University of Michigan

Christine Kent approaches the entrance to the Michigan University tea and hands her ticket to the doorman.

Doorman: Ms Kent?…Ms Christine Kent?…

CK: Yes.

Doorman: Have you brought it with you?

CK: Well, of course. I’ve brought it with me, how else do you think I would have gotten here?

Security guard hovers.

Doorman: I’m afraid ma’am, you can’t take it inside the lecture hall.

CK: Why ever not?

Security Guard: Well, ma’am we don’t want you to frighten the young women. You see very few of them would have seen one before….. the old days have long gone. I’m sorry. I remember my mum had one. Quite brings the tears. But, you know what young ones are like, they shy easily.

CK: What do you suggest I do?

Christine Kent hands her cloak to the hat check girl.

Hat check girl faints.

Security Guard: Crikey, did you see that? Oh ahh, cover it up, cover it up.

Doorman: You must keep your cloak on if you intend going inside.

CK: Arrrrrgh

Security Guard: If it were left to me….It’s my job, you see.

Medical Lecturer: What’s the trouble here? Oh, Ms Kent. I might have known. See her out Jason. And take her cloak and her lumber curve with her. (Watches as Security guard ushers Christine out.)

Medical Lecturer puts her arm around an anxious young student who has witnessed the proceedings. “One of those dinosaurs who don’t understand when women suck and tuck they are as close to being a man as they can get. It empowers them.”

It is disheartening to read about the grant. I have already been feeling rather confronted by the continual messages during my postpartum period to "do your pelvic floor exercises, particularly as you had a posterior delivery"...my response has been to nod politely and then completely ignore said advice from my GP, maternal health nurse, and hospital physiotherapist, because right now I don't have the energy to argue.

But at least I'm being a rebel by NOT doing those kegels.

There are times when a good flash is appropriate. This might be one of them.

Does anyone live anywhere near The Inn at St. Johns in Plymouth, Michigan? No, I don't mean to go along and flash them!! But it would be great to go along and ask some difficult questions. Beam me up, Scotty - I need to get to Michigan - FAST!

Louise: "Well, well, well, I never expected to meet you face to face, Dr DeLancey. Now about that email that I sent you, that you never answered..."

DeLancey: "Do I know you?"

Louise: "Perhaps you could cast your mind back to an email string that we created about how postpartum prolapse improving in the second year postpartum, and the futility of treating it just after the birth, and how real vertical imaging would tell a very different story."

Delancey: "Ah ... yes ... um ... I have to go now. Guards! Remove this ignorant woman!"

Coward!

Louise: "Scotty, please beam me up again. I don't think there is any need to stick around here." (disappears in a puff of smoke, back to Oz)

fab, u ARE fab!

So their approach is that the process of child birth is a major factor in POP. Or is it just uterine prolapse? It was not clear. Or, are they assuming that muscle damage is the major cause and the birth process is one major area where such muscle damage can occur? A strange narrowing of approach just when researchers in Australia are looking at pregnancy itself as a possible precursor to prolapse in women especially in light of the knowledge that caesarean births do not, as previously widely supposed, prevent prolapse.

That is not to ignore the research done by Hannah Dahlen that shows water births are safe for a healthy baby and that they cause a lesser incidence of major perennial trauma.

“Compared with water birth, the women who gave birth on a birth stool had nearly one-and-a- half times higher rate of major perineal trauma and more than twice the rate of haemorrhage after delivery.

There was no difference in major perineal trauma and haemorrhage after delivery between women who gave birth in water and those who opted for a semi-seated position, the most common birth position in Australia.”

The other worry is that UM are planning to simulate the birth process from an erroneous organ and bone orientation template in order to discover what they think is the cause of muscle damage. Then they intend to plot a birthing procedure under the direction of medical staff that will help a mother avoid this damage. More birth control by medical staff one would have thought is not what was needed. You have to wish women luck.

No, I did not miss the mention of stretching exercises during pregnancy, and that can only be applauded if the exercises are correct ones. Can we hope?

Mind you, intending to help mothers who often sacrifice their wellbeing during the birth of their children as well as being a worthy ambition also has a certain sentimental turn to it, that pulling a muscle during a three hour marathon or lifting heavy buckets doesn’t and could just catch at the hearts and minds of well meaning people and sponsors. But then that same sentimentality could be applied to the pregnant mum, or could it?

Are you going to tea Christine?

Oh gosh yes, the write. What a critical stage. Yes, I thought you had taken on a lot with your granddaughter’s wardrobe, bet she’s the best dressed and loving it. Always with you in spirit Christine, take a ball of string and aussie soul sister's threads with you and you will find your way out of the beast’s belly safely. When you are ready.

best wishes, Fab