Unfortunate home birth experience

[goldoyster]

Janet Fraser, a leading advocate of home birth, lost her baby during childbirth at her home in Australia. Her tragedy stands as a stark reminder that forgoing medical care in childbirth is risky business

Comments

[divine]

If I had an unassisted birth, Severen would have certainly died. Because I had midwives in my home, they knew how to resuscitate him and were very quick to do so. (Thinking about this still makes me choke up quite severely)

I think it's very stupid to forgo some assistance. Even if it's just someone to pay attention to things when you're too focused on the actual labour pains, or when you can't see what's going on.

I know when I was pushing, I wasn't aware until I was TOLD that the cord was tightly wrapped around his neck.

[holygoddess]

I agree with you. I think there should be a balance and more options for intervention-free birth in a hospital or birth center. Birth is a natural process, but things CAN go wrong and it's good to have the medical technology as a backup.

[kettunainen]

on the one hand, yes, balance.

on the other hand, our whole world culture -- particularly the West -- needs to figure out how not to fear death. Fear of death is the prime cause of unnecessary birth intervention. Birth and death are so crazy-intertwined and fear just fucks it all up needlessly.

I feel for this woman; it's heartrending to deal with this sort of circumstance, advocacy aside. Add in the overarching culture's assessment of the situation (Death! Oh noes! Unassisted birth? You Evil Baby Killer!) and everything becomes exponentially hideous. What a weight she must carry in her heart now. :(

[abluegirl]

Home births are still statistically safer than hospital births

This statement is true when you are counting homebirths attended by a midwife or house-calling GP. I haven't read any statistics about unassisted birth, but it sounds more risky by a large order of magnitude. It seems like a foolhardy thing to do in most circumstances.

I feel bad for the mother, in this story, though. It really is sad and unfortunate. Even so, i totally agree with this statement:
But her decision to forgo medical care entirely -- even after her labor continued for a week -- is tantamount to reckless endangerment of a child.
I considered a homebirth with cameron, but when it became clear that a planned c-section was going to be necessary because he was more or less transverse, it obviously turned into a medicalized event. Claire was a VBAC, but in the hospital

[baal_kriah]

I agree with you about balance. Home birth is on the whole a safe and positive experience, but I think it's best to have all the technology available if it is needed. Usually it isn't needed, but when it is I'm glad to know it's there.

[goldoyster]

I was so concerned at the end, wanting to make sure every precaution was in place. Registered at the closest hospital, just in case we'd have to go there (the midwives actually require all their patients to do that.) The assorted machines they brought with them were all close to me as I laboured, at the end I wanted to deliver in the bath tub but they wouldn't let me as the oxygen something wouldn't fit in there, so they had to carry me to my bed.. .the tub is where V started pushing out and my waters broke (you probably don't remember the details from my birth story(?))

So I was relieved they had it covered. I was too afraid to ask if they'd ever lost a baby though. I didn't need to know that! :)

[baal_kriah]

I wouldn't want to know that either. There's enough to worry about already ;-)