Loved the artiticle mersmum! Totally how I feel about it all. Brave didn't really figure in any of my reasons for being at home, and neither did all the lovely stuff like eating and drinking what you like, taking a bath whenever, and any of the "when and what you likes", or getting all cuddled up after and knowing your OH doesn't have to leave. - they were all amazing bonuses¬!
Best of all was the total "gold standard", "Rolls Royce" of care we had. 1 to 1 is what any institution is desprately trying to acheive, (well we had 4 MW with my first, and 3 with my second - I'm trying to cut down!) This means no need for vaginal exams - they know where you are, they don't leave you; it also means, if things are being flagged up out of the usual, they are on it faster and better than you would be in hospital care .Plus what most well meaning people forget, is that you may have choosen home birth, but it doesn't mean the hospitals won't let you in! they are still there if we need them.
So I know that "your brave" can become pretty tedious, but worse than that to handle (afterall what do you say to a women who has really endured a horrible birth?) is the "well baby would have died if I wasn't in hospital" - I can only keep stum, as they re-live the interventions that attributed to the outome... (and I'm not saying that it is in everycase, but I have found it is mostly) So I keep quiet, and say I'm so sorry that you had a bad experiance, and console, as they do themselves, that "at least I have my baby" Knowing that there could have been another way -I would ask every woman to accept intervention when they postively need it; not when time is running out, not when you or your care providers are bored, and not when you are scared. BELIEVE in your self and your fore-mothers (the reason you are alive), they have been doing this for milienia, Birth is intrinsically safe, save thank god, for the very very few.
xxx
