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Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

If Obstetricians Were Bus Drivers

I have never seen a post on this list that implied someone lost sight of the importance of babies (healthy or unhealthy, they are all important). As someone else pointed out, we all want our children to get to school safely, do we not care how safely the driver drives? Is it okay if the driver makes foolish and dangerous decisions as long as everyone gets to school okay?

Oh, gosh, I find myself wanting to have all sorts of fun with the bus driver analogy.

Bus drivers I have known:

So focused on the map that they have never noticed the scenery, so they never know when they're lost.

So focused on driving exactly in the middle of the road that they don't notice the tires losing air or the gas running low until it's too late and they have to call the helicopter to come take the kids to school.

So busy with lots of routes that they have to hire other people to do most of the driving, and then just hop on the bus to drive the last block.

So busy that they often have to speed through that same last block, often causing unnecessary bumps, bruises and tears.

So worried that someone else might try to drive the bus that they refuse to answer any questions about the condition of the bus or the route, saying only, "Leave the driving to me".

So worried that people might not appreciate how difficult it is to drive the bus that they create three near-misses on the way, so people will really thank them for getting there safely. If unable to create near-misses on the way, these drivers will sometimes pull out a pair of scissors and trip people as they get off the bus.

So intent on getting the kids safely to school that they pump their stomachs as they get off the bus, just in case they ingested something dangerous on the way.

There are lots of strange bus drivers out there. Sometimes it's better to walk or just stay home. :-)