Dr.Amy Tuteur

[roddma]

I'm sure some of you have heard of Dr.Amy Tutuer. She is a retired OBGYN who is very outspoken against home birth/ natural child birth. She has a blog called The Skeptical OBGYN. She really blasted Jill Duggar's failed homebirth and most recently her CPM status.She may come across as brass, but she seems to know what she is talking about.

[Deist woman]

As a retired Mother/Baby nurse, I have followed Dr. Tuteur's blog for a long time. She really does have an abrasive tone, but she also makes very good points. Her chief crusade is against incompetent midwives at home births. Reading about some of the tragedies that have resulted have often left me sick.

This is a post I made on the All Things Dillard thread a few days ago:

Two of my online reading sites have intersected. I read Skeptical OB, which is devoted to pointing out the risks of homebirth, especially those attended by Certified Professional Midwife (not Certified Nurse Midwife, which requires about 8 years of education and training). I have run into mentions of some of our fundie moms in articles about unsafe home birth. And this week, a whole article was devoted to Jill's midwife credentials, entitled "Jill Duggar Dillard is Not a Real Midwife".

skepticalob.com/2015/09/jill-duggar-dillard-is-not-a-real-midwife-shes-a-cpm-a-counterfeit-professional-midwife.html (link is broken).

Just thought it was interesting.

[SnazzyNazzy]

I just can't get into her, even though I agree with almost every thing she says. I can deal with harsh and brash, but there is something else there, that I can't put a finger on, that sits with me wrong.

[PregnantPornStar]

I am coming from this having a fairly opposite view of her, but I am also not one who supports unassisted midwives and wish there were more CNMs who did homebirths. Anyway, I do like that she is a voice of opposition bra use I know some people who essentially bully moms who opt to see an OB.

However, I am pretty sure she has not been able to support her data on multiple occasions and something about her tone...which kind of has the feeling of "just have a c-section and give your baby formula or you are an idiot" bugs me. That is fine if that is her opinion, but don't present it as fact or a medically supported opinion.

I think what bugs me the most is that she isn't exactly supporting women and their personal choices. Don't get me wrong, I twitch at the thought of unassisted births and do worry about CPMs...

I think she should possibly think about what is making women run away from hospitals.

Anyway...I happened to love childbirth because I am one of those nutters and am a bit of a "birth junkie" but I also like science and healthy moms and babies. Still, Skeptical OB bugs me.

[Kailash]

I had never heard of her. I googled her and found an article she wrote titled "Sure my baby died at homebirth, but that was just a coincidence!"

This article was condescending, arrogant and highly offensive to me, mother of one child, born in the hospital, with a home birth never planned.

She may make some valid points but her delivery (forgive the pun) is so off putting I doubt very many people turn to her for actual advice. I never want to read another thing she's written. Disgusting.

[Deist woman]

I don't think anyone goes to her blog for advice. The blog is for snark against the home birth establishment, just as FJ is snark against the fundamental patriarchal establishment. Just as posts on FJ can get pretty virulent, the articles and posts there do the same. On the blogs and facebook pages that are run by home birth proponents, posts that are deemed "negative" are deleted. So, if a mother is a member of the group, and has a bad outcome due to the practices advocated, her posts are deleted and she is blocked, so as not to detract from the supportive atmosphere of the groups. Anyone who is considering home birth, and reads information from those groups, gets a falsely optimistic idea of the safety of home birth. You have to literally look for places where bad outcomes are mentioned. In this respect, SkepticalOB provides the opposing viewpoints.

I admit that she comes across as an aggressive harridan. I spent 15 years in neonatal nursing, and I understand her feelings. It makes me sick to my stomach, and makes me want to bang my fists against the wall in frustrated fury, when I read a birth account of a baby dying or being brain damaged at a home birth, when it could have been saved in the hospital. And I say this with total sincerity: speaking as a professional who has seen birth and death many times, when she presents case reports and says those babies could have lived if medical care had been on hand, she is absolutely correct.

[AuntCloud]

I just can't get into her, even though I agree with almost every thing she says. I can deal with harsh and brash, but there is something else there, that I can't put a finger on, that sits with me wrong.

Me and a friend who was into extended - think *very* extended - breastfeeding. Both of us used to post on a natural crunchy granola website, with some very vocal pro- breastfeeding voices that bashed anyone who did not agree with them wholeheartedly. My friend used to say about the most vocal woman "after I read her post, I feel like feeding my child Simolac and Cheetos".

[laPapessaGiovanna]

Thanks heaven the ob-gyns that assisted me before and after my birth and the midwives that assisted me during birth didn't have her attitude! And with that attitude I mean: I know it all and a lot better than you. It's true that I am not a medical professional but childbirth was NOT the moment I felt like someone else could know my sensations better than me, such an attitude would have pissed me to no end in a situation where both I and my child profited a lot from the accord I found with those assisting me, thanks to their positive and respectful attention to my sensations, will and desires.

[AmazonGrace]

I just can't get into her, even though I agree with almost every thing she says. I can deal with harsh and brash, but there is something else there, that I can't put a finger on, that sits with me wrong.

I agree with a lot that she says too but I was a little put off by the way she talked about some mother who had their baby die. I understand she's angry about unnecessary deaths in the name of stupidity but maybe one could make the point in a less snarky and more respectful way if it's a grieving mom one's talking about. Also because there is limited info and it's probably not always crystal clear to complete outsiders what went wrong and why. But I suppose she's not there in order to be respectful, cautious and uncontroversial.

[Kailash]

I'm sure some of you have heard of Dr.Amy Tutuer. She is a retired OBGYN who is very outspoken against home birth/ natural child birth. She has a blog called The Skeptical OBGYN. She really blasted Jill Duggar's failed homebirth and most recently her CPM status.She may come across as brass, but she seems to know what she is talking about.

It seems wrong to blast Jill Duggar's failed homebirth when Jill did the right thing going to the hospital after all. That doesn't make sense to me.

[FlamingFundie]

Dr Amy is a horrible, horrible person.

She and her "army" make fake profiles and troll more crunchy groups online with the intent to harass, degrade, and spread hate. Even those who aren't necessarily "homebirth-or-no-birth" keep a sharp eye out for her and her minions.

She is extremely well known in the crunchy world for her evil, fear-mongering, nasty, despicable shaming of women for any choice that doesn't completely follow her own.

There are PLENTY of ways to get your point across without all the negativity she spews.

[roddma]

It seems wrong to blast Jill Duggar's failed homebirth when Jill did the right thing going to the hospital after all. That doesn't make sense to me.

Oops I should say Jill Dillard. I don think shee blasted Jill for going to the hospital, but delaying even after spotting meconium putting Israel at great risk. .Dr.Amy has an attitude much like Nancy or 'Naggy' Grace. IMO. They may seem like bullies, but they know their stuff.

I try to keep in mind NG was a prosecuting attorney. And Tutuer an OBGYN, There's no telling what they have seen which oel go away with or preventable.. Frankly I get tired of bullies from both sides of home birth . Why is it either have a c-section take med's or no meds and risk your baby? However, it was clear Anna Duggar was in great distress with Michael and got very lucky nothing happened. And in all honesty I would not want to have an appendectomy at home, let alone a kid at home. I dont get the trend of setting women back 100 years even with the most knowledgeable and skillful midwife on Earth.

[beancounter]

I'm a little torn on Dr. Amy. Before I found her website I would've told you I was very open to a home birth (full disclosure - never been pregnant), but after reading some of the stories posted, there is no way I would ever consider it.

I will concede that sometimes her writings cross a line, but I feel like there are a few reasons she is so abrasive.

1. In her professional background, I'm sure she has seen her share of tragedy due to incompetence. She has an intense personality that isn't always well received when she is passionate about something.

2. I think she feels like she has to be abrasive to get her point across and reach people stuck in the "woo" (her term).

3. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor around 15 years ago. I really don't think it affected her cognitively - as in sometimes side effects from brain injuries can be loss of self-reflection, but sometimes I wonder.

 

Check out her blog today and you'll see an aspiring CPM going down in flames trying to prove to a bunch of educated scientists, doctors and statisticians that her math is right and they are all wrong...

[August]

 

Me and a friend who was into extended - think *very* extended - breastfeeding. Both of us used to post on a natural crunchy granola website, with some very vocal pro- breastfeeding voices that bashed anyone who did not agree with them wholeheartedly. My friend used to say about the most vocal woman "after I read her post, I feel like feeding my child Simolac and Cheetos".

Alegna. You're talking about Alegna. 

[AuntCloud]

August, are you referring to the Urban Dictionary definition of Alegna?

Just re-read my post and am horrified by the typos.

[Terrie]

Being related to several doctors, I have learned that the one thing that will turn them into ranting towers of rage is people making stupid, dangerous choices because they somehow think they know better than doctors who have spent years studying issues and keeping on top of changes, based on some "gut feeling." I've heard way worse than her.

[PregnantPornStar]

I don't have an issue with the raging about bad choices. However, it isn't only her rants about childbirth, but breastfeeding, assault by medical professionals during birth (it happens, which she essentially denies. That story I am willing to share if anyone cares, but I don't want to bore all with my birth story) and her opinions about rape in general.  

I am often horrified that people turn to the interwebz for medical advice and cling to "woo" ideas, but I also don't think an extreme stance AGAINST all "woo" is helpful.  There aren't two sides to the coin and ignoring the issues in childbirth (namely in the US. Honestly, the difference in Germany is VASTLY different.  I saw an OB during part of my pregnancy in Germany.  Had I delivered there, a midwife would have delivered and an OB would have only attended if there was an emergency. This is the NORM in Germany, as midwives (Hebamme) even attend (not preform c-sections).  An OB appointment was vastly different and MUCH more personal. Not only was the baby checked, but I was. Physically and mentally. The care was incredible compared to what I have experienced in the US.

So, IMHO Amy Tuteur is doing a huge disservice to women. 

[Coldwinterskies]

I think it is nice that Dr. Amy is making people aware of the risks of home birth, because I do feel that this is something that is not given enough attention since the negative stories never get the publicity that uneventful stories do, but I do agree that her way of presenting her point makes me uncomfortable sometimes. I do think she can be extremely abrasive and that can make people less likely to listen to her than they would be if she made her point calmly.  

I think part of why she acts that way may just be that she is a product of her era. She was a female doctor back in the days when female doctors were not as common as they are now. To succeed as a female doctor back then you probably had to have a very thick skin and a very sharp tongue to deal with the attitude you got from male doctors or people who assume that any female in a medical setting is a "nurse". I expect that she likely had to deal with a lot of hazing and heckling from male superiors through her medical training (even nowadays, it is normal to deal with some of that in medical training - especially in surgical specialties, and ob/gyn is partly surgical).  I know some older female doctors, and most of them are very strong personalities.  

I also do agree with Terrie that a lot of times doctors get pretty pissed off at people who think that googling for a few minutes makes them an expert over a doctor who has years of training and hands on experience. Even though most births are uneventful, I am sure every ob/gyn has seen some horrible things happen to moms and babies at least a few times in their career. I am currently pregnant and fully embrace all the medical technology I can get. I am glad that the hospital I plan to deliver at has a NICU so that my baby can get immediate help if anything goes wrong. 

[2xx1xy1JD]

Dr. Amy Tuteur is a well-known critic.  She talks about leaving her practice to raise her 4 kids, so I don't know how current her knowledge is.  As well - as someone married to a physician - I have to say that opinions in the medical field usually vary, and the mere fact that someone has the training doesn't make them the ultimate expert.  Other OBs spend more time delivering babies and less time blogging.

She grudgingly acknowledges Canadian studies showing that planned homebirths here are safe, but she also tries to question those studies and doesn't really emphasize in the rest of her blog that there is such a thing as properly regulated safe homebirth.  She's correct, though, to point out that homebirth is more highly regulated in Canada, where the public health care system will pay for a midwife-attended birth BUT you can't birth at home if you are overdue, if there are multiples, if you are breach, if you have any serious medical conditions, or if you are anything other than super-low risk.  Midwives need to be properly trained, they carry proper supplies and can handle emergencies and transport to hospital.  So, it's quite different from a practical midwife attending a birth of breach twins and bringing flower essence.

[roddma]

PIckles and Hairspray banned me, but i Can still read and there's a good home birth discussion. I think anyone who has successful home birth can just count themselves lucky. I'm glad some comments are saying a midwife in the US can only carry basic tools.. The argument 'Babies die in hospitals,too" is a strawman.

Of course they die in hospitals, and while I agree a degreed medical professional isnt always the best or most experienced, it doesn't justify incompetent midwives. .As I said, there are natural birth Nazis who shame women for having anything other than that magical all natural medication free home birth. People forget many preemies, like Josie DUggar, survived because of advanced technology and medicine. These same peopl go to dentists and doctors for other conditions. WHy dont we all start pulling our own teeth at home or doing our own root canals at home? Appendicitis, tonsillitis, etc are natural too but we get that treated.

[HarleyQuinn]

PIckles and Hairspray banned me, but i Can still read and there's a good home birth discussion. I think anyone who has successful home birth can just count themselves lucky. I'm glad some comments are saying a midwife in the US can only carry basic tools.. The argument 'Babies die in hospitals,too" is a strawman.

 

Ha, she also banned me for telling someone on her page that she got info from Free Jinger. I don't know what she'd do if she was ever IP banned from this site. 

As far as Tuteur, I tend to agree with a lot of what she says, but she's a bit of a dick, so it makes it hard to read there sometimes. Also like others pointed out, I'm not sure how up to date her knowledge is sometimes. But as I'm not in the medical field, I wouldn't know any differently.