. 2018, blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/our-understanding-of-the-labor-experience-is-overdue-for-change/.