A Lot of Time Gone By

It has been awhile since I have posted on this blog. My own personal life has seen some twists and I needed to concentrate on the things that were precedent. I recently checked back and came across a couple of emails from a family who, it seems, had an experience that was not memorable. I will be conversing with them to see if they are willing to share their experiences with the blog community here.

To answer a lot of the comments that I was unable to respond to before... here goes.

1. "all I hear is someone who seems to hate Paula"
          That couldn't be further from the truth. I do not hate Paula. What I strongly dislike is that there are more than a handful of families who have had very unsettling and unsatisfactory experiences as a result of actions she took or didn't take in their birth stories. I strongly dislike that there are families who have potentially permanently disabled children due to inadequate action during their birth story. I strongly dislike that there are families who now completely distrust the process of birth and homebirth because of having had a very bad experience in their birth story with Paula. I do not hate Paula.

2. "A forum for gossip is destructive. It never resolves anything. Gossip is destructive, but a grievance committee would have resolution."
         You are correct. Gossip IS destructive. However, this is NOT gossip. It is women who have had real experiences who are speaking out about their experience and allowing OTHER women the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding their homebirth provider. IF they choose to interview Paula and ask her the questions they want to ask, and they are satisfied with the answers and choose to hire her, that is their decision and they have every right to it. I pray that their birth goes smoothly and uneventfully, which is the same thing I pray for EVERY birth, whether it be with Paula or with a hospital or birth center. However, the women who had Paula as their midwife and had very unsatisfactory experiences and damaging experiences for themselves and/or their child, certainly wish they had made different decisions. This is about truth and not hiding unsavory things and just highlighting the positive births. Its about being honest about WHY the unsavory births happened. YES, bad experiences can come about in any birth setting: true. YES, mothers and babies can have bad outcomes in the hospital too surrounded by the best medical equipment and surgical tools on hand. But when homebirth is supposed to be safe for a healthy mother and baby and yet turns out not to be too many times in so many rolls of the dice, then something is not right.

3. Paula responded, " I will gladly sit down with you and address your concerns."
          I'm sorry Paula. I have no desire to sit down and discuss anything with you. I do, however, wish for you to address the questions that were previously posted on this blog. Namely:
1. Who did you train under ( get your actual hands on experience) and who signed off on your skills checklists? And what is their contact information to verify?
2. Who are you currently working with? Do you have "students" you are "training"? Are you licensed to provide such training as well?
3. Can you honestly say that there have NOT been complaints with the board against you? If so, what were they and how many?

These questions are valid questions that any and all homebirth clients should be asking you. And you should be able to answer them. So why can you choose not to answer them in a public forum such as this when you have nothing to hide?

4. "Those are questions that can only be answered by Paula. Good questions for a prospective family to ask a midwife. And you should be able to contact any senior midwives she studied under for confirmation."
                Yes, exactly. She should be able to confirm who were her senior midwives she worked under, who she trained under, where she received her training, and who signed off on her skills training. Up until now, she has not provided those answers for verification in any capacity. Would still love to know. Anyone have an answer?

5. "The lack of facts or supporting evidence throughout your own posts and the overly emotionally constructed Paula-slam posts lack logical soundness, are not cogent, and are weak."
               Yes, you are right. I cannot list facts because I was not there. It was not my birth or my baby under Paula's care. However, the supporting evidence is from the mothers themselves. I have no need to create anything illogical or outside of truth. I can let the mothers speak for themselves. Why do some choose not to say their names? Because just like we are afraid to speak up against those who say we shouldn't have a homebirth in the first place, who are uneducated about the efficacy and safety of a homebirth attended by a trained midwife, those women with terrible experiences don't need the 'I told you so,' either. I can only hope that those women understand that it wasn't the process of birth, rather unfortunately. Yes, bad experiences can happen 'in any geography' as you so eloquently stated. However, birth can be botched in a hospital too at the hands of an over-eager doctor ready to go on vacation, or at the hands of an ill-trained midwife who would rather rely on her students and assistants and make sure she attends a family recital versus properly attending her client. So, it is not MY story needing to be told. Rather, I want to be that forum that those women who need to speak their peace, can, in safety and openness.

6. One commenter said, "But if you are hiring a midwife to attend you, and she is not truthful about her experience, skills, knowledge....or even about WHEN she will arrive at your birth - that is wrong. That is giving you a risk you have not knowingly accepted."
           Exactly. When you call your midwife and say you want her there, shouldn't she come? Or should she arrive moments before you give birth? OR moments after? What do you think?

7. Another said, " I am personally upset and offended by this as I carefully interviewed several area midwives and thoroughly researched homebirth before choosing Paula. I did my homework and think I made a great choice by choosing Paula."
                I am happy that you made the right choice for YOU. I am happy that your birth went well and you had a great experience. I am happy that you and your baby are healthy. Again, I am not "hating" Paula. I only want real answers to real questions and desire that no more families have to go through debilitating and horrible experiences because of bad choices on HER part, not theirs. Choosing homebirth was not a bad choice, ... it is a personal one. Choosing a midwife is also a personal choice. And again, bad things can happen even with the best doctors present. But if someone willingly does not present themselves in truth, and willingly takes action in a moment of crisis that is in error, or chooses to take action in an area that they are not skilled in, that could mean near fatal or fatal consequences for a mother or baby. It could also mean scarring for life, or incontinence for life, or a disability for life.

8. "I realize that the mediator of this site has complete control of what info is seen and used. "
             While true, as the mediator, I have control, however, every comment posted is posted. It is not held back for me to "decide" what gets posted. Obviously if that were the case, why would I post things that people post that are positive experiences with Paula? That would not be true to the nature of the forum. It is open to positive AND negative. I would love to be wrong and say that every situation has had a happy ending and that every baby has been healthy and every mom happy. But as you can see, that is NOT the case. It's getting to the bottom of WHY is the matter here. She chooses not to address the questions of her training. And why do I ask?
Because if she was not to receive the proper training, she shouldn't have a license to practice midwifery. If she did, all is well, then. But she still has not answered to where her training was received, and by whom, and who can verify it. Why shouldn't she be able to answer those things publicly?

Again, if you have had a great experience with Paula or any other midwife, I applaud you and congratulate you. If you have not had a great experience and believe that the midwife who attended your birth did not have the training or experience necessary, you can file an official complaint with the medical board. The link is below:

Medical Board of California Complaints

Please do not be silent for fear of retaliation. Please come forward, even if anonymously. It is not about "bashing" anyone. It is about SAVING lives and preventing the bad experiences of families who otherwise would not know the truth.

Thank you.

Asking the Right Questions

I have to keep this short and sweet. Let us make sure we are asking the right questions. I have never spoken ill of homebirth ever, nor have I ever slandered Paula to any degree that could not be spoken of. Yes, there are medicalboard investigations going on and yes, until (as previously stated) until official allegations are actually broyght forth by the Attorney general, the board will Not state that there are complaints, and that is back to why this blog was created in the first place- to allow parents who are doing their homework a place to see that there ARE questionable things and there are unhappy people out there and if you choose her as your midwife despite this, that is your right as an informed consumer. But if you choose not to, that is your right too. The questions the public and fellow birth workers should be asking is- if it is such a minor offense and the blog admin is doing it to disvourage homebirth and midwifery (which I am not doing), then why isn't there blogs on all the area midwives? Hmmm. I would hope that Paula's peers and mentors and fellow midwives ( if there are any working with her) would ask her the truth and speak up and feel out what is right or not. This is not a personal vendetta nor is it a competitor. I am a consumer who knows this isnt about ME but about the numerous families that may be potentially affected by her care in the future and have a right to know and make an informed decision. Isn't that what midwifery is all about? Informed decision making???

NARM Complaint Site

Here is another outlet for consumers to complain, if they have a complaint. Paula is a NARM registerd midwife, so you can also complain at their site. Here is a link to their complain process site.

http://www.narm.org/complaint.htm

http://www.narm.org/proaccount.htm This is also the Professional Accountablility page of NARM's site.

Again, this site is posted so that any potential parents can be aware of serious complaints against Paula and the questionablity of her credibility. All potential parents should ask their own questions and make their own decisions when hiring a midwife.

Homebirth is a fantastic, safe, and beautiful way to accept your baby into your arms, with a competent and knowledgeable midwife in attendance.

No Update on Complaints

Someone recently asked if there had been any updates on the medical board complaints? At this time, I personally have no way of finding that out. If YOU posted a complaint, you would have the right to call and inquire about it personally, but until the complaints get turned into an official charge by the Attorney General, the information would not be made public. That is why this blog was started so that while the Medical Board decides which course of action is best, at least the public will be aware that there ARE complaints out there.

I also urge anyone with a complaint of any nature, even if its a small one and seemingly insignificant to please contact the Medical Board with your complaint. You are not the only one.

Has Anyone Asked Her Yet?

So has anyone out there asked her about her training and education yet? A few commenters have said that the questions we have posed are ones she should be able to answer, so I am asking if anyone has asked her yet? Anyone? Any prospective parents out there who have asked?

If so, what was her answer? I would like to verify it. Simple enough, right? I think so.

Can she come forward herself and state her education, experience, and who her apprenticeships were with?

An answer and a Question

 Anonymous person posted a comment a couple days ago. In the comment (you can read it in the comment column on the left), this person said,

"Also, saying false things like, "I'm glad that she has managed a FEW births well and that SOME have had good outomes", doesn't do much for cause since it's simply not true. Rather, it would be way more honest to say that" she (Paula) has managed HUNDREDS of births well and has had HUNDREDS of good outcomes". "

Ok so I have to break this one down just a little bit. If we say "hundreds", I will assume that means what it says. When you say, "managed" hundreds of births, I need to go a little deeper. In what capacity did she "manage" these births?

To me, "manage" in a birth situation means that the person is present and is currently the responsible party over the health and well-being of the birthing family, namely the mother and child. If you are present at a friend's birth and witness their birth, that does not mean you get to say you "managed" it. If you are present at a birth as a doula (who is being paid for her work), that still does not mean you "managed" that birth. If you are present at a birth to take photos for the family and happen to witness a difficult labor or resuscitation, that does not mean that you have the skills yourself to turn around and do it or say you "managed" it. Right? We are on the same page?

I would like to know, for one thing, what her definition of "managed" is. If there are all these births she did as the primary midwife (when she wasn't working with another midwife) where is the proof of that?

I would also like to know, if anyone out there DOES know, where Paula got her education? What high school did she graduate from? Did she get her GED? What midwifery school/study program did she go through (a minimum 3 years)? Who did she apprentice with? Who can vouch for her and say they have SEEN her perform "hundreds" of births with good outcomes that she was the primary midwife and responsible provider? Not the doula, not the friend, not the assistant or student midwife. Where is the proof of her midwifery background and education? Has anyone actually asked her?

If there is a midwife out there who apprenticed with Paula and taught her for an extended amount of time in order to complete the requirements of licensing in the state of California, let her come forth. Let her come and say that she feel comfortable in the skills that she taught. She would have to have worked with someone for *at least* six months to a year in a high volume setting in order to attend enough births and practice enough skills to be signed off on her skills assesment. Where is this person? Who signed for her skills? Will they vouch for her? Will Paula give you their contact information?

Lots of new comments

So I am pleasantly surprised at the number of new comments that have rolled in over the weekend. It seems that Paula has contacted her clients and asked them to come put positive comments on the blog. Great- that is fantastic that she has some clients who are willing to come forward. However, I challenge Paula to contact those families who have been disrupted by her care and ask them to come forward in truth. If she is willing to try and build up a case for herself, as if what I am putting in the blog is not true, then I challenge her to come forward and say so. If she thinks that the three cases that are being investigated are untrue or false, then bring those families out! Do they agree with you? Or would they be upset and angry over how you cared for them? yes its easy to get those families who has easy, normal births to come forward with their experience. But how about the ones who had shoulder dystocias or breech or traumatic transfers? The ones who cry when they think about their experience. The ones who vow to never have a home birth again, much less have another child.

If Paula is really interested in the truth, then why doesn't she tell the truth? If you tell your client you live in Napa but really you live in Anguin, that is a 30-45 minutes difference in driving time. If someone expects you to arrive half hour after they call and you don't show up until 5 minutes before the birth, is that properly supporting someone? If you rely on your assistants to set everything up for you and you don't conveniently show up for the birth until the moment of birth, is that properly supporting that family when you could have been there earlier?

If you tell someone that you are a trained midwife and can resusitate a newborn who isn't breathing, you should be able to do it right? That family is relying on your expertise in an emergency. So, is not having your oxygen tank set up correctly truly supporting this family? If the equipment is not set up right and the correct mask is not on the equipment, is that going to properly resusitate the newborn? No, it isnt. And it sure won't bring that baby back around either. So instead, you have to fiddle around with the equipment at the last minute, waiting for the EMTs to arrive who then actually admisinter proper resusitation maneuvers and get the baby breathing. Did they have equipment that she did not have access to? No. what they did have was knowledge and were properly prepared. That is the difference. Proper education and proper preparation.

Does Paula truly have both of those things? My answer is no.

Path to Disciplinary Action

Someone posted a comment saying that if there was a link to her disciplinary actions, that it would be more believable. Unfortunately, with regards to the Medical Board of California, the process to official disciplinary action is very slow. At this stage of the process, when the complaints are coming in to their office and starting to be investigated, there is no public record of those 'goings ons'. If the complaints are investigated and determined to be causing harm to the general public, then the Board will decide to do a formal Accusation with the Attorney General. Only then will they issue an Interim Order of Suspension (removing her ability to practice), if they are ready to file official accusations. THEN it will go onto public record and move into the disciplinary action stage.

The goal of this blog is to bring more people forward (because I know they are out there) who have had unsavory experiences with her. Not because they didn't like her, but because they felt and experienced her incompetency personally through the births that she mismanaged. Because its not my business to say, I am allowing others to leave comments so that those out in the public will know personal accounts of those who have used her. I hope that those persons can get the courage to file a formal complaint. Only when enough come in will they put a fire under the Board's backside and get them moving on it. I personally don't want to hear any more stories of damaged moms or babies because of her.

PS The person who initiated this post - I want to say - the reason she isn't listed on the nursing boards site is because she is NOT a Certified Nurse Midwife. She is a licensed midwife. NOT a nurse in any capacity. CNMs have slightly different scopes of practice and are usually given hospital priveledges. LMs do not usually get hospital priviledges.

Medical Board of California Complaint Department

http://www.medbd.ca.gov/consumer/complaint_info.html The Medical Board of CA Complaint Page

http://www.medbd.ca.gov/forms/07i-61.pdf

The PDF link is to the Consumer Complaint Form.

I urge those who feel that they received substandard care or were majorly affected by her care to file a formal complaint. The only way for an order of suspension to be put into action on behalf of the lives affected is if enough complaints are brought into the Medical Board that must show "required burden of proof that continued practice will endanger public health, safety, and welfare." 

 Section 2519 of the Business and Professions Code says,
"The board may suspend or revoke the license of a midwife for any of the following:
a) Unprofessional conduct, which includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:
1- Incompetence or gross negligence in carrying out the usual functions of a licensed midwife.
2- Conviction of a violation of Section 2052, in which event, the record of the conviction shall be conclusive evidence thereof. (2052 speaks to the requirement of having a license to practice medicine or midwifery)
3- The use of advertising which is fraudulent or misleading.
4- Obtaining or possessing in violation of the law or prescribing controlled substances...
5- The use of any controlled substance or alcohol to a manner dangerous or injurious to himself or herself.
6- The conviction of a criminal offense involving controlled substances.
7- Commitment or confinement by a court for intemperate use of or addiction to the use of any controlled substance.
8- Falsifying or making grossly incorrect, grossly inconsistent, or unintelligible entries in any hospital, patient, or other record pertaining to controlled substances.
9- Procuring a license by fraud or misrepresentation.
10- Conviction of a crime substantially related to the qualifications, functions, and duties of a midwife, as determined by the Board.
11- Assisting or performing abortions.
12- Violating any provision or term of this section.
13- Making or giving false statements or information in connection with the application for issuance of a license.

So what does the "usual functions" of a licensed midwife entail? For one, it means having a proper education followed by a lot of experience. It means being able to handle normal, easy births, but also being able to handle those that are tough. It means being able to maneuver a normally sized baby, or even a big baby, out of the birth canal if it gets stuck. It also means knowing when its appropriate to stay home and when its time to transfer. It also means being able to correctly resuscitate a newborn who is not breathing, while waiting for emergency services to come.  It also means cooperating with emergency responders and hospital staff in the event of a emergency transfer. All these things, while difficult and unexpected, must sometimes be dealt with as a ''usual function'' of a licensed midwife. If you cannot, with confidence, say that you have the skills to do these things, then you shouldn't be in this work.

Current Birth Survey for Paula

Here is the link to the Birth Survey reslults for Paula. Interesting how she compares to all the other LM's in the database. Overall she has a very unfavorable rating.

http://thebirthsurvey.com/national/html/custom/view/report/providerOverall.shtml?pid=35849

At the top of the report, there is  button that says "View Details". If you click on this, it will give a run down, question by question, about their satisfaction, if they would recommend her to others, etc.

I encourage all moms, whether they had a good experience or a bad one (in the last 3 years) to enter their information into the database on their place of birth and provider. That way moms know real ratings from real patients and can decide who their provider should be.

A Nurse midwife now?

So apparantly now Paula is listing herself as a nurse midwife? Wow that must have been a fast nursing degree. Sure makes me wonder. I hope that she didn't post this listing herself. Otherwise it would be a complete falsehood. And if she doesn't know the difference between a licensed midwife and nurse midwife, i'd be worried about her competency.

http://www.healthgrades.com/health-professionals-directory/Paula-Schnebelt-LM-7792F052/ratings

What to Ask Your Midwife during an Interview

I have put together a list of questions that I would want answered if I were interviewing a homebirth midwife. I hope that these will help anyone out there who is looking for a midwife. You have to ask the obvious questions about their philosophy and education, but also the necessary ones you may not think of. You are trusting someone with your life and the life of your baby. You want to make sure that your trust is placed correctly.

1. How long have you been a midwife?
2. Are you licensed? If yes, when?
3. How many births have you attended as a primary midwife?
4. How many transports to the hospital have you had?
5. What were the reasons for transport?
6. Do you have a working relationship with the local hospital?
7. Do you have a backup midwife?
8. Are you a part of the local midwifery community?
9. Have you had any emergencies and how did you handle them?
10. What are your certifications and how current are they?
11. When I go into labor, how soon can you be here?
12. Have you had any baby deaths or mother deaths?
13. If I couldn't use you, who would you recommend in the community?
(I put this question because any midwife in the community will be able to tell you honestly who they would trust with their own bodies. Ask around. They won't recommend Paula.)
14. How many resuscitation's have you done successfully?
15. What if I tear badly? Can you suture me properly?
16. How much experience do you have with VBAC/Breech/waterbirth/big babies?
17. Have you ever had complaints filed with the medical board against you?
18. Do you work with approved assistants and/or midwifery students?
19. Do you carry all required resuscitation equipment for mother and baby?
20. How current is your equipment?
21. Have you ever had a ''stuck" baby? How do you address that situation?
22. Can you give me the names and phone numbers of your references? (Call them personally)
23. Can you give me the name and phone number of someone that you dealt with an emergency properly and can recommend you based on your correct handling of the situation? (In her case, my guess is no)

There are so many other questions that we 'could' ask, but I will leave those for another day. And this goes for ANY midwife. If she is unable to answer those questions and leave you feeling comfortable at the end of the day, I would not hire her. Find someone that fits better with you and who can competently address not-normal situations. Good luck!

Posted Comment from "Anonymous 3"

This is a comment on the last post...

Anonymous said...
I agree with this grandfather in that there MUST be a way to be allowed to research more effectively when planning a birth at home. As one who has worked in childbirth for many years, I can attest to the fact that when a bad outcome happens to YOU, statistics mean NOTHING. I know that with the right support team you can have a perfectly safe and lovely birth at home...or at the hospital. But how can families know what they are getting? I have seen some horrible things happen in a hospital - you aren't always safe there either.It's time to get the word out and work to make things better!!What I hope comes of this is:1. Licensing for midwives becomes more comprehensive and harder to attain than the current status.2. There is a public forum, perhaps on the internet, allowing families to research hard data such as outcomes, transports, and so on.3. The process for complaints becomes more streamlined and works faster.For now, there is the Birth Survey - link posted elsewhere on this blog - for individuals to rate their care provider.And as a childbirth professional, I will no longer keep my mouth shut about what I know. There is a fear of being charged with libel and/or being blacklisted when one speaks out about doctors or midwives, but I will take that chance from now on.
August 28, 2009 3:16 PM

And you are right- there does need to be a way for the public to know about bad outcomes and transports etc. I think that there should be transparency in all health care. Informed consent to someone being your provider (at a home birth or hospital birth) includes knowing the positive things about them but also the bad outcomes and transport rates.

"Regretful's Father" Says...

This is a repost of a comment that "Regretful's Father" said,

Regretful's Father said...
I have been considering this post for some time now, so here goes. As the father of "Regretful" I can tell you that as a man, husband, father and now Grandfather, I have never felt so helpless. I am a guy who "fixes" things. In the hospital immediately after the birth, I could not fix my precious baby granddaughter. I could not fix my daughter's deep hurt and anguish. I could not fix my son-in-law's obvious pain. I could not fix the pain of watching the two new grandmothers try to console each other. I was helpless, helpless. All I could do is Pray.When I got home I went to Paula's web site and read how wonderful she was and all of the beautiful pictures of successful home births. I got angry, I GOT ANGRY. I AM STILL ANGRY.I went to the California state midwife licensing web site and after some difficulty finally found Paula's licensing information, pretty straight forward, current license number etc. I then went to the California licensing web site for Registered Nursing. Wow, what a difference! Same basic information regarding the licensing with one exception, "Disciplinary Actions". Not listed on the Midwives license web site. Something to hide here? I then went to the several midwife associations I could find, nothing negative or even cautionary for the "researching" mother to be. The sad conclusion, unless the new mother to be is somewhat cynical, web sites or blogs of this nature do not "pop up" and are at least hard to find, resulting in an unreasonable and uninformed expectation of a blissful birth experience for the new mother. Unfortunately, for my family, it ain't so.What I did "experience" at the hospital is the "miracle" of today's technology. A technology that hopefully helped "fix" my grand daughter in some way. I "experienced" the amazing tender care by an unbelievable crew of dedicated professionals. One RN assigned to my granddaughter I will forever remember. He was the one guy who did the most to "fix" my granddaughter. Simply amazing young man.As I now watch my granddaughter grow I wonder when the next bomb is going to drop? Will we all have to worry about her future development forever? I can't "fix" that either.My regret.......FOREVER!.......is........I did not challenge my daughter on her birthing decision before this family nightmare occured.My one REQUEST of the custodian of this blog, Please do what you can to have this blog or website "pop up" for those new "mothers to be" to help educate or offer an alternative view.
August 27, 2009 6:07 PM

From the Blog Moderator:

I am so sorry that you had to go through this experience with your family. I truly hope that no one else has to go through the unecessary hurt and anger that you felt. I do want to clarify again that it is not midwifery that is to blame for what occurred. Midwifery and home birth are still safe and a viable option for those with healthy pregnancies. Where the problem occurs is in making sure that those who are receiving a license as a midwife are properly educated, tested, and proven as providers. They must know, without doubt, how to deal with an emergency situation properly. They must know when is an appropriate time to transfer to hospital care. They must know proper resuscitation measures and have appropriate equipment present in case of an emergency. If they do not have those precautions, and do not fully have the skills required during an emergency, then, unfortunately, they will be unprepared during an emergency.

There are a lot of midwives out there who are very well educated, very well informed, very knowledgeable, very experienced with emergencies, and are very prepared for the unexpected. Those midwives are proven in that they HAVE dealt with those emergencies and come out the other side of them with a good outcome. Those are the midwives I would trust with my body, my baby, and my birth. Unfortunately in some of Paula's cases, the families don't know who is who until AFTER the birth experience. That is why I created this blog- to let those who are doing their research know that there are people out there who are unhappy, to say the very least. Let people make an informed decision. If they see the truths about Paula's work and still decide to hire her, that is their decision. I just hope it turns them around to more experienced midwives who have nothing to hide and no pride bubble to pop.

Update on Complaints for Paula by "Anonymous 2"

This is copied from a comment made on a previous post.

"Anonymous said...
First of all my heart goes out to you, I don't know the particulars of your situation but clearly you have suffered. Thank you for coming forward to speak about your experience with Paula.I think everyone should know that there are currently three cases of Paula's being investigated by the Medical Board of California. All of the complaints originate with both the parents and the medical personnel that care was transferred to. I don't agree that homebirth is unsafe when attended by qualified, competent providers with a low-risk mother and a hospital within 20-30 minutes. Everyone should be aware that the unexpected can happen and there should be the equipment, training and experience to deal with it. It is unfortunate that the bad eggs ruin the reputation of homebirth and the midwives that provide those services. Please heed the advice of the earlier blog and do your research and get references regardless of the birth location you choose."
August 26, 2009 12:18 PM

Always Research Your Provider by "Anonymous 1"

This post is a repost of another comment left on a previous post. It was very well said, so it needed to be repeated. Thank you to whomever wrote this. You are completely correct. Its not how friendly or 'nice' someone is. The important thing is: can they handle an emergency if it comes up?

Anonymous said,

It's vital that any childbirth provider is thoroughly researched - whether at home or at the hospital. However, at least with a poor care provider in a hospital, you have other staff to come in and salvage the situation. Certainly you can have bad outcomes in the hospital, and it's vital to know who your care providers are! But when choosing a midwife, you really need to know if she can handle the rare emergency. Otherwise, you would have the baby alone, right? You want someone there with the ability to pay close attention, notice any anomalies and properly act as needed. Outside of what you might already consider when researching a midwife - such as training, experience and licensing - ask for references! And I don't mean just references from those who had an easy, uncomplicated birth. Ask for a reference from a family who had a shoulder dystocia, one who had a postpartum hemorrhage, and also from one who transported to the hospital. How did the midwife handle those situations? Did she remain calm? Did she act efficiently and with skill? Did she solve the situation or adequately get professional assistance and/or transport to the hospital? Also ask when the midwife arrived and how long she was with the laboring mama. Was mom and baby monitored from active labor forward? Unfortunately, licensing does NOT mean everything! That cannot be enough to satisfy you. There are wonderful, experienced and skilled midwives in our area. Paired with a healthy mom, good prenatal care and a hospital within a reasonable distance - the odds are outstanding that one will have a great, healthy birth. In fact, the scientific research supports that.

August 14, 2009 3:41 PM

"Regretful" Says...

This Post is a Copy of a Comment left on the previous post. I felt it needed to be repeated.

"Regretful said,

I don't want to get into a war of words but I am posting on this blog to say to any expectant mother reading this, to reconsider your choice of choosing Paula as your midwife and reconsider having a homebirth. I wish someone had said to me, what I am about to say to you. Although I have a friend that had a good birth experience with Paula, a friend which I used as my reference for the decision to have Paula as my midwife. I sit here now, after the fact, and beseech any new mother reading this to not make the same regretful mistake as I made. What a tragic mistake it was to literally put my baby's life in incapable hands. While I agree that Paula is a caring person, I wholeheartedly do not believe she has the necessary skills/capabilities of dealing with an EMERGENCY situation. A number of things went wrong the day my baby was born. To all new mothers out there, I urge you to steer away from the romantic homebirth notions that you hear and read about. Because those notions can quickly turn to a nightmare that you never expected you would see. I never imagined I would have the difficulties that occurred during my birth. I had the healthiest pregnancy any woman could have. Frankly, I also had the 'that would never happen to me' attitude. Please, please, please put your unborn child's life in the trained capable hands of today's medical professionals instead, because you can never know what will go wrong during your birth. It’s a decision that I will regret for the rest of my life. However, If I can help but one mother make a better decision than I made....well, then I feel at least I have done something good from my tragic situation."

August 11, 2009 12:08 PM

Take the Birth Survey - Rate Your Birth

I urge all moms, not just moms who have had bad experiences, to go to www.thebirthsurvey.com and put in your birth information. It is important for those coming after us to know the truth about the providers we trust with our bodies and babies. It is anonymous and you can be honest about your experiences with any provider.

I hope that all of those who have had bad experiences with Paula will go to the site and leave their input and experience. The public needs to know.

www.thebirthsurvey.com

Reinforcing the Truth

As I write today I am sad to say that I have been in contact with another mother who has had a bad experience with Paula. She is not ready to give a formal complaint on this blog yet, but I am assured that her family is preparing one.

Today I am pondering the definition of the word Incompetence.

Wikipedia states that Competence is the ability to perform a specific task, action or function successfully. Incompetence is the opposite of competence, or the lack of competence, meaning NOT having the ability to perform a specific task, action or function successfully.

I also am pondering the definition of the word Fraud.

Wikipedia says that Fraud is "an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual.

Then I moved on to Health Fraud and this is what I got:

"Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe unproven or fraudulent medical practices. Random House Dictionary describes a "quack" as a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, or qualifications he or she does not possess; a charlatan."^[1]

The word "quack" derives from the archaic word "quacksalver," of Dutch origin (spelled kwakzalver in contemporary Dutch), meaning "boaster who applies a salve."^[2] In the Middle Ages the word quack meant "shouting". The quacksalvers sold their wares on the market shouting in a loud voice.^[3]

"Health fraud" is often used as a synonym for quackery, but this use can be problematic, since quackery can exist without fraud, a word which implies deliberate deception."

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So, in recap, someone who pretends to have medical skills that they do not have and is known to shout (or boast) of their services on the open market is called a Quack or someone committing Health Fraud. I'd say its a safe assumption.

Maybe a picture of a big duck in the background is appropriate. Or not.

Then I moved on to Charlatan. This is what is said,

"A charlatan (also called swindler or mountebank) is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, fame or other advantages via some form of pretence or deception. The word comes from French charlatan, a seller of medicines who might advertise his presence with music and an outdoor stage show."

Huh. So a quack, or a charlatan, practices 'tricks' to obtain money via pretence of a service or security that he or she does not possess. Yet this charlatan sells and advertises with a 'song and dance' or a pretence of knowledge that she or he does not securely know.

So how then do we prove someone is a charlatan or Quack in midwifery? I suppose the old idea of three strikes and you're out should work. If you continually prove yourself UN-worthy to possess a lifesaving skill absolutely necessary to the job, you should not be in that job. Period.

Latest Update and a Question

It has come to my attention that Paula has created yet another website to anwer to this blog- (Paula Schnebelt, the Truth ) she already has several under her belt advertising her services to Sonoma, Napa, Sebastopol, among other North Bay areas.
www.themidwivesonline.cm, napamidwife.cm, sonomamidwife.com, among others...

I assume she has created this blog/site to answer to this blog. That is fine- she, however, has failed to answer to any of the complaints registered by this blog.
If you take the time to look at each of her websites, you will find that all the content is exacty the same in each one. Why is that? Why does someone need 5 different sites with the same content? Seems like a waste of money and resources to advertise yourself so hard. Marketing herself seems to be a strongpoint. So that is, again, why I created this blog. If she is going to push herself so hard at the expectant parents who are interested in homebirth without complete disclosure of her recent questionable events, then I feel that it is in the public's best interest to understand who they might be hiring.

Some questions I would be asking and would expect honest answers:


1- How much real experience do you have? Meaning, when did you first get your license to practice midwifery in california?
2- Where do you live? (she doesn't live in Napa btw)
3- What do you feel is an appropriate amount of time to labor?
4- What do you feel is an appropriate amount of time to push? (1hr, 2 hrs, 10 hrs??)
5- Are you up to date on your neonatal rescucitation certification? (infant CPR)
6- How quickly CAN you get to my house if I go into labor? (truthfully)
7- Do you know how to suture correctly if I tear badly? (meaning, can you sew me up appropriately so that I can hold my urine and stool properly??)
8- Are you experienced with techniques for shoulder dystocia? How many cases have you had?
9- How much continuing education do you have? what other classes have you taken?
10- Have you had any bad outcomes? (Emergency transfers, maternal or baby deaths, damaged moms or babies)

I think its important that those who work in the field of homebirth midwifery need to be honest with their clients. I would hate to see anything happen to any mom or baby because of someone's pride, lack of experience, dishonesty, and lack of disclosure. I am glad that she has taken up practice with another experienced person in the area. I hope that she can glean wisdom from it and maybe she will study and learn in some of the areas that she is lacking. I just hope that her own bad decisions don't cause problems for whoever she is working with.

Lastly, if she reads this herself I want to just say that its not personal. I only want to preserve and protect women's rights to homebirth in the U.S.... if an unexperienced person claims to know it all and does not humble herself, she is not only setting herself up for failure, but she is making a bad name for midwifery outright. We are not God and sometimes we have to submit to higher authorities, experience, and medical technology when things don't go right. We don't know everything, but we cannot act as if we do. Admit your wrongs to the community, ask for help, and learn the things that you don't have confidence or experience in. If you don't, and more events like the recent ones keep happening, its only going to get worse for moms and families! I truly hope you will consider these things as constructive, for the sake of future moms and babies safety.