When push comes to shove, home births don't deserve to be demonised

Tara Moss
December 14, 2011

Monty Python's 1983 film The Meaning of Life begins with a woman in hospital about to give birth. Comedians Graham Chapman and John Cleese are dressed as doctors in scrubs, surrounded by expensive hospital equipment (including the machine that goes ''ping'').

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The Cost of Childbirth in America

Posted by AngEngland on August 4th, 2011 at 9:30 am on Babble

I was talking to a guy the other day who had two children. In his culture larger families are quite common and I asked if he thought they would have more children later. He said, “No – we are still paying off our second child.”

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“If I were at home, I would have died” — The trouble with extrapolating hospital birth events to homebirth

Posted on March 31, 2011 by erinmidwife

A midwife in North Carolina was recently charged with practicing midwifery without a license because her state does not license Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) and other direct entry midwives. There was some local news coverage of the arrest and the ongoing efforts of North Carolina families to legalize CPMs. One of the local news stories contained the “If I were at home, I would have died” sentiment.



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Midwives vs. hospitals: There is a middle ground

By Janice D'Arcy

“This is an awesome collaborative model,” Ebony Roebuck, the clinical chief of midwifery at Washington Hospital Center told me of her workplace. It’s not a word I’ve heard much these days in relation to midwives: “collaborative.”
Karen Carr is a midwife who pleaded guilty in connection with the death of a Virginia baby she delivered in September. (Toni L. Sandys - The Washington Post)

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10 Home Birth Lessons For The Hospital

Posted by ceridwen on March 6th, 2011 at 4:32 pm

When it comes to talking about birth there can be so much divisiveness: home VS hospital, epidural VS natural, etc. Though these polarized debates can cement an opinion for some, they are confusing as hell to many others. The truth is, most women would be very content with the best of all possible worlds.
As a wise friend once asked, Why can’t we get the freshly baked bread AND the epidural?
I think it’s a great idea to take what you can get from both the hospital and the hippies, and cobble together the kind of birthing support that’s just right for you.
On that note, I’d like to throw out some ways home birth practices* can help in a hospital birth setting.

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The Legal Right of Pregnant Women

If there is one thing I have noticed since becoming pregnant with my first child and actively working in the childbirth community… it is the fact that most women do not know all of their rights as a pregnant woman.
Contrary to popular belief, pregnancy does not make us all the perfect patient, and we do not have to listen to every last demand, test or suggestion of procedure our provider presents us with. In such a hostile birthing climate, these are rights that all pregnant women should know to help protect themselves and get the best care possible during pregnancy.



To read the rest of this article click here: http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2011/01/20/legal-rights-of-pregnant-women/

You Have a Choice Video

I found this great short documentary and loved it! The title alone is wonderful - you DO have a choice in childbirth. I don't think women can hear this enough. One of my favorite quotes was, "my birth plan was whatever my body told me to do." Lovely! You don't have to just follow directions just because the people caring for you are more experienced than you. You know your body best and you become empowered during birth by playing a role in every decision made during your labor and birth. Don't ever forget that you have choices and you are strong and capable to make the decisions best for you and your baby.

"You Have a Choice" // A Short Birth Documentary from Mark Mroz on Vimeo.

"You Have a Choice" // A Short Birth Documentary from Mark Mroz on Vimeo.

Hospital policy of withholding food during childbirth coming under scrutiny

It's about time!!! This has always been such a weird issue to me. It seems very odd that you withhold food and drink from someone that is accomplishing one of the most physically exhausting events of their lives. Women need to be nourished and hydrated for their own health and their babies health.

Written by Andrea Levy, The Plain Dealer
Hospitals are now rethinking policies that withhold food from mothers in labor.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The last thing on April Baer's mind while awaiting the birth of her first child was where her next meal was coming from.
A good thing, since she wouldn't have gotten anything to eat even if she had asked.
Like most women who deliver in a hospital, Baer -- who gave birth to baby Stella in early June -- didn't get a morsel of food to munch during her six-hour labor.

To read the rest of this article please view it at: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2010/08/hospital_policy_of_withholding.html, Andrea Levy, The Plain Dealer

Pregnancy - Getting Ready!

Posted by Carri:

So I'm approximately 4 weeks from my "exit date" and I'm starting to make sure I have everything ready. What is an "exit date" you ask? Well my 3 other kids all came exactly 11 days early, so I'm planning on 11 days before my due date for the baby to come. I sure hope this one doesn't decide to hang on longer, because I am very very very uncomfortable and am thanking my lucky stars for every day closer I get to the exit date!

Anyways, after having my 3 other kids at the hospital, this home birth requires a completely different way to get ready. There is no bag to pack, but there are a lot of other things you need to have ready. You need to have a home birth kit (which you can buy online, or from your midwife) that has chucks pads, and other necessities that the midwife needs to attend your birth. I also needed to have a mattress cover, hydrogen peroxide (in case blood goes where we don't want it to), sterilized towels, tea kettle, maxi pads (and I also use Depends because pads always seem to leak as well), baby blankets, first outfit, Recharge energy drink, red raspberry leaf tea, music, birth ball and of course my BINSI outfit!

In 2 weeks I will have my home visit where my midwife, midwife assistant and doula come to my house. They all get familiar with my house and we check to make sure everything is ready, as well as talk about my desires for the birth. I don't think I really have a birth plan this time around, because most of the things I've had on previous birth plans were about medical interventions associated with hospital protocol. All in all, I just want a calm, joyful and beautiful final birth experience.

Review - Ecstatic Goddess

Posted by Kim:





Another great review! As seen on the Ecstatic Goddess blog!

When most people think of a hospital birth, they have images of pregnant women in hospital gowns. Unfortunately, hospital gowns were designed for use on bedridden patients. They are not made for mobility, and they leave your entire backside exposed. After using a gown for my first birth I was sure that I wanted to wear my own clothing for my second birth. I also encourage my doula clients to do the same, but we've encountered a problem: modern clothing is not designed for birth. In order to listen to your baby, a nightgown or tshirt needs to be hiked up, exposing your entire bottom half. Underwear, shorts and pj pants can feel restrictive and messy. Moms are often reluctant to "bare it all" in a hospital setting with lots of staff and bright lights, and we know that in order to have a satisfying birth, moms need to feel relaxed. So what's a gal to do?

For the longest time I didn't have a great answer, and then I found BINSI! The first time I saw the BINSI skirt and tank, I fell in love. BINSI was designed by mother and doula Carri Grimditch who, like me, hated the hospital gown she wore during her first birth.

BINSI skirts provide complete freedom of movement and sit below your belly. They include beads so that you can personalize them during a blessingway or baby shower. During birth, these can be a great visual reminder of supportive wishes from your friends and family.

BINSI tops have breastfeeding clasps and are designed to be used with medical equipment if needed, including monitoring equipment, IVs, epidurals and more. They can be removed easily if needed due to snaps along the sides of the tops.

Besides being breathable and perfectly suited for a growing pregnant body, BINSI wear is machine washable, an absolute must with birth gear. To me, it's the perfect prenatal and birth clothing that helps you feel pretty and covered on your very special day.

I've been recommending BINSI to my clients for over a year now, and although my upcoming birth will be at home, I am seriously considering picking out my own BINSI tank and skirt to wear during those last pregnant weeks (which will be in sweltering August) and to keep in my "just in case" hospital birth bag. The comfy Go Go top might be a great thing to wear in my birth pool too.

Now you have a chance to try BINSI, for free!! Kim Taylor, co-owner of BINSI, is offering Ecstatic Goddess readers a chance to win their choice of either an in stock top or skirt. What a great Mother's Day gift for yourself or an expectant friend. To enter the draw, simply email me at ecstaticgoddess@hotmail.com. One winner will be chosen on May 6, 2009. In the meantime, please visit www.birthinbinsi.com to check out a great selection of lovely birth wear. My fellow Canadians can purchase BINSI at www.birthsource.ca.

Fashionably yours,