This morning, I recieved a call from a birth support professional (birth doula). Her client ~24weeks along in her pregnancy (not her first one, either!) has a lot of pain in a certain area of her abdomen. Positioning is the thing that aggravates the pain as well as relieves it. What do I think?

I go on the record: "We do not take chances. Any unexplained abdominal pain in pregnancy must be evaluated by a medical doctor, ultrasound is the only way to see inside the woman."

I am sorry that the woman is hesitant. Why are women hesitant to to rule out serious complications? Fear. I do not agree with the reliance on technological interferences in pregnancy and birth. I do agree that these tools are there for evaluationg and ruling out serious problems.

This woman has unexplained abdominal pain, could it be a hernia? Maybe. Could it be a placental separation? Maybe. The only way to find out- is by ultrasound and medical use of technology. What happens then?

Get there when you get there. Don't assume. But do not ignore.

This is why this doula called me. She knew this. She knows. But it's good to hear someone else say it... so that's what I did. I said it. Go to a doctor if anything unusual occurs in pregnancy. Don't risk it.

And this is why Antepartum Doulas are necessary. They'll go with her, too...