Friday
natural childbirth, RIP ??
This is a very OBNOXIOUS COLUMN by a woman who not only chose a medicated childbirth for herself (which is great. more power to her. good to choose the kind of childbirth experience that's right for you.) but then goes on to mock and belittle any woman who wants to give birth without medication or medical intervention. She argues that no sane woman would ever want to give birth without drugs or outside a hospital and titles her column, "Natural Childbirth, RIP." She says the "trend" toward childbirth without medical intervention is dead.
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I'm sure you've said before but I haven't been reading your blog for that long. Did you have natural childbirth? Can't childbirth at home be dangerous for the mother and the baby?
I had an epidural with all 3 of my babies and might again, although the last one went awry and left me with back problems for two years or more.
I support choice in childbirth. Women should be able to choose the setting that is right for them.
Statistically, home birth is as safe or safer than hospital birth as long as the midwife is properly trained and the woman is a good candidate.
That article is awful! I agree with you that it is a mother's choice to decide on the birth that is best for her but mocking women for the choices they make if they are different from yours is just nasty. Plus, one thing I never hear in these types of arguments is the health of the baby---I didn't choose natural childbirth because I am tough or had something to prove or even to be "empowered." I thought it would help ensure a quicker delivery with a more alert baby (it did!). But, that was MY choice!
also, maybe we need to get away from the "natural" versus "not-natural" language (I am guilty of that, too) because it is not really helpful!
She has stats showing there has been a significant decline in non-epidural delivery. Sure, she's a little hard on the idea, but frankly, there's some over-the-top rhetoric on the natural childbirth side that begs to be skewered. (On my blog I referred to it as "having your baby in a pile of leaves," which seems to be the ideal for some people.)
For all of the people who talk about natural childbirth and having babies at home, there's a pretty small number of people actually doing it.
Probably the reason that medicated childbirths are on the rise is that interventions of all types in the birthing process are also increasing, and one intervention leads to another. For example, when I had to labor in bed, on my side, attached to various machines and with labor augmented by pitocin, it was impossible to employ any of the natural coping mechanisms that might have helped me avoid an epidural.
I gave birth naturally and peacefully to an alert and beautiful baby girl 5 years ago. Call me nuts what ever but I felt as if it was a right of passage. Something that my Mother, Grandmother and those before me had passed down. Just because the medications are available in this soiciety does not in any way make them safe. There is no true record keeeping of maternal death, if a woman is discharged from the maternity ward and comes back with problems she is put into a general ward. If she dies then it is not often reported as a maternal death due to obstetrical issues.
So say what you want, I am proud of my natural birth and the fact that I know my baby came out eyes wide open, not screaming and was able to bond immediately, not to mention I didn't have the humiliation of a tube stuffed up my urethria. I could walk to the bathroom and pee on my own.
Good for anon for going natural. I had an eleven pound baby. Try that naturally. (I don't think you will.)
hmm. rather interesting it saddens Katie to see people skewering othres for chosing differetly considering SHE does it all the time. I guess it only counts if you're skewering something she personally believes in.
as far as the dangerous having babies at home: heck yes it is!!!! "natural" birth advocates crunch the numbers to support their cause. the reason the death rate is so low is because anyone even remotely high risk is removed from the pool. but God forbid something unexpected happens who do you think is better off: someone with emergency technology across the hall or twenty minutes accross town?
I like this Betsy Hart...she is absolutely right. i have heard these smug women brag about their drug free births. what I see is someone so insecure they have to brag about this. I was very lucky with mine..the second one I all but had in the car on the way to the hospital. but damn if I had one of those marathon labors I would want good drugs. and if it dragged on too long and the baby was in distress damn I'd want them to cut me open and get him/her out alive and in good shape rather than dead or brain damaged.
I had an 11 pound baby with one shot of stadol and a failed epidural! If I do this one more time I hope to make it all the way to the end naturally. I don't think the size of the baby really influences the amount of pain, at least not IMO. It's the contractions that hurt the most--the crowning part doesn't last that long comparatively.
I've had three babies, the first with epidural, the last two natural. I don't think there is anything wrong with being proud of what your body can do. I don't think it makes you any more of a woman or better, it's a very personal thing. With my first, the pushing stage took so much longer than it needed to because I couldn't feel to push. I was so groggy and out of it and so was the baby. I realize that doesn't happen in most epidurals, but even without that,in my particular case, I much preferred the natural births. But every situation is different. Natural birth was both harder and easier than I expected. One thing that made it easier to do natural was that I didn't go to the hospital until last minute-I was more comfortable free in my own home.
Well, good for you. In my case, the 11 pound baby would not have come out if they hadn't done an episiotomy. I wouldn't want to try that drug-free, and the labor was very long, too.
My grandmother had three 12+ pound babies back when you had them at home w/o drugs. It was very dangerous fro her.
Drugs/hospitals are good when you need them. And, you don't always know when you are going to. They thought my baby was about 9 pounds until after the fact.
I am totally with you poster above. the smug ladies who posted before you are free to do that because things worked out well for them. I had no drugs because I had little kids and they came out fast. the first one the drugs didnt kick in fast enough the second came out before we got them started. but I wouldnt be smug about it. I guess these people have very little else to be proud of in their lives.
and as an aside if my due date was tomorrow ( 666) I would damn tootin right be having a planned induction prior to that date.
Thanks, girl friend.
Considering my history, with the giant babies in the family, I would not even think about a home birth.
well the people who it works out very well for get all promotional about it like its the best thing since sliced bread. I am sure when things go well it IS very nice, being at home, etc etc (although I sure wouldnt want to have to clean all the blood and crap out of my house...eew) however when things go wrong, they go REALLY wrong. these midwives wont touch anyone with a speck of risk about them but as we all know occasionally soemething really bad happens with no clue that its going to. and if it does, I want to be by the highest tech medical gear there is even if its not all nice and warm and cuddly like my house.
Actually that's not true. Today's midwives often work in hospital settings and birthing centers with ob backups. If something goes wrong the ob is there and you can birth in a hospital so the equipment is all there if something does go wrong. And the midwife stays with you the whole time-they don't just take off if the ob has to help. I had toxemia(pre-eclampsia) with my first and a miscarrige and midwives had no problem taking me on as a client with that.
I think the subject is home birth midwifes. not nurse midwives who are real medical professionals and assist the doctor in real medical settings.
Man, this attitutde ticks me off, because I think it says something about society as a whole: that we're afraid of hard work and pain.
I've had two natural labours, followed by necessary C-sections (the cartilege in my pelvis is "bony" -- sometimes it softens during labour, sometimes not. I'm in the "not" category). One of my active labours was 72 hours long.
The hard work and pain have a purpose -- birthing a child. Sometimes, the pain can counter the purpose, and a mom needs help. That's her choice.
And sometimes, you end up under the knife, for the good of you and baby. That's fine, too.
I found labour pain to be an excellent spiritual exercise -- I'm Christian, and it just gave me an insight into the Crucifixtion I never would have had otherwise -- pain for the sake of another's well-being. Other people I know who are not Chritian have also said the pain can be a spiritual experience, according to their own beliefs.
I'm expecting my third, and am having a planned section due to the cartilege issue. And I have to say I regret not getting to labour this time.
Just to reiterate what others have said, just because one chooses to have thier baby naturally does not meen that they plan to have it at home, or even neccesarily with a midwife. People actually choose to have thier baby naturally with a doctor in the hospital sometimes, believe it or not. Lets not group all those things together, because that makes it really hard to argue. Natural childbirth is one thing, midwivery is another and home births is another. All of these are choices that a perspective mother must choose on her own, seperately. I don't think those who choose a natural birth are being "smug", just promotional of thier views. In a way, they have to be since they are in the minority, and also since there are so many negative attitudes about natural childbirth out there. SOmeone has to be possitive about it, don't they?
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