Discussion Points: Opinions on Homebirth

Celyn · April 2011

unassisted/freebirth - totally irresponsible. I won't attend one.

with a midwife - totally acceptable and normal as long as mom isn't high risk. All the midwives I've worked with are very well versed in urgent care, know the warning signs, and are quite conservative with care. If they are at all concerned about anything during labor/post-partum, they transfer to a hospital immediately. I've been at two homebirths that transferred - both were due the midwife erring on the side of caution and not due to a true emergency.

in most cases, you will get into an O/R faster as a homebirth transfer than as an in-house patient. They know you're coming and they prep the room for you and wheel you straight there if that's where you're headed. (neither of my transfers needed an O/R).

ChristinaMT4 · April 2011

I haven't read all of the responses yet, so forgive me if I repeat anything already said.

I'm not as opposed to homebirths as I once was, but I would never have one. I can see the appeal, but I like being in a hospital, surrounded by professionals and the best medical equipment. I also welcome the break I get, it's like a vacation! lol

I recently read a blog called Hurt by Homebirth that gave me pause. I still think women should have the option, but I would like to see more women do their homework when it comes to selecting a midwife (preferably choosing a CNM over a CPM) and I would like to see a stricter process for licensing midwives. I also think they should be required to carry malpractice insurance.

I do not support planned unassisted/freebirthing at all.

love22 · April 2011

Because of Matteo's birth, with multiple times where his heart rate dipped leading to an emergency c section, I am personally pretty scared about the what ifs. I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't been monitored internally so we knew how much distress he was in. I felt completely safe in the hospital and even when his heartrate pretty much stopped I really wasn't concerned because there were so many doctors around me.

starlily313 · April 2011

Team AmyFelice & MrsBoomBoom. When the what-ifs can lead to disability or death, the chance is just not worth it to me.

FWIW, I delivered at a Kaiser that was very much NOT into using interventions until absolutely necessary. Part of that had to do with the fact that I was in preterm labor so they wanted baby to bake as long as possible, but they still delayed doing things like breaking my water (even after 30 hours of active labor) & using the vacuum. There was also a moment they could have said "c-section time" due to fetal heartbeat issues, but they didn't. I would deliver at a hospital all over again.

I<3MYHUSBAND · April 2011

I know people who have done it, and been successful. However it isn't for me, and I don't really see the point in doing it that way when you have modern medicine on your side these days. I love when people say that is how they used to do it, I wonder how many woman back then really wish they could just have a epi and be done with it

. I will say I have heard of twin Mom's wanting to do it and I think that is totally irresponsible these days.

amyfelice · April 2011

StefandTodd:
amyfelice:

Just because I know everyone is going to want the study
(So the odds ration is 2, meaning twice as likely to die at home. And that's just deaths, not brain injuries, shoulder dystocias, or other injuries. )
I considered posting this when I first came upon it but didn't want to stir up a can of worms. I guess I figure since we are already discussing it, this is a pretty good study.
This is an interesting study, although from another perspective being twice as likely to die during birth when the infant mortality rate is so so low still doesn't make it "risky" IMHO. I mean, it doesn't make it all that much riskiER to ME than birth already is.
The only thing I can think to compare it to is the FFing/RFing debates I've seen on the boards. I'm pretty sure someone posted a study that FFing a child in a carseat statistically result in approximately a FIVE times higher mortality rate of the child in a fatal car crash. I mean, five times higher, and many people still opt to FF their children b/c overall, the risk of a child dying in a car crash at all is very low, so very very low x5 is still very low. Low enough to be comfortable making that choice when considering other factors that make it desirable.
I obviously don't think ALL women need to be on board and excited about homebirth. I've decided that I'm not even comfortable with it, though I support it very much (you probably remember that you and I have discussed it when I was researching it before even TTC). BUT, I think it's unfair to suggest that all women who educate themselves on their options and choose homebirth are choosing irresponsibly for their families.

See, this is why I didn't post it to begin with. I did not suggest that anyone was being irresponsible. I am presenting data and only "suggested" that as this was only discussing death, there are quite a number of other bad outcomes that one can only guess are also higher in home births. I don't think people know this since people kick around a lot of misinformation.

StefandTodd · April 2011

amyfelice:
See, this is why I didn't post it to begin with. I did not suggest that anyone was being irresponsible. I am presenting data and only "suggested" that as this was only discussing death, there are quite a number of other bad outcomes that one can only guess are also higher in home births. I don't think people know this since people kick around a lot of misinformation.

Whoa, I'm glad you posted it (it made me feel more supportive of homebirth, after really looking at the numbers...99.87% survival versus 99.95% survival doesn't really change anything for me...and for many others it obviously reaffirmed their belief that homebirth is not for them or irresponsible for other people). My point was just that the study still points to a VERY small "risk"...a VERY small risk multiplied by 2 is still a very small risk. Some people see "factor of 2" and think "whoa! That's huge!" ...but it's really not huge (to me) when discussing infant mortality rates.

And if you look back through the post, "irresponsible" was a word that was tossed around a lot in this post, and I didn't mean to suggest it was you who said it! So sorry if you took it that way just b/c I quoted you. I was basing my comments on the study, not you or your opinions specifically. I intended to quote the study. It's the study that I'm critical of and find irrelevant to impacting my own opinions of homebirth. But your opinion or how YOU (or anyone else) interprets that study? I'm not and did not intend to be critical of any of that.

Celyn · April 2011

What's curious to me in regard to the posters who had emergency c-sections due to heart rate dips, etc., is the lack of understanding that a midwife would also be monitoring the heart rate, especially during contractions. She's not incapable of noticing a dip of any size. If the rate is dipping enough to alarm her, you do to the hospital. She doesn't try to deliver a baby that isn't tolerating labor at home. Midwives aren't idiots deadset on delivering at home regardless of fetal outcome. All the midwives I know transfer about 10% of their patients and they aren't shy about doing it.

Celyn · April 2011

Also, if you decide you want an epidural, you're free to go to the hospital and get one, just like anyone else. All of people choose homebirth because they don't want that option available though

N.M.M · April 2011

i personaly wanted a home birth it dident happen but in my opinion women have been giving birth since the begining of time and before we decided to make it a medical issue women gave birth at home and i see why, its a lot easier to labor in ur own bed too i was in active labor hours before we went to the hospital it just dident seem right waiting at the hospital for hours or days i wasnt sick or anything like that just having a baby. its a personal choice though.

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Discussion Points: Opinions on Homebirth

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