To all of my trusty Three Is The New Two readers (I know who you are, and even if I don't - I know what town you live in), I'm going to ask for opinions here. I asked Karl for his opinion during my amazing birthday dinner last night and now I want yours.
I read this article yesterday and I want to know what you think. I love things that make me re-evaluate my beliefs, even if I always come to the same conclusions in the end. I'm not going to say how I feel about it (yet), I just want to hear how other people read things like this and what they come away with. What do you think?
Questions? Comments? Rude remarks?
10 comments:
wow I am so disturbed that someone would endanger there baby by seeking no medical advise. at least have a midwife there! a VBAC is not something to take into your own hands. I honestly feel sick that her poor baby died because of her choices. I think they do way to much to a baby when it is born at a hospital but you still need to have some help even when you are at home. the life of your child is nothing to put into chance and do all "free". come on I think anyone with common sense would make a better choice! never the less I hope that mom can live with herself for making a bad choice.
I guess I could see if she had four kids a natural with the assistance of a medical provider and then tried by herself, but to try after you have had a c-section is not wise. wow I am sad about that story.
There was quite a jumble of thoughts in that article -- I was a little confused about what it was trying to say until it mentioned that there was no midwife involved in the homebirth. I'm definitely a proponent of homebirth, but it must be coupled with education and a qualified and trustworthy midwife. I'm not a proponent of free birthing--I don't see any reason someone couldn't make an agreement with a midwife to be as hands-off as possible but to still be at the birth just in case...
I would say it's irresponsible to birth unassisted. Others would say it was irresponsible of me to birth at home even with a Midwife.
So even though I wouldn't do it, I wouldn't want that choice to be taken away because then it opens the door for my choice to be taken away as well.
I'm sure I'll have more thoughts later, that was the first one that came to mind.
Free birthing seems highly irresponsible and downright stupid here in the U.S., though woman have done it for centuries and still do it in other countries. We, in the U.S. are medical intervention addicts. Though I have no idea what the implications are on homebirthers who do use midwives - this doesn't seem like something the government should get involved with even if a baby accidentally dies.
There are parents who refuse medical intervention every day for their dying children claiming "religious beliefs" (i.e. Christian Scientists) and that is not illegal.
It's also highly contradictary for the government to prosecute a woman who wants her baby yet has an accidental death during childbirth and then allow a woman who doesn't want her baby to kill it before the birth. This seems like it sort of falls into a "woman's right to choose category".
its not very responsible in my opinion but i dont think its criminal. i think its irresponsible to to go a hospital with no education, but not criminal... its on the same level as that to me.
I feel like our society has un-learned how to birth and it seems this mother has taken steps to right the wrong of that tragedy to an extreme.
I sort of agree with Tricia, if she had already birthed children naturally and had been taught the tradition of birthing, I could see this as being wise. But the situation she was in....well, if it were me, I'd want someone around that knew what was what when it came to a natural birth.
I actually know someone that had 4 kids that went like this.
#1 Hospital
#2 Midwife at Birth Center
#3 Midwife at home
#4 at home, with her husband during the middle of the night (planned this way, just not the middle of the night part) and in the morning everyone was shocked the baby was there, they didn't even wake up when she was giving birth...she was kindda a pro at this point.
so, without reading anyone elses comment yet...
the fact that it is a VBAC is the only siren going off for me...
my opinion is that "you never know." You never know what each delivery will bring, you never know if that baby would have passed away anyways. Each mother (hopefully) bases their decisions on what they think is best for themselves and their child and it really saddens me how we are attacked. Whether it's me who walks in saying "give me all the drugs you have" or it's this poor woman who lost her child...WE ARE ALL ATTACKED for those decisions. She did not make the decision to free birth hoping to loose her child.
Should she have been assited? YES, but only because something went wrong...what would I be saying if it had gone prefectly? NO!
Now...knowing the birth you had with Soren, I would strongly reccomend you be assisted please...but will I be horrified if you aren't, maybe a little at first but it's not my child, it's not my own life at stake, because it's what you decide is best for your child.
Does the idea of Freebirthing horify me, YES, only because the idea of giving birth naturally does, and people I have done it on accident (epidural didn't work) and it was HORRIBLE, I did not enjoy my birth or even want to hold my baby boy afterwards...it was tramatic and I thought I was dying.
We are all differnt, but we are all mothers from that first positive pregnancy test...find your support where you need it and stick to your decisions...
Skylana...It is so irresponsible to go to the hospital uneducated...I wish so bad that I would have taken a refresher Lamaz course before I had Bradley, but I didn't because it was rediculouse in my birth with Katy(the trying to breath part while my ex husband slept through my transition part, which I look back now and know the rediculouse part was the ass I married)...
I, and every other pregnant woman, should be prepared for pushing that kid out without drugs...just in case...
Wow, I am kind of at a lost for words right now. I read other people's comments and agree with many points, but still cannot come up with my own words to express how this just breaks my heart. Being pregnant with our first baby, I cannot imagine having an unassisted home birth. I have definitely considered a home birth, but doing it all on your own just blows my mind. Oh, how I hope and pray that women would learn from this woman's experience.
I think it is just plain stupid to try and have a child at home with NO medical assistance. I don't see anything wrong with the at home part, and that is a beautiful option for some people.. but at least have a doula & a midwife present. A VBAC should always be preformed in a hospital for other reasons. I chose to birth at a hospital because I felt it was the safest place for me to be if something went wrong. I knew my rights when it came to refusing things like an episiotomy and a c-section and other forms of intervention. But for me home birth wasn't an option, and yes if the child dies during an unassisted home birth I would consider it to be a crime. That woman's child would likely had survived if she had the proper medical staff there. SO SAD!
Post a Comment