I just followed the links to the press release from the ACOG (not AMA.) they are militating against home birth as usual but nothing about it becoming "illegal" which as I say is unenforceable.


my daughter is almost 14, very proud of being born at home, very ehalthy and birght, and would laugh rudely if anyone suggested that I am a "child abuser" because of it.

**when home birth is outlawed, only out laws will birth at home..ah but we will! **

Amen to that!!!
I was born at my grandmother's house, and plan on having my second and upcoming baby at home...
and I'd like to see a policeman who has the guts to arrest a laboring mama...
that's like pissing off a mama bear... you had better run and run fast!

The woman in "Business of Being Born" who was in labor prematurely did not expect to necessarily be delivering at home, she was only about 34 weeks if i remember correctly. She had her midwife come to her home to check her when she began having contractions. I see nothing irresponsible about that. The woman, Abby stayed in bed and once she knew she was dilating she followed the Midwives advice that they should go in to the hospital to Dr. Maurice. As early as she was it is not uncommon for a baby to still be in the breech position. To be honest birthing a premature baby breech is not necessarily the problem as head entrapment once fully dilated of a preemie is unlikely to occur, it is the need for care of the preemie that is more the issue. Full term breech babies can be born naturally, it is just our medical community that has not only forgotten how to do this but prefers not to out of fear.

I agree that if there are complications in a pregnancy that seeking a physicians care and following a safe course of birth is important. I also know that most midwives are trained to know when such complications arise and will refer clients to seek out further medical care. One of the safest thing for women would be if Dr's would agree to work in concerted effort with Midwives. Serve as back up when needed or as a referring Dr. when needed. This practice works both in the UK and the Netherlands

I feel most woman who plan homebirths are being very wise and proactive in their birth choices. They are not just trusting someone to save them or "deliver them" they are not usually centered in fear based thinking. As a matter of fact many of them accept that life cannot always be predicted. I know it is not something anyone wants to think about, but babies sometimes die. They die at hospitals just as they die at homes. Is a babies death truly any worse than a 5year old, or an 11 year old, or a 50 year old. Hospitals and Dr''s are not perfect and while many consider them the safest place, many also who develop serious infections from exposures in hospitals see them as the most dangerous place for a healthy mom and newborn baby.

The BOBB movie was never made to say only homebirth, it was made to show people what birthing options are available. It is honest about what a hospital births options can and most likely will entail.

Thank you Ann for asking these questions, I think many people wonder and feel the same way, as no one wants to see people doing unsafe things with birthing, the biggest problem is many people do not know or look into the real facts.

Tia
Birth Doula and AAMI Student Midwife
www.inner-serenity.org

'n the movie, "The Business of Being Born", I found the woman who was in labor with a premature birth to be quite irresponsible. She even quotes in the movie saying, "I don't even have diapers!" I believe her baby was breach? Did she know her baby was breach? Why was she laboring at home? Foolish and selfish in my opinion. ''

i understand your feelings and empathize with your experiences with needing interventions at home, and share g disorders from immature lungs then. well, hel;s here at age 51 to tell the tale.
them privately to some extent, but I have also learned that people will make choices that I find tooriskyinmnay aspects oflife, and it;snot really my place to label them for doing so.
"roblems,some would hold ou longer than I I know a woman who is Mormon,has some serious health problems, two previous cesareans, and who chose to have two babies unassisted at home with her husband. it was empowering and life-affirming for her, and both her children were fine..would I have made that choice? probably not. a few years later, her health had deteriorated further, not due to anything having to do with the birthings, and she had one more baby in a hospital, pretty much without regrets.

I know people who say,"I was treated so badly at the hospital that even if I was going to die,I 'd rather stay home and die than be treted like that." strong words,but they are spoken from the heart and thus deserve respect.

in my grandma's day (probably great-grandmas for most of you;I'm a little older) many premature babies born at home survived if they were kept warm...sometimes a shoebox placed in the warming compartment of a wood cookstove made a good incubator. I have a friend who was born prematurely just after WWII...and not expected to survive,since a lot of babies were losroblems from immaturt to breathing pe lungs up until the last 20years or so.
as for not having diapers..preemies are so little. most diapers won't fit! you can use a hankerchief or even wipe them with cotton balls for a while if you are doing kangaroo care to keep them warm, and caring for them at home.

also,if I knew my baby was breech, I;d probably look for a homebirth midwife skilled in vaginal delivery of breeches, most OBs are no longer taught how to manage a breech birth except by cesarean, which says more about liability and obstetric trends than it does about breech delivery. I do know of women who have had unassisted breeches without problems at home. and it's probably less risky to attempt to deliver a small breech baby a little befor eterm than a large one..less chances of getting stuck. though cord prolapse isalways something to guard against 9and probably a good reason to transport to hospital.)

I just know I don;t want to ehar about how I am
irresponsible"for choosing a home birth,declining routine tests such as amniocentesis,eating a well researched vegetarian diet thrughout pregnancy and the rest of my life for the past 35 years, sharing the bed with my baby,extended breastfeeding,avoiding antibiotics exceptin true and rare emergencies, , ,etc...so I will do my best to not label others for choosing either MORE or LESS intervention than I would choose.

some women feel that without interference and intervention,they have known just how to move to resolve mild to moderate problems.some have had regrets. I would be remiss not to mention that I know of women who have lost babies in unassisted or poorly assisted homebirths.I also know mothers or babies who died or were seriouslyinjured after hospital interventions. some ways...we gets or tickets and takes our chances.

just my own hard-won opinion once again. most mothers love their babies and are not being :selfish"even when they make choices that we would not make. Christian Scientists often feel they need to point out that they love their children just like any parents and believe that their prayers protect them and their families just as medical methods protect others...and I feel strongly they have a right to make those choices based on religion or individual conscience. as do we.