MDC: mortality delusion collusion
MDC is a community engaged in group denial. When members are advised by a doctor or midwife that a particular course of action will increase the risk that a baby will die, they deny it. Then they support each other in the delustion that the entire body of obstetrical knowledge does not apply to them. Doctor says postdates increases the risk of stillbirth; group response: no it doesn't! Midwife says prolonged rupture of membranes increases the risk of infection; group response: no it doesn't! Meconium indicates potential distress; response; no it doesn't! Breech increases the risk of death; say it all together people: no it doesn't. It is so vital to maintain the group delusion that any post that dares disagree with the general denial fest is simply deleted.When not engaging in the group delusion that the risks of various choices don't apply to them, they spend the rest of the time playing magical thinking, advising each other to think positive thoughts and repeat birth "affirmations". They tell each other that they are beautiful and powerful, as if that is going to be any consolation for a dead baby. And then when a baby does die, as apparently happens much more than would be expected, no one dares to question the group-think that supported the risky choices in the first place.
How many babies have to die before someone realizes what is going on? It is not "support" to encourage someone to ignore medical advice, any more than it would be "support" to agree with an anorexic, that, yes, she's too fat. The posts on MDC are not just words on a page. Those are real women, with real babies, who could REALLY die. I'm asking a serious question: How many dead babies will it take? Three, five, ten? Or is there no number of deaths high enough to break the grip of the delusion collustion?
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