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[quote=Anonymous]I think it boils down to this. Some people will always think what they want to think despite any evidence of the contrary. Reasonable minds can differ on whether or not a home birth is safer than a hospital birth, equally safe, or less safe. But those who think it's this shockingly risky thing are ignoring evidence that even if there IS a risk (which is far from conclusive) it is, overall, a tiny risk. Even the mayo clinic says as much in their guidance about home birth - they think it's 3x as risky but also make sure to say that overall the risk is quite small.

For many women, it is a reasonable choice. What is lacking is perspective. I think many of the women who think "all homebirth is irresponsible" are (often, obviously not always) the same ones who think that an unnecessary c-section is just fine because somehow it means you don't face any other risks other than losing out on an experience. I had an argument once with a real life friend about home birth, and I said, "can we at least agree that there are issues in a hospital that are contributing to this choice? Can we at least agree that 40 percent c-section rate or higher in this town is unacceptable?" and she wouldn't budge - just kept saying "I'll take 100,000 unnecessary c-sections over the chance that my baby could die at home with no competent medical care." This is so reductionist. It suggests that an unnecessary c-section is just no big deal, has no risks of its own, and also insists that homebirth is just some backwoods thing, that midwives aren't trained professionals with ressusitation equipment, etc.

I also find that many women who DID have many interventions at a hospital tend to think that their birth experience is a reason that it would be risky to birth at home. The same friend above uses her experience all of the time, saying "my baby would have died at home because of X,Y,Z." Well, her baby was 10 weeks premature! She wouldn't have had him at home. Another mom was induced at 39 weeks (why? well, she had a non-reassuring non-stress test and even though she had a BPP that then showed baby was just sleeping and all was well, she freaked out and said "induce me."). Given cervadil overnight, and confined to a hospital bed with a nurse who told her that it was CRITICAL that she not even more around a lot in bed as the monitors were slipping and would put her baby at risk. She started going into contractions overnight and was overwhelmed with pain and wanted to get up but was told it was dangerous. She got an epidural the next morning around 3cm. Her labor "stalled" at 6cm, so the doctors told her to try pushing, to see if that would help. She had an inflamed cervical lip so they told her she needed an emergency c-section. Baby was born with some respiratory distress. She uses her experience as a cautionary tale against home birth! A final instance is a friend who is a nurse, who is VERY anti "natural" birth and actually seems to think that the mere act of going without an epidural puts baby at risk. She is even anti midwives at hospitals. She was giving birth, was induced at 40 weeks on the spot, and her labor was "going nowhere" (ie not progressing according to friedman's curve). Her doctor kept amping up the pitocin and finally the baby went into distress. "Pit to distress" is not something that ever seemed to enter her mind. She simply thinks that her baby was bound to go into distress anywhere. She thinks her c-section was absolutely warranted. Her doctor now tells her that the VBAC she asked him about would be too risky because her baby was malpositioned and that he thinks this one will be too. Better to just go ahead and schedule a c-section this time around...

Sorry to Monday morning quarterback someone else's birth, but that's exactly what the rest of you are doing. You think we're all just "lucky" that our babies were not one of the babies that died because they were born outside of a hospital, and insult us by saying we're doing it 1800's style, but this is the mentality we are up against. Women who simply trust their doctors so blindly that they think their failure to follow friedman's curve is a genuine emergency and that the subsequent c-section they have saved their life and that of their baby.

We judge you too, and I think that's where a LOT of this vitriol is coming from. You feel like our safe home births couldn't possibly have been safe because it means that you might have allowed some interventions that weren't necessary. Or, you simplify it all - oh, I'll take ANY unnecessary interventions in order to avoid the risks of a homebirth. Well, you can avoid the risks of a homebirth, but no amount of interventions at a hospital allow you to fully avoid the risks of BIRTH. And, while you can reduce some risks, maybe, you definitely increase other risks.

So you don't care about your unnecessary c-section because you think it guaranteed your health and that of your baby? Well, good for you. But that's silly to me. It's just silly.  [/quote]

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