Judith Lothian > Quotes

“You are not an accident.
Even at the moment of your conception,
out of many possibilities,
only certain cells combined,
survived, grew to be you.
You are unique, created for a purpose.
Go confidently into the days ahead.”
― Judith Lothian, The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence

“EFM certainly seems like a good idea. A machine that measures and records a baby’s response to contractions provides scientific data about a particular woman’s labor. Logic says—and many people assume—that EFM improves birth outcomes. Actually, three decades of research shows that EFM doesn’t improve birth outcomes. When EFM is used during labor, no fewer babies die and no fewer have problems at birth. However, more women have cesareans when EFM is used.21 If EFM doesn’t help babies and puts mothers at higher risk of surgical intervention, it is not safer care. In 1988, a Harvard Medical School report described EFM as a “failed technology” but also predicted that doctors wouldn’t stop using it because they fear being sued. Fear of malpractice litigation is pervasive in obstetrics. Doctors too often make patient-care decisions based on their fear of a lawsuit rather than on evidence-based standards of practice established by their profession.”
― Judith Lothian, Giving Birth With Confidence