As you’ve probably already seen, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are posting a lot to their new Instagram page and it hasn’t even been in existence for a full week. Their communications team has already posted timely photos of Harry’s events, with details about his history of support for various charities and foundations. The Sussexes also thanked their fans for donating to charity as part of the #GlobalSussexBabyShower, and they’ve been highlighting charities in individual Instagram posts too. They’re quite clearly using their IG page as a de facto blog to inform, educate and highlight their interests. It’s not the worst thing.
In addition to setting up their communications office, Meghan and Harry are obviously finalizing the birth plan. For months, we’ve heard that Meghan has been interested in a more holistic, less antiseptic-hospital birth. She was reportedly even curious about home births and all of that. Well, I think everyone is in agreement that she’ll be giving birth in a hospital. But she reportedly doesn’t want to be surrounded by the Queen’s doctors:
The Duchess of Sussex has delivered an astonishing snub to the Queen’s highly-regarded doctors, insisting she doesn’t want ‘the men in suits’ to oversee the birth of her first child. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that, in a significant break with Royal tradition, 37-year-old Meghan has appointed her own delivery team, led by an unnamed female doctor.
Royal Household gynaecologists Alan Farthing and Guy Thorpe-Beeston – who is a specialist in high-risk births – attended at the arrival of all three of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children. They are among the best in the world but neither has been given the leading role in Meghan’s care. And she has politely declined their services as lead physicians for the birth. In keeping with protocol, the Queen’s doctors cannot be excluded completely. There will be some role for them, and should something go wrong – as it did with the Countess of Wessex – the Queen’s doctors would step in and take over.
One source said: ‘Meghan said she doesn’t want the men in suits. She was adamant that she wanted her own people. It did leave a few of us a little baffled.’ Another said: ‘It is slightly surprising. These people [the Queen’s doctors] are the best of the best and when it comes down to it, their role would actually be very limited in the birth itself, assuming all goes to plan.’
Sources close to the Duchess stressed the ‘personal’ nature of her decision, with one insider saying: ‘Above all, this is her birth, her baby, and she must do whatever feels right for her. How could anyone judge her for that?’
There is concern however that Meghan’s choice will viewed by some as unnecessarily extravagant. The Queen’s physicians do not charge a fee, yet taking on a new team of specialists will cost tens of thousands. A source explained: ‘Working for the Royal Household is seen as an honour and attracts other high-profile fee-paying patients.’
Sources close to the Duchess insisted last night that her preference has not caused any offence. One said: ‘No one has thought anything of it because it really is ever so personal.’
Imagine a woman wanting to… choose her own doctors and wanting a lady doctor to deliver her baby? *clutches pearls* What kills me is that the Keen folks are so insistent on this idea that Meghan is a “minor royal” and “no one cares” about her and what she does. So, by that logic, her birth plan doesn’t matter and it’s not important to the line of succession. “Future Queen” Kate had to give birth a certain way, with certain Queen-approved doctors, because that’s what happens when you’re giving birth to the heirs. It’s been made clear (repeatedly) that Meghan and Kate are not in the same position, therefore it should be totally fine that Meghan is doing something different.
Also: “unnecessarily extravagant” – because she doesn’t want to be forced to take “freebies” from doctors who will use her name to price-gouge other patients because “oooh, I wanna use the same doctors as Kate & Meg!” Once again, Meghan is getting sh-t for rejecting the traditional – and shady – bargains that royals make.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN.
I mean, birth plans are personal – and they should be. After the amount of horror stories I’ve heard when it comes to men telling women that “x pain is normal!” and things of that nature I’d want a woman in the delivery room as well. There should not be much of a fuss if the queens team is either still in the room, or at least on standby.
The thing is that unless you are indigent and have all of your appointments through a clinic, the Obstetrician who initiates your care when you learn of your pregnancy, and whom you have appointments with throughout your pregnancy, is the doctor who delivers your baby. Which means that Meghan’s delivery team has been set for at least 7-months. Why is this random story about her delivery team just now coming out? And if she were indeed snubbing the Queen’s doctors wouldn’t the Tabs have whined about it before now?
I believe Kaiser is right. Meghan isn’t married to the Heir so there probably isn’t as strict a medical protocol to follow. It’s so obvious that these daily ‘this outsider who doesn’t know or keep to her place and is deliberately rude to everyone around her’ stories over the past two weeks are designed to deflect from the current gossip about William and Kate.
“Which means that Meghan’s delivery team has been set for at least 7-months. Why is this random story about her delivery team just now coming out?”
My thought as well. This story must have been written by someone who has never had kids or known someone who had kids.
Yes! She’s likely had her OB for several months now. This story is wack. Personally, I only choose female ob/gyn providers due to comfort and a woman treating a woman just makes the best sense to me for numerous reasons. For the record, my PCP is a man because those were the only option through my HMO, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised and he’s done well so far. Otherwise, my first choice was to find a woman. Some may disagree with my thoughts here, but this goes back to healthcare being a very personal choice.
A little sidebar about pregnancy in the UK. In the UK, pregnant women — whether ‘indigent’ or living in a large detached house — do not typically see obstetricians. If a woman is pregnant, she sees a midwife at a clinic. For regular folks, this midwife might be at your delivery or might not, depending on how your clinic works. When I delivered, I did not meet my ‘delivery team’ until I actually went into labour, and then it was whoever was on duty that day. Now, I believe that’s the case for most people. At least in London. That sidebar was about commoners, even ones with decent means. But, yes, royalty and people with exceptional means may have a doctor. (As well as anyone with a high-risk pregnancy.) But, even then, I wouldn’t be surprised if the pregnant woman did not see them as early into their pregnancy or as frequently as a woman would in the US. Sidebar done.
@Ocho it’s the same in Australia. You generally see a midwife during your checks and a midwife will be the one to deliver. An OBGYN only gets called in if there’s an issue.
Fair enough, but Meghan is American. My bet is that she’s had an Obstetrician in place, with his or her Team, since she discovered she was pregnant. But thanks for the information (I’ve learned something new). 🙂
Do you think that Kate had similar prenatal care? That she didn’t know who her Team was until just prior to her deliveries?
Childbirth is an intimate, personal, and potentially dangerous experience, and no one—Kate or Meg or any woman really—should be required to deliver with doctors they’re unfamiliar with or don’t click with just to satisfy their 90 something grandmother-in-law or “courtiers.” Heaven forbid this woman make an informed decision on what works best for her, her medical history, and her intended birth plan.
+1
Exactly, thank you.
Or to generalize it more, heaven forbid a woman get to choose who has access to her body. And I realize this story is specifically about Meghan, but why the hell should Kate be required to allow people she may not want touching her body touching her body simply because she’s giving birth to the heir?? That is some antiquated bullsh*t.
Continental Europe here- what about the ultrasound appointments and prenatal diagnostics? Who does that in UK? I find it hard to believe that a midwife would be left to her own devices with all that. Where I live, we have frequent ob/gyn appointments, regular ultrasound imaging, blood and urine testing – there’s quite a lot of it, especially in the first trimester/beginning of the second, not to mention weekly visits in the last weeks of pregnancy. I can’t imagine being left with a midwife examination alone.
I never had an obgyn. I stayed with my general practitioner from start to delivery of my baby. He also took care of all the prenatal testing and imaging. I thought obgyn’s were for at-risk pregnancy’s.
I’m in the US, but I have had friends who delivered with CNMs (certified nurse midwives) and they never saw a doctor for their entire pregnancy. They went to an office for their ultrasounds, but the midwife took care of all the other testing. The only time one friend of mine needed a doctor was, unfortunately, when she was miscarrying. The midwives delivered her two babies though (but she didn’t have an epidural or anything.)
The act that one would think ob/gyns are only for high risk and rarely seen does not give my American sensibilities great confidence in the UK healthcare system. If course many women see nurse practitioners or midwives in the USA but most of pregnancy monitoring is done by OB/GYN in America.
Hi, NZer here… our system in NZ is that women have one Lead Maternity Carer during their pregnancy and birth, which is often a midwife. Midwives will do all the checks & tests (except for bloods & ultrasounds) and unless there’s complications they will be the only medical professional attending the birth. It’s considered to be the best pregnancy care system and it’s free! Thanks public health care
I’m a uk based doctor and I’m also pregnant so I feel qualified to answer this question-
Essentially in the uk you access maternity care via your GP who refers you to the local midwifery team. Antenatal care including scans etc is then organised by the midwife.
If you are deemed to be high-risk, you will then see a consultant (or often a registrar acting for the consultant) in ante natal clinic.
In terms of who delivers the baby- it just depends who is on duty on the day, a lot of low risk women have midwife led care throughout and never meet an obstetrician.
Having said all that, this is the NHS system. It may be that Meghan has chosen to pay for all of her care privately (which would make it easier to keep everything confidential as there would be less people involved). In that case, she may have nominated an obstetrician very early in the pregnancy but usually unless there were specific risks or she was intending to have a c section it would still be a midwife who delivers the baby.
I’m a US resident and I saw midwives exclusively for my prenatal care and the delivery of my daughter. CNMs are highly qualified medical professionals with training equivalent to a nurse practitioner (in fact, most are also NPs) or physician assistant – they have prescribing privileges and can order ultrasounds and other testing just like an MD can.
Why would there be fees either way with the National Health Service? (Canadian here)
They won’t be under NHS care, they’ll be under private, so there would be costs involved. It allows them more privacy, amongst other things.
Private doctors I assume.
Who is paying for it?
Most likely, the Duchy of Cornwall.
What a strange question. Who paid for your labor and delivery?
I see; that’s interesting. Thanks.
God forbid a pregnant woman decide who pokes around at her bits!
The vitriol over the weekend around Meghan having the audacity to choose her own medical care was absolutely disgusting.
Alternative headline: Meghan Chooses Doctors that are Right for Her.
–
As a WOC Meghan absolutely should not just accept doctors who are accustomed to delivering babies for rich White people. There are all manner of studies showing racial bias in medical care which affects things like how POC are diagnosed and treated for pain.
I’m sure Meghan picked a team who she trusts.
This!
This extends to mental health. WOC, black women, especially, are less likely to be diagnosed and treated properly because a) the overwhelming majority of psychologists do not understand racial stress and it’s effect on the mind and body. And 2) they’re less likely to prescribe drugs to us, and see symptoms associated with ADHD, Anxiety, and depression as personal moral failings.
I regret paying thousands of thousands of dollars to white therapists. Complete and utter waste of money.
Absolutely! Serena Williams nearly died giving birth because her doctor didn’t listen to her. The maternal mortality ratefor WOC is crazy, at least here in the US, and I’m sure Maghan is aware of that.
@GR, that’s not entirely true. Her birth emergency (the baby’s heart rate dropping leading to an emergency section) went very well. That emergency was not caused by nor was it exacerbated by her care team. Her personal emergency arose because due to a preexisting condition, she was prone to blood clots. *A* doctor initially didn’t listen to her when she said she needed a blood thinner drip. He’s a dick. After that, they found and fixed every complication that came up. But none of the complications were caused by her care team and none occurred during birth.
Honestly, this was my very first thought. Women should have the freedom to choose their birth plans where possible and in the case of her being a WOC(especially being half-black) it is essential she choose a team that listens to her. Studies have shown that in the case of black women, doctors listen to them less than white patients, ignore their pain more and it has devastating effects on their risk of complications. And these studies also indicate wealth, education, and class are not factors in the level of bias in the treatment she is likely to receieve. I hope she gets the exact team that she wants and that they hear her concerns.
This is 100% the truth. In 2004 my mother nearly died after a routine hysterectomy (“I’ve done 1000s of these” – doctor) because the doctor didn’t listen to her, was dismissive of her pleas, and eventually ran away from the problem.
Anyone can put on a white coat.
I read a twitter thread a couple of weeks ago about a Nurse explaining what racial bias does in the medical field. She recounted her experience as a white nurse tending to her African american patients and how they’re used to being ignored and in pain. It was heartbreaking.
That is so sad
This article made me so angry. 1 – of all the things to get for free!! They are trying to make it like she is so extravagant with money because she doesn’t want those three clowns delivering her baby??? She should spend the money to get the doctor she feels comfortable with. 2 – get the F out of her womb. Yes, she signed up to share her life with the world, but there is a line. She is the only one having this baby, she gets to decide what and where will make her comfortable. For some reason this article screamed Cambridge-bus-throwing. And, I’ve defended them in the past, especially Kate’, BUT if they are going to say that Kate is some kind of Kid whisperer, how about they care about the health of THIS BABY. lay off the pregnant lady.
“because she doesn’t want those three clowns delivering her baby??? ”
Exactly which three clowns and what makes you say that three highly respected and qualified doctors are clowns? That comes across as rather rude and prejudiced against people you probably have no knowledge of.
And why use the word snub in the headline? Choosing others isn’t necessarily a snub.
Can we stop blaming the Cambridges for every negative Meghan article? Somwtomes the media can be real jerks without help, the need to blame the Cambridges for everything wrong said and done towards the Sussexes is bordering on cartoonish villainy.
I agree Sash I think it is big oversimplification and like you said cartoonish villainy to claim every negative Sussex story is planted by the Cambridges and vice versa. As you said the press can be jerks on their own and there are many other royal employees, friends, acquaintances out there who serve as sources.
Leena – I said clowns because they look like clowns in the photos the daily mail printed of them.
Sash – I didn’t say every article, I said this article. If the Cambridge’s can come out and deny that Catherine didn’t tell Meghan off for berating her staff, they could come out with some kind of support for Meghan. If children are her thing then she should support a woman’s choice for medical care. Their silence says more than their words at this point.
@Snap Happy Are you joking? You expect the Cambridges(or even the Sussex) to come out and deny every stupid story the media makes up? And I’m not talking about sources that say W&K deny the story, but the palace themselves? That’s all they’d do. Please realize that the tabloids make up stories, they do not need “sources”, and Harry, Meghan, Will, or Kate are running to the press because they have issues with each other. It’s absurd.
Lolly I am completely serious. I don’t want to hear about Kate’s devotion to children when she and Will stood by and let, not just this story, but the months of sh@t directed at Meghan flow unchecked while she was growing another human being. The level of vitriol thrown at Meghan is beyond compare.
I don’t expect the Cambridges to say anything, however they should be aware that actions speak far louder than words ever will.
This is such a bizarre thought- why should they be responsible for pushing back against every single lie written about their in-laws? Why isn’t the Queen defending Meghan? Harry? Charles? The Palace as a whole? I don’t know, I just think the royals as a whole should be ignoring the press that works overtime pushing lies for clicks. To me, it’s silly to expect a response or rebuttal to everything printed in tabloids. It’s all just trash anyway.
Never mind.
They should push back and so should the Queen. They are suppose to be this moral touchstone of superiority. What is going on with Meghan is beyond. There should be more shows of support. It’s not just individual stories, but what has been going on for months.
@SNAP HAPPY
Understood and I completely agree. But in that case, I firmly believe it should be a palace effort and statement, drive home the family is sticking together and behind Meghan.
Lolly- the Cambridges DID come out and publically deny that Catherine had berated Meghan for being “rude” to THEIR (NOT Catherine’s) staff. That’s what Snap is referring to, I believe. If the Cambridges are willing to come out and respond to a tabloid story to make Kate look better, then why can’t they respond to a SINGLE of the plethora of negative stories about Meghan, for the sake of supporting her as well?? I firmly believe that if there was a tabloid story about Kate and Meghan that made KATE look like pure evil, and the story really caught on, Meghan would come out and issue a brief, succinct denial of the story.
@anna – that was what I was talking about. Once they denied that one, they really left themselves open for questions about why they can’t respond to other stories.
What a snotty article, even for the DM.
I think this is another tabloid blow up for clicks. The queens doctors are always on call in case of emergency, like they did for Sophie, but unless something goes wrong they’re not the ones delivering. Meghan’s doctor/midwife will deliver if everything is straightforward.
Please don’t attack me Im genuinely curious. Why get married into a family knowing its very much into traditions, protocols and such if from all that I’ve been reading you like very little about it? Wouldn’t it just be easier for Harry and Meghan if they just left? I mean it can’t be all bad.
Serious question for you — Why are you assuming anything you read with regard to criticisms of Meghan is true? Why do you assume the DM knows anything about her birth plan? Why do you assume Meghan hasn’t learned what she needs to know? And isn’t abiding by the family “rules” and protocols? Why do you assume that Meghan has done anything wrong, especially when Kate and other royals have done the exact same thing (and gotten no criticism)? E.g. Meghan closing her own car door. Or wearing colored nail polish. Or myriad other things. If they can’t even be trusted to be honest about closing a car door or trivial things like that why on earth assume they are honest about more important things?!
I mean, this story in particular is trash. Not only because it comes from the lying, racist DM but because Kate had female midwives. You can find the articles and pictures of her hugging them online. These doctors might have been on call, or “attending” the birth (which is all the article actually says!) but they didn’t deliver the Cambridge babies. Not only that, I recall the stories that one of them had retired already (before George then went back into retirement after attending his birth) so why would he be called on at all 5 years later?!
I’m honestly think you can just safely assume that 99% of what you read about Meghan is not true. The British press has an agenda and they are sticking to it regardless of how stupid and racist it is.
IMHO, pretty much every story in the Daily Fail is 99% trash.
IMHO, pretty much every story in the Daily Fail is 99% trash.
@Royalwatcher
I hope you take the same advise you gave to MJ of not believing every story on the DM about Kate.
You think that’s archaic: this child will “belong” to the crown. Not even his/her parents. Being royal is honestly a prison, yes it’s a pretty jail cell, but you own nothing of your own and you have to keep the warden happy at all cost.
This child may also be half American. Might make it a little trickier to impose royal will. I wonder how that would work?
The child will not “belong” to the Crown. The child will be a dual British/American citizen. Like every child in the world, s/he will be influenced by the system in which s/he grows up and his/her parents. However, if s/he wants to run away and join the circus at 18, there is nothing stopping them. Linley (the child of the monarch’s second child) made furniture. Zara (the child of the monarch’s second child) is a professional athlete. Eugenie (the child of the monarch’s second son) worked in New York. S/he will not have a royal role and can do whatever they want.
@Tina the Crown is the child’s guardian not the parents. Anything H&M decide for the child can be overruled by the monarch. It’s the way the laws are written. It’s unlikely that H&M will ever have a problem with this unless they divorce and Meghan wants the child to live with her in the US or something.
@Ainsley where are you getting this stuff? It’s all nonsense. I am a qualified solicitor in the UK and I promise you, the child’s guardians will be its parents. Just like William and Kate are their children’s guardians. If Meghan and Harry divorce, there would certainly be issues in the family courts if one parent tried to take the child far away from the other, but that is true for all dual-national couples. It has nothing to do with the BRF.
@Ainsley, oh, you’re listening to Marlene Koenig. The Children Act 1989 supersedes anything previously enacted in this respect (we operate the doctrine of parliamentary supremacy in this country) and it makes clear that parents are the guardians of their children.
No one will attack you.
There are thousands of protocols which Meghan in the first year of marriage has followed.
But there are also thousands of protocols made up to attack Meghan.
Clearly Meghan wanted a life with Harry and as explained in a previous post, Harry is obligated to stay in the royal family till Prince Louis is 21.
Why would he be obligated to stay in the royal family until Prince Louis is 21? Andrew would be happy to take his spot, wouldn’t he?
@Maxie no one wants Andrew close to the monarchy.
Harry must be hoping Will and Kate don’t have another baby, which would prolong his period of obligation!
Wouldn’t that really just be 13 more years until GEORGE is 18, and then HE would (legally) assume his “place” (or is legal age in UK 21)? Or are we counting on a big “IF” something happened to G & Char? Then Harry must stay if needed as regent to either of them? Seriously asking…
@jan my understanding is that he has to stay until George is 21. @Notasugerhere has explained it before, I think there has to be 4 people living in the country who are in line to the throne and are OVER the age of 21. So currently its Charles, William, Harry, Andrew. When Charles becomes king it will be William, Harry, Andrew and Beatrice, until George turns 21, then he is counted in that group. (so then I guess William, George, Harry, Andrew.) Then once Charlotte and Louis are over 21, it would be Harry, George, Charlotte, Louis. (assuming William is king. if not king yet, then I think William, George, Charlotte, Louis.) So none of the Cambridge kids will be able to leave England either. I think.
@Becks1, one small correction, which I assume is what you meant; once all of William’s (current) kids are 21, it would be George, Charlotte, Louis, then Harry (under William’s reign).
As nota also mentioned, Harry is legally required to act as regent should William pass away before the next heir (presumably George) is 21. The alternative is Andrew.
As you say, as a Counsellor of State Harry is required to live in the UK.
Nota’s post about all this was in the article about a title for Harry and Meghan’s baby a few days ago, for anyone interested in reading her complete comment.
@Windyriver – thanks for the clarification! I wasn’t sure if there was a specific order or not for the counsellors. This site is actually the first place I’ve heard of it, I keep meaning to google for more information about it.
It isn’t a prison. Nota is right that counsellors of state have to live in the UK. But there are hundreds of people in the line of succession to the throne. If Harry gave up his title and his royal life, he could leave his role as a counsellor of state. But he’d have to give up everything, including security. He also wasn’t raised to do that. But no one is legally or physically preventing him from leaving royal life.
Harry is not going to endanger his nephew by risking Andrew being in charge if something happened to William. That reason alone would keep Harry in the line of succession and in the UK.
I agree that Harry isn’t going anywhere and I have no time for Andrew, but the chances of Harry (or Andrew) acting as regent are pretty remote. And Andrew’s acting as regent would not endanger George. This isn’t the Princes in the Tower.
This is ridiculous. So it’s a protocol thing to have someone you maybe don’t connect with all up in your business during the most intimate of moments? I’m really hard pressed to believe in this day and age the queen or anyone else is sticking to protocol when your parts are on display and your obv not at your best. I assume Meghan should also wear a hat during the birth as that is generally royal family protocol.
And I swear I read Kate didn’t use the fancy man gynecologists (sarcasm) but rather midwifes, and the mds were sort of there if needed. This is the way it is in most hospital births. Certified midwives can do a lot if not all of it if there are no complications, and an md is available if things get tricky. I didn’t get the impression they were standing in the room observing. I read the articles at the time to mean they would come in if needed. (Or maybe one of them did deliver George? It’s all kind of a blur now).
Meghan’s got everyone so divided that everyone clicks on articles: the haters to hate, the fans to defend. But honestly all the DM articles are made for one purpose, click money. I dont think it’s the grey men, the Cambs, or whatever…. I think it’s the DM/Sun making money taking normal things and blowing them up because they know it will be thousands of comments. It’s like when they troll people saying a Kardashians natural beauty in a headline… they’re looking for clicks.
But yes you’re right. They’re on call for emergencies, but midwife or her regular doctor will deliver if everything is straightforward.
Exactly. They know their target and what riles people up. It’s why it doesn’t make any sense that William is calling Richard Kay to throw M&H under the bus,when besides the fact that RK doesn’t like them and is not going to miss the opportunity to be snarky,he knows how to draw more attention to his piece among stans and “haters”.
Good point, I swear at one of her engagements Kate met a female doctor who had delivered one of her children! Definitely not a man in a suit!
I think people are also underestimating the reality of professional courtesy and interaction among doctors. I highly doubt the queens doctors are swooping in to take over from other qualified professionals just because they are the queens doctors. From what I know of doctors being married to one this would be seen as pretty rude and professionally undermining. I’d hazard a guess the Queens ob/gyns are first and foremost loyal to their profession (as I assume they have practices behind just being at the beck and call of the queens relatives) and having the royal connection is just an additional credential. It doesn’t square with my impression of how doctors interact with each other professionally that they would be waiting in the wings to take over from a colleague just because a baby is royal. I’m sure they’re available to consult if that’s what the team wants but this whole story is bizarre.
Yes, Kate ran into Prof. Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent at an event in 2018 and they hugged; it was reported that she had helped deliver Charlotte. Prof. Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent is a nurse midwife and a WOC.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018022746619/kate-middleton-reunites-midwife-helped-deliver-princess-charlotte/
I think any woman has the right to choose her own doctor, especially for childbirth, and I don’t blame Meghan one bit for wanting a female doctor (I have only ever seen female ob-gyns, that’s just my comfort level.)
Also, if my best friend had had significant complications post childbirth, due in part to the fact that she was not taken seriously by her medical team, I would probably be a little freaked out and want more control over who attended my birth as well (thinking of Serena Williams here.)
These men actually saved Sophies life (and the life of her baby). They are great in crisis situations. But the article is misleading, they only step in IF there’s an emergency.
Meghan should and will have her choice for delivery.
I’m sure they are excellent doctors. But I don’t blame Meghan for wanting to pick her own.
She should choose the doctor for the delivery of her first baby. I hope everything goes well with the child and mother.
at least she knows there’ll be no leaks from undisclosed palace sources
I’d be worried about unauthorized pictures of Polo baby getting out.
Off with her head! How dare she make a birth plan that she is comfortable with? It’s almost like it’s her body and her baby.
Does everyone remember the headline over 30 years ago that Princess Diana was snubbing the Queen by refusing to give birth at Buckingham Palace? Publications like the Daily Fail probably wonder why any royal just doesn’t give birth on the front lawn for all to see and judge.
Daily Fail stories have one intended purpose…click bait to make money!
Deleted!
I am the same age as William so I never heard of this story.
Jeeze nothing changes with these tabloids.
It’s all right here! Same sh!t, different decade.
https://twitter.com/royalfactcheck/status/1115002277323055105
Some of the Kate vs Meghan stories are word for word rehashes of the old Diana vs Fergie stories.
Criticizing her for, of all things, determining her preferred birth plan and medical team for the birth of her first child, is horrid and appalling. I want to copy and paste Weaver’s comment above as it is extremely important to consider when thinking about the framing of this story:
“Alternative headline: Meghan Chooses Doctors that are Right for Her.
–
As a WOC Meghan absolutely should not just accept doctors who are accustomed to delivering babies for rich White people. There are all manner of studies showing racial bias in medical care which affects things like how POC are diagnosed and treated for pain.
I’m sure Meghan picked a team who she trusts.”
This is beyond the pale. I refuse to click on The Daily Mail story or give them the traffic because that only feeds the beast (tons of traffic on awful Meghan stories guarantees more awful Meghan stories), but I appreciate Celebitchy for keeping us informed of what they’re saying so we can drag them here, as they so richly deserve. Disgusting people.
I really won’t know what to think until InTouch reports on the situation, obviously.
made me laugh
Most women in the UK are delivered by midwives and they’ll ONLY see an OB if their labour/delivery goes outside the norm. It’s why women and babies don’t die at the rate they do in the US!!!!
That seems correlative…maybe.
But causative?
A bit of a stretch.
Surely maternal mortality rates in an otherwise wealthy and developed country are complex and multi-factorial.
Surely we can agree it’s not solely down to women’s deliveries being attended more frequently by highly-trained specialist medical providers? 🙄
More than half the deliveries in the US are covered by Medicaid (i.e. lots of poverty which leads to poorer birth outcomes) and there are factors specific to African American women which lead to a high rate of premature births (there is some fantastic research being done in Detroit to reduce those numbers). So yes, it’s very complicated and doesn’t have much to do with birth attendants.
Carey where are you getting your statics from. Half of the US population isn’t on medicaid. ….site your source please
Carey’s numbers aren’t exactly right, but their close. Most recent estimate I found said 45% of US births are to women on Medicaid. No, 45% of people aren’t on Medicaid but I think women on Medicaid are more likely to have children, ie be of child bearing age and female 🤷🏻♀️
https://www.google.com/amp/s/khn.org/news/nearly-half-of-u-s-births-are-covered-by-medicaid-study-finds/amp/
Yep! The US birth model is made to save HMO’s money and not as much importance is placed on women and babies. That’s why the intervention rate in the US is way higher than other developed nations, they want to turn over beds and get women out of the hospital ASAP which in turn causes way more complications.
She is literally doing the same thing Kate did. Doctors will always be around at a hospital but Kate delivered with a midwife. Presumably Meghan is doing the same-delivering with a chosen team and the doctors will be in the building, if needed. This isn’t trailblazing stuff.
+1
Exactly. This article is just another attempt by the press to take a swipe at Meghan. Best to ignore it, no one should be telling a pregnant woman how to go through their labor.
The criticism and pearl clutching are ridiculous but not surprising given all the anti-Meghan vitriol.
But the idea that these buttoned up male doctors should take the lead because it’s tradition doesn’t allow Meghan ownership over her own body & birth is just enraging. The growing number of implicit bias studies in the health care context consistently show male doctors undervalue and disbelieve women’s articulation of pain compared to male patients. For example, the UCL research about women and period pain (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/headlines/2018/mar/doctors-finally-confirm-period-pain-can-be-painful-heart-attack). I certainly seek doctors who understand me, respect my choices and my pain threshold. Enough already. Let Meghan have her own bloody doctors.
Stories like this make the British people look foolish
@Casey02, comments like this make YOU look foolish. The Daily Mail isn’t “the British people.” Sick of people going on about British people’s attitudes. Lots of Americans making disgusting comments about Meghan on the DM, I assure you. Personally, good luck to Meghan during this whole process and after. She has a right to her own medical team and preferences FFS, this whole “story” is rubbish.
Sarita…. You must understand, this is what is being put out by the British Media and picked up by legitimate media in the US. It’s a reflection on your country, just like Brexit and to make it fair Trump is a reflection on America.
@Casey02 don’t be daft. You can believe what you want to believe, but in no way is this a reflection of British society (which FYI consists of many minorities too, of which I am one). You guys fling around generalisations about British people (who are all uptight, Eton going poshos apparently) and British media in this really irresponsible manner and since you brought up Trump and America, let me just say I went to university in the US and worked a few years there afterwards, and no that’s not how I see my many American friends at all. It’s one thing to say certain things expose racial problems in a country (trust me I live this, so I know), it’s quite another to claim that sensationalist tabloid clickbait content is what British people are really about.
Sarita.. First my apologies. Second most Americans have no ideal what the DM and other British tabloid are about. However when legitimate news sources like ABC, CBS and others pick up articles
From DM about Meghan (like problems working at 5 am) it has a negative impact on the British people. Since you’ve spent time in this country you probably know that the majority of Americans don’t follow the day to day of the BRF, so basically they believe what’s being reported. Where is the minority voice in support of Meghan in your country??
Casey, I am glad to have had this conversation with you and I too apologise if my tone was a bit angry. Majority of British people don’t follow the BRF either, most people simply don’t care + don’t really have time to care. I would hope sensible people can see clickbait for what it is – appealing to the very worst of human nature, basically for money. It is not a nuanced picture of what a society is at all, neither American society nor British society. Where is the minority voice in support of Meghan in your country…you asked. I am not sure what you are asking here, to be honest. Do you want minorities to do some kind of march in support of Meghan or something? lol. What do you want us to do? I don’t have many feelings about Meghan. The criticism she has faced has been racist in nature yes, and that is vile and a cynical (and effective) way of riling people up (for clicks, it’s all about money). I also feel sorry for the misogynist attacks Kate has faced and faces (and which Meghan obviously also faces). This is all disgusting and we shouldn’t fall for it by giving any of these publications clicks, and we shouldn’t believe any of the crap they print.
Sarita: Thanks for the clarification on how the majority of the British people view the RF. My question concerning minority support for Meghan really isn’t limited to Minorities but more to counter narrative. It seems all of these stories are printed by her and there is no one defending her or setting the record straight
I think it would be a big toss up do determine whether it is UK citizen or USA citizens that really care the LEAST about Cathy & Bill Cambridge or Megs & Harry Sussex.
However, many people (substantially more people than I would have guessed) are concerned about BREXIT. I am sure that 90% of this concern is due to with trade, investment, business & commerce, but still people in the USA are concerned.
@Sarita, ignore her. I have pointed out the supportive publications (Guardian, Independent, literally all the TV channels) but she ignores them as they do not suit her anti-British tirade.
Casey, the US has its share of trash magazines – In touch, Nat Enquirer, Star Mag, etc. They are just as bad as the British gutter press. It makes the people in the UK AND the US who buy, read and believe this garbage look foolish, not the entire country.
The difference is the American legitimate media would never run stories from these publications as facts. However that is not the case with the DM. I have seen on numerous occasions the American media quoting the DM and using RP as experts….that is the difference
Sooo…it’s the British people’s fault that the American media picks up stories from the Daily Mail. Right. The cognitive dissonance is strong in this one.
“Stories like this make the British people look foolish”
I am British and I agree with this comment. I think Sarita is plain wrong. The mainstream media unfortunately does include the daily Mail. It is the most widely read newspaper in the UK by a very large margin. And it has been at the forefront of the attacks on Meghan. Furthermore Piers Morgan heads up Good Morning Britain on ITV – the second largest tv channel in the nation. He is another huge Meghan hater and he has a very large platform for running his mouth.
The fact is that the UK is showing itself to be incredibly narrow minded and very comfortable with bigotry and misogyny. And the world is looking on and judging us accordingly. If we don’t like how we look then we need to take more decisive action.
@Ads, I have noticed your comments here in the past few weeks. They do not seem to me to be coming from a particularly British perspective. I do not know any other British people who would voluntarily accept the blame for the Daily Mail’s commentary.
Another day, another racist article about The Duchess of Sussex in the DM. She’s so uppity even the Queen’s own doctors aren’t good enough for her. Way to play to your pos readers and commenters for clicks.
A journalist in the UK calls “scream the race-baiting lie, whisper the quiet correction” the Daily Mail playbook in general.
I hope she uses a small, local birth center to highlight the incredibe options available to expectant parents these days. I live in the US, and where I am from it is totally normal to choose to go to a birth center, to have a midwife, and to deliver at home. My friend had both of hers at home (she is in her 20s). It seems like the women around here got really good health education, because even stuff like IUDs are standard (Absolutely none of this was true of the other states I have lived in – I waa prepared to do battle for my IUD, and it was actually the most popular recommendation). I feel incredibly privileged and liberated to live where I do: Freebirthing is not a weird, scary thing, because the women are actually taught what to expect, they learn about stages of development and signs of complications. Obviously not every expectant mother knows these things, and the vast majority still use the hospital simply because they are not interested in alternatives, but the alternatives that exist are VERY popular.
Cannot be excluded completely? They sure as hell can. I do not believe that the royal family’s power and tradition extends to your medical care. Not in 2019. I get that historically crowds of people watched the baby be born and the laboring mother was basically a vessel for the heir. But this is obviously not the case anymore. We keep being reminded that they’re minor royals so who cares. An untitled cousin to the eventual king? That requires certain doctors for protocol? Give me a break.
And while we’re at it even Kate giving birth to the heir shouldn’t require this. She’s a full formed human entitled to the rights to her body and who touches it. It’s not 1750. Medical care is your private decision whether you’re a retail worker or queen.
Honest to god this story set me off.
That’s why royalty is stupid. But it exists, it’s antiquated, and patriarchal even when a Queen is reigning.
The media is so hell bent on making Meghan look like some rebel disrespecting the Monarch that they’re completing losing touch with reality and looking stupid with these ridiculous articles.
I’m sure everyone from The Queen to Charles, Harry and Doria simply want a healthy baby and safe delivery for Meghan. In this day and age, too many women, in 1st world countries, are dying due to complications from giving birth. Meghan wanting a team that she picked and trust should be a given for all pregnant women.
Royal or not.
They’ve given this woman hell in the media her entire pregnancy. If it wasn’t what she wore, it was her touching her belly. Now they want to give her a final jab with how she delivers her baby.
This is sickening.
Ridiculous. Meghan should have a birth plan and team she feels comfortable with period.
Agree with you 1000%. Royal or not, every woman has a right to decide what is the most comfortable for her.
Same!!!
I shouldn’t expect better from the racist British press, but here we are.
Why can’t they leave her alone? Let the woman breathe, have her baby in peace with whatever medical care she feels comfortable with. SMH.
Deflection, deflection and deflection. Its a non story really as Kate did this and so has every other royal mother am sure.
Her body, her baby and her choices.
Gotta deflect from those PP hit pieces now shouldn’t we. Rehashing the same stories that we’ve been hearing about for months on this subject.
No, Kate had these doctors wait around in case they were needed. They are only there in case of a true emergency. They did save Sophie and Louise. Meghan can do whatever she wants, but to say that the others didn’t have them isn’t true.
In other Meghan news, the press is back tracking on their story that Meghan hired the Interior Decorator that decorated Soho House, because she wanted Frogmore Cottage to look like Soho House I kid you not.
Then it was Amal Clooney’s decorater, now it’s Victoria Beckham, with Serena Williams designing the nursery, surprise because Venus Williams is the one with the interior design business.
Good for her! I’m expecting my first baby, and it’s so important for me to do what I can to have the most comfortable, safe, and stress free experience for me, my partner, and our baby.
I personally use female doctors for pap smears and other services that relate to the female reproductive areas and for breast exams. I feel more comfortable when talking to another female. Some male doctors do not have the best bedside manners and I know this from personal experience. Every female who decides to reproduce should be allowed the choice of their own doctors. I don’t care if they are royal or not.
My Ob/Gyn is male and I adore him. He is gentle, kind and understanding. However, every woman should, and has, the right to choose whomever is a better fit. I for one don’t care about gender when getting a pap smear, breast exams or ultrasounds, but I know plenty women who do and are far more relaxed when a female doctor is handling them.
The Queen’s doctors are trustworthy and don’t talk to the tabloids.
I hope Meghan checked her own doctors, too.
HM’s doctors are HM’s doctors. Meghan is not required to trust or employ them.
Proven track record vs unknown.
We seem to be getting tabloid type articles about Duchess Meghan without vetting them. Not even a question mark? I can read the British rags myself.