[Pregnancy] Rant: Homebirth Illegal?

[sionnach_sidhe]

That's what the AMA (American Medical Asses -- I mean Association) is pushing for. To legislate against births outside of a "hospital, or a birthing centre within a hospital complex

Comments

[finitedancer]

*sputter, fume, hiss*!!!! I am sick of the medical industry taking " what if" scenarios and turning them into excuses to control a families chibirth expereince and convince women that chidbirth is some sort of life threatening illness!!! I...Am....So....MAD!

The women I know who have had the most difficult births ( with some exceptions) were primarily ones who were nto comfortable with their bodies, were not prepared for childbirth and who had been conviced in thier lives that childbirth was some sort of horrific experience that women only ever barely managed to survive. SO they are scared and they fight the process and the average OB is so busy that they do very little to assit the mother with any of these issues. They make sure mother and babe are physically okay and ignore the emotional and psychological concerns.
This is hurtign the low income persons in the worst way possible. it is unjust that they should have top spend the first year or two or more of thier childs life not just enjoying thier child but also payin gback a hospital! New families or families in transition are already under enough stress!!
This is absoloutly ridiculous. Granted Birthing Centres can be beautiful tranquil family focused places to give birth, but they are EXPENSIVE!
I am so glad that the Ontario government here has included Midwives under the services covered by OHIP, Now we just need to get more schools teraching them and gettign them out serving the public.
Okay I will stop ranting now...just so infuriated!!!

[sionnach_sidhe]

You're not the only one.

I think something that really frustrates me is the way that some women undermine the choice/practice of homebirth & midwifery even as they appear to stand up for it.

Case in point: this recent BlogHer article where the author both presents the case against the AMA, along with celebrity responses, and yet describes her speeding-to-the-delivery room birth story, complete with a description of her "terrible" tear and "immediate and extensive surgery". It just made me wonder -- if she had been labouring with the help and supervision or a trained midwife (or even a doula), would her tearing have been so extensive? or was it perhaps because instead of relaxing as much as possible with the entirety of the birth process, she was speeding along the road with a panicked husband? I'll admit I don't know, the tear could have been just as bad, but I still wonder (and also counter that midwives are trained medical professionals who are fully equipt with the skills to deal with the "side effects" of birth, if not equipt with an OR and nursing staff.)

What do you think?

[gulfpirate]

That's a very well-balanced article. I LOL'd at "size and speed of exit," as if the baby had inherited the NASCAR mentality from its white-knuckled drive to the hospital and launched itself from the gate the minute the starting light went green. Accompanied by images of the facing wall adorned with a crash pad and baby-catching basket, just in case.

I wonder how long it will be before hospitals will offer "birth packages" costing different amounts, based on what a family can afford or how much medical monkeying they'd like. Oh, you need immediate and extensive surgery? That's pricey. A crash pad and catcher basket for hi-speed deliveries? That'll run you $2000. I'm reminded of Peter Venkman's great line from Ghostbusters: "No, it's a lot of money, we understand, we can just put this guy right back in there..."

[sionnach_sidhe]

It is balanced in that the author makes it clear she's seen both sides of the birth spectrum, but I still think that this approach is similar to someone saying "Oh, of course I'm Pro Choice -- but as a Christian I'd never let my daughter have one..." She states that she supports homebirth, but gives long personal 'evidence' on home homebirth would have been a dangerous choice for herself. I find it undermining. (But it is still a well-written piece, for all my criticism.)

At least some private Ob/Gyns are already offering different "packages" according to what one can afford. I can't remember where I read the article, but due to the complaints Ob/Gyns were getting over extremely short visits, extended wait times, etc, some have started offering "spa" services in which they only take a limited # of patients with the same due month, guarantee 1/3-1h visits, perscribe massage therapy, etc. (which, funnily enough, is *exactly* what midwives already practice). These "special attention" packages cost an average of $15,000 -- and that doee not include the fees of hospital birth itself.