Blogs for Happiness #4: Alien Anal Probe or VE: What Would You Prefer?

I pose to you the above question, keeping in mind that I managed to get through my entire pregnancy without having to have the dreaded Vaginal Examination. It wasn’t until the very last stages of my labour that the doctor tried manually to get my cervix to 10 cm, as I was an inch shy of doing it on my own. By then I was grateful for any technique used to deliver my boy safely to the world. Forceps, epidurals, surgery; bring it on!

I’ve watched dozens of films that portray the VE as a mandatory part of a maternal health visit to the doctor. I hope that it is just because it is such rich comedy material, because I’m sorry, now I’m thinking, ‘Pervs!’ when I discovered that VEs aren’t necessary unless there’s trouble perceived.

The same goes with scans. It irritates me when I hear couples say, ‘We’re going for our 20 week scan’ as if it is something that has to be done as part of the routine. Through lots of research, I’ve read that scans are a very useful tool in the Health Industry when things aren’t going to plan. However it seems they aren’t needed in a routine, healthy, normal pregnancy. Some research shows that results from scans are a bit iffy too-not so great with the accuracy. How would you feel if you terminated a child that a scan had shown to be defective in some way, only to find out the scan was incorrect? The whole ‘defective’ theory is another conversation to be had about our perceptions of ’normality’ and the gift that is a child, any child.

Immunisation suffers from the same fate.  I’ve read that it is primarily aimed at lower socio-economic families where good nutrition and health is a problem. You don’t have to have it. If you feel uncomfortable about your child being injected with substances such as Aluminium and have read horror stories of children being damaged by immunisation, then you don’t have to do it.

We used Homeopathic Immunisation in the lovely form of little sweet pills. You just sign a conscientious objector form and away you go.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely for all these wonderful innovations that mankind has invented to improve our health and safety. And choice. (I think if I got pregnant again I would like to know the sex this time.)

What annoys me is that the Health Industry (and megabucks industry it is) doesn’t present these technological miracles as choices but as seemingly mandatory.  Not to mention the huge financial drain (and profit for some) on the Health Service to use these services so frequently-money that could be put towards other needs.

I’d like to see these modern medical aids more clearly presented by Health Professionals as choices. And I’d like all the young people starting to have families to know that.

Spread the word; we can choose how probed we’d like to be.

My Website: Booksforhappiness.com