Thursday, October 7, 2010
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???
16 comments:
Dear Owner of This Blog;
You are obviously very upset with me, about what I don't know. It would be most helpful to know what you are so angry about, and to be able to directly address your upset. I will gladly sit down with you and address your concerns. Please contact me directly at 707-287-2822.
Although this site is upsetting to me because the allegations against me are untrue, the bigger issue is many of the midwives in my area feel this blog hurts midwifery and puts all midwives in question. For this reason, I'm asking that you please take this site down. If you don't feel that you can speak with me directly, instead please contact the Sonoma County Midwives Peer Review Grievance Committee, (Lara Sodergren, 707-823-4801). They can explain the grievance process to you, which is a way that you can have some of your questions answered, and your case reviewed by a third party.
Thank you for your consideration,
Paula Schnebelt, LM, CPM
Paula- you know good and well that there are more than a few families who have complained to the medical board about you, hence the investigator who has been asking questions in the past year and a half. If you feel it is beneath you to answer to the direct questions that I have asked, I should be worried about your integrity. So, very simply, so we can all understand,
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?
3. Can you honestly say that there have NOT been complaints with the board against you? If you say yes you know its a lie.
I think these are valid questions anyone should be able to ask you and get an honest answer. Moms should feel comfortable that they are in the hands of a midwife who is competent, has honestly acquired her skills and had them reviewed and checked off by someone who has seen you perform them properly, and who is honest about her understanding and experience, right?
Who wants to argue?
I am writing on behalf of the Midwifery Community. My name is Lara Sodergren and I am a Licensed Homebirth Midwife here in Sonoma County. I am posting to this blog with the hope of encouraging the owner of this blog to pursue other means to move toward some sort of communication on the issues stated with Paula Schnebelt. I am concerned with the effects this blog may be having on the greater midwifery community and homebirth in general. Now more than ever we need unity and support, not division.
Here in Sonoma County, we have a grievance committee that was set up for those who have complaints about a particular midwife or who have had experiences which warrant further attention. The grievance committee is a means by which a third party can confidentially review the complaints brought against a particular midwife. In addition to quarterly peer review meetings where local midwives bring cases to review, this is a way we create accountability for midwifery practices in our community.
The grievance committee consists of three midwives who would review both a verbal and written complaint made by you. You would have a choice as to whether Paula is present for it or not. The committee would then hold a review with Paula and make recommendations to address the situation, if appropriate. Such recommendations could include items like supervision by a senior midwife, classes, or further skills development in areas of relevance. If desired, you would also have the opportunity to have a mediated conversation with Paula on this matter. If you are interested in the opportunity for this kind of action and resolution, please contact the committee chair, myself, Lara Sodergren at 707.823.4801. Thank you.
Lara Sodergren, LM
I like what Lara wrote, above. I'm Alison Osborn, and I've been a midwife for 33 plus years; I've attended 1075 births. In the course of my midwife career, I've probably had maybe 10 or 15 families that the energy was just not the best, and they have, I've heard, made some complainings.
Midwives are supposed to have a disclosure statement, which is either sent to parents before the interview appointment, or given at that appointment. This is supposed to include background, experience level, training, what services one provides, and what is expected from her clients. I don't list my teachers, but if anyone asked, I'd be happy to tell them.
A forum for gossip is destructive. It never resolves anything. Gossip is destructive, but a grievance committee would have resolution. Gossip lets energy vector-splatter. It is like a witch hunt. It spreads in a negative fashion. And everyone feels good doing it. But, where is the profit? Grievance committee would work on that profit.
Best wishes to the Sonoma County midwives and birthing women. My prayer is for resolution.
As far as I know, some of the serious problems WERE brought to a grievance committee. But the fact remains that there have been some poor decisions made and bad outcomes because of them. Those of us in the information loop know what has happened. The board "wheels" turn very slowly. In the meantime, families need a way to get information. Unfortunately it's through a blog. However, if it makes families dig a little deeper and keeps them safer, I'm all for it.
hello. i fully understand and support what you are doing here. please read my blog- www.ecmama.blogspot.com and then email me at kirynspiscesmama@gmail.com
peace to you
liz
You can find me through Liz's blog! I also understand and support you! Time to get the word out about negligent providers. I'm tired of seeing dead and injured babies because nobody says anything. I wouldn't have had my child die if people hadn't been so hush hush. http://momofmanyfeet.blogspot.com
So a grievance committee of 3 midwives who practice in the same area (aka peers) is impartial? Would these 3 midwives each hold a CNM license? Is there medical review by an agreed upon obstetrician?
Any other impartial means to determine if things would have had a better outcome under a CNM or obstetrician? Review by a CNM not from the area?
Mommy of Two - There is more than one incident with this midwife. The medical board reviews and makes the determination if the midwife acted correctly or not. The midwifery peer review is not law - that is one avenue for midwives to continue to grow and learn.
I wish some of the readers and posters who visit this site would just try to imagine what level of frustration on behalf of this creator and the stonewalling on behalf of NARM must have preceded the creation of this Web site. I am sorry for the creator of this site. You are fighting a battle in which there may be no positive or helpful outcome. The NARM administrative hearings are not supposed to find fault or investigate or to hold people accountable. They are a fancy way to CYA, at least the rear end of the person who may have damaged you or your child. People who don't understand the level of anxiety and hurt you experienced are quick to bash this site and bash you on a personal level. As someone who has hurt deeply, and whose family was aggrieved by the lousy decisions and half-wittedness of lay midwives, I feel like I understand your frustration, if not your specific circumstances. There are people out there, some of whom posted messages above, who have been in similar positions of loss and wilderness and found our way complicated by the actions and group-think and wagon circling of NARM.
I have read through all the posts on this blog and all I hear is someone who seems to hate Paula but I have yet to read anything that backs up any reasons why someone should not hire Paula. What happened?
I am currently working with Paula and have heard a lot of wonderful stories about her. Of course, I am interested to learn what it is that you know about Paula that you think I should know.
If you are working with Paula as a client, please be wary. Yes she may be a lovely woman and yes she may have more "successes" than disastrous births, but you are playing the odds. Birth is inherently safe and her training is sorely inadequate. The nature of the cmplaint process means that people who know what happened are either obligated to maintain confidentiality or are the parents. Or Paula herself. Ask her to tell you if she has had complaints filed and to see the grievances, if she was cleared and she did nothing wrong, she will show you. If she does not or denies it- run the other way. And ask her how much college education she has...
I would just like to add a comment about my experience with paula schnebelt here.
Although, thankfully, my baby is not dead or injured I feel like Paula Schnebelt did not make the best decisions during my birth that led to unnecessary interventions. My water had been broken for a day & she had been doing vaginal exams about every 4 hours (not good for infection) so I would like to know why she didn't suspect infection when I got a fever. Why instead she said it was just the heat of the tub, yet I was GBS positive. She did not offer antibiotics in labor and assured me that even if my baby got GBS everything would be ok because even antibiotics don't treat it. Well, long story short, she waited until my fever was almost 102 and my baby wasnt doing well to bring me to the hospital. A c-section was done & my baby stayed in the NICU on antibiotics for GBS infection for a week. This is careless on her part and completely preventable. I don't think that paula schnebelt is a competent midwife and warn others against using her.
This blog is really old, but I'm glad to have found it. I wish I had read it before I hired Paula Schnebelt as my midwife. When you read through her website reviews, https://www.themidwives.com/ and meet her in person, all you get is the warm and fuzzies. She is a nice and caring individual. I really liked her, but she demonstrated that she lacks integrity and professionalism.
I am 43 and she tried to tell me that my age was not a factor in the safety of having a home birth. This is absolutely untrue.
Dear blogger... You are not even bold enough to state your issues with Paula yourself that means you are a liar and you state things that are untrue and you are ashamed of the truth but want to slander someones good name. Be bold deal with Paula personally not like a snake in the dark.
I have had 2 births and am looking forward to the 3rd with Paula. I don't have a single compliant and am traveling great distances to see her each time because SHE IS WORTH IT.
Get a life and stop trying to LIE TO THE PUBLIC
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