Message from discussion
Natural Childbirth was GREAT!!!
From: Dave & Colette <lnrpl...@ripco.com>
Subject: Re: Natural Childbirth was GREAT!!!
Date: 1996/07/01
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>cpor...@afn.org (Colleen Porter) wrote:
>> I have yet to hear one thing that a home
>>birth offers that birth in a good birthing center does not, and
>>considering the many advantages of the birthing center, that was my
>>choice.
activ...@clark.net (J. Rachael Hamlet) wrote:
>Very high on my list of advantages of home birth was not having to move
>from myhome, a familiar and comfortable place, to a strange
>environment, no matter how well-decorated.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING: This post is full of generalizations. While I am aware that
there is always an exception to the rule, this is the way *I* see it,
due to *my* past experiences. I discuss herein things that are
important to *me*. You might have different priorities; that is
your perogative
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Besides that intervention rates are lower at home than even in a birth-
ing center. My midwive NEVER gives episiotomies, and I really mean
never. She points to research that shows natural tearing is better
than a little cut that is likely to cause more major tearing then if
it had happend on its own. And well, the only c-section she had in
recent history was b/c the baby was 3/4 transverse and the version
and exercises didn't work, so after several hours of trying, the
parents and midwife decided a transport was in order. Her practice
is almost as busy as some ob's, so that's a pretty darn low c-sec.
rate (less than 1%).
Homebirths also have lower injury and morbitity and mortality rates
that other births, even when controlling for risk-factors. Anecdotally
the people I know who chose birthing centers so that insurance would
cover it were more dissatisfied than those of us who paid out of
pocket for DEM attended homebirths, and they had a much higher
intervention rate -- usually in the form of an episiotomy.
I use lay-midwives (DEMs) who are better (IMO) at easing a woman through
the natural progression of labor, even better than many CNM's who,
being nurses, must inherently adhere to some medical protocol. DEM's
tend to be more respectful of the beauty and sexuality and spirituality
of birthing. My midwife does a blessing-way in which she rubs sacred
blue cornmeal on my feet as a sign of supplication to the mother-to-be.
She's there to serve me and support me and give me gentle guidance, not
manage my labor. Yes, I am aware that som doctors do this (so I hear)
and that CNM's are generally better than doctors, but they can't compare
to the lay-midwives that attend my births. I assure you they just
can't, at least not for me.
I use a lot of herbs, so having a lay-midwife who is very knowledgable
about herbs and homeopathy is another possible advantage to a home-
birth. Herbs have been used for thousands of years by people, and
have been shown, empirically, to be safe when used with proper
education and respect. I am a firm believer that the Goddess has
placed everything here that I need to survive, and I don't need to
rely on man-made chemicals to live.
There are "foreign" germs in a birthing center from the other mothers
babies and their visitors, although admittedly ther are much fewer than
in a regular hospital. They also use all sorts of chemicals, none of
which even shadow the door of my house, and those chemicals "out-gas"
for quite some time. I don't want my baby exposed to them.
And in the end the baby still has to be poked and prodded (unecessarily
in most cases) and eventually given eye drops/ointment. I want
my baby's body left whole. I don't want the continuum disrupted by
having the baby whisked away "just for a few minutes" -- even that's
too long for me.
It is mentioned in many childbirth preparation books that changing
locations during birth can slow some women's labor down at least
for a little while. So no matter how cozy the birthing center is,
it's quite possible some women would tense up a little bit by being
in a new environment.
The control you have over your birth in your own home is incomparable
to any other environment, period.
Colette (mom to Amy, a beautiful homebirthed 19 m/o)
(and ?????? due to make an appearance sometime in late December!)
"Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web he does to himself."
- Ted Perry (inspired by the words of Chief Sealth [Seattle])
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