My friend's home birth featured in the Guardian magazine today!

[becstar]

You can see her in the birth pool I lent her in one of the pictures

The parts that focus on her and her daughter's birth are quite good but I felt the rest of the article was quite negative. Did anyone else read it?

Might also post this in general chat or something...

 

[Mervs Mum]

Any link?

 

[PeanutBean]

Here's a link: https://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/16/home-birth-trial-or-rewarding

I just read and posted in general chat. Here's what I said:
I've been meaning to read this article so am doing so now and there is some real tripe in there!
1) There are areas of Wales that have double figures of homebirth so the stats quoted are not correct.
2) To claim 1/6 of African women have a pelvis too small for their babies' heads! Well, I'd like to see the research that backs that up!
3) So Nigerian women all have bladder conditions from prolonged labour do they! And are these hospital or home births? And what of the extremely limited midwifery care available in such countries? Again I'd like to see a reference.
4) So half of women 'need' hospital care because of conditions during pregnancy do they? And those would be defined and determined by medical practice. So that's an entirely circular argument. And then apparently a further 25% will require hospital care during labour. I wonder if that includes all the women who don't meet hospital deadlines and get interventions foisted on them which then cause problems... Of course even if that were true that still leaves 25% who should be able to comfortably birth at home.
5) Then an anecdote about an infection caused by negligence of a mw as if that has anything at all to do with birth location.
6) I love all the references to other countries doing away with homebirthing together with absolutely no analysis of why or what ulterior motives there might be, like money for example. And ACOG saying it chooses the process of birth over a healthy baby for which there is no evidence; which assumes a good or bad birth had no impact on baby's outcomes; and which entirely dismisses the mother in every possible way for we are mere vessels.
7) 40% of homebirths transfer - absolutely no analysis of this. I was one of those and the reason for my transfer? No reason. A mess up of hospital policy combined with my not knowing I could refuse.

Wow. It's actually an horrendous article! Brave of your friend to let them in. I wonder how she feels about the article?

 

[Luke's_mummy]

W.s.s ^^

 

[Mervs Mum]

WTS^^^ that was a grim read

 

[Rydia]

Hmm that article was very one sided--it implied if she had a hospital birth she would have avoided any pain. Giving birth has its hard moments and there isnt a magic drug you will get a hospital that will change that and the drugs have drawbacks of their ow. There is some implication that babies may die because the mother chose a home birth but surely some must die because the mother choose a hospital birth and then the baby caught an infection from the hospital or the baby was harmed in some uneeded intervention--there is no way to guarantee 100% safety.

 

[rachiedata]

Agree with you all... hard work reading that. Everything the mother says about home birth is exactly what I say to people, to the letter. Pregnant, not ill, and looking forward to my own bath and my own bed with my family afterwards.

Thought the King's hospital consultant was honest and accurate - they keep scaring women out of home birth, so there's less demand, so less infrastructure to cope with what demand there is.

A real shame about the circumstances leading to transfer but the mother was so right - they ended up in hospital, where they would have been in the first place if she had not chosen home birth. And who is to say she wouldn't have been in a worse way? If baby had breathing difficulties anyway, they certainly wouldn't have been helped by painkilling drugs, epidural and impatient doctors. Nearly every single one of the listed "risks" (read: scare stories) in there are equally likely to happen in hospital.

I think anyone who is already anti- or neutral about home birth, who reads this, would think it was definitely unsafe. Have to be pretty militantly pro- (and aren't we all here?) to know better after that

 

[Luke's_mummy]

GRR, my mother, who is completely against my HB, tried to GIVE me this article like it would change my fucking mind or something! URGH! It was SO biased, and my mother tried to say, I thought it gave both sides of the argument, I hate the guardian, it's all based on opinion rather than fact! urgh

End rant!

 

[PeanutBean]

I have no problem with the Guardian, I generally find it is better informed than most papers but this article was simply sloppy journalism. DH thinks I should write and complain.

 

[indigo_fairy]

I've flushed better things than that down the bloody toilet...

 

[PeanutBean]

This has been preying on my mind since I read it. Chatted with my mum about it today briefly and she felt it was ok but then she only seemed to really remember that the author had conceded the data collection on homebirths isn't great. Seems an odd take-home message she had there!

Anyway, it's the ACOG statement that had bothered me. This choosing birth process over safety of the baby. It's wrong in so many ways but the more I think about it the more this feels to me like the ultimate subjugation of women. Apart from perhaps rape I don't think I can think of any situation in which women could have so much of their natural rights and wellbeing taken away from them. Can anyone else see this?

 

[SerenityNow]

Wow. While, strictly speaking, the article presented more than one side of the issue. The tone of the article was awful! I just about threw up when I got to the part where the placenta had not been delivered and "The midwife gave up hope." She made a professional decision FFS!

I was disgusted by ACOG's statement, not just that women are choosing the process of birth over the health of the baby which is accusatory and hostile towards women, but to then say that they are making that decision because it is trendy is just plain disrespectful.

I can only imagine how my homebirth would have been different if a reporter had been there!

 

[Bournefree]

Couple of comments from Karen (the featured mother) from the Yahoo Home Birth Group. (https://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homebirthUK/messages)

"Yes we were pleased with the article. There were a few more pictures in the
actual paper and one of Agatha, compared with the 2 online. It would have been
nice to have had a photo of the 3 of us that were taken a couple of days after
the birth where we were all dressed and looking a lot more human but i guess
that photo adds nothing to the story so i kind of understand why it wasn't
included. (i'd have also liked them to crop the photo with my lady garden but
its too late now! ha ha)
I guess the point of the article was to get people talking about home births and
if you read some of the replys on the website there are certainly very strong
views on the subject (some nutters too!)
I totally agree with margaret that a hospital birth experience is very dependant
on how many people are having babies at the same time as you, and how many staff
are working. The short stay i had in hospital afterwards due to a retained
placenta was very miserable. I sat amidst dirty sheets for hrs after asking to
be cleaned and nothing happened so it certainly confirmed my choice in opting
for a home birth was right for me.
As for the journalist and the photographer they were both so amazing. I can't
praise them enough. they were totally respectful of all aspects of the birth and
very supportive. They also said if at any point we changed our mind and wanted
them to go they would and that they'd totally understand. we still keep in touch
and i think sharing child birth with anyone helps you form a special bond with
people.
I guess i did scream for drugs and at one point, I didn't think i was going to
make it at home but i was in transition, and i'm sure everyone knows at that
point i'd have been happy to have been pregnant for the net 20 years if it would
have made the pain stop! (also i had a morphine injection in the cupboard so if
i'd really needed some pain relief it was available at home)it was a relatively
quick birth 8hrs from contractions to delivery so the pains were pretty intense
and i was sick,so i'm glad the midwives kept me going with positive words, and
maybe the fact the guardian was present helped me keep going as i didn't want to
let them down. (no pressure from anyone just myself) either way I'm so glad i
had a home birth i think i'd have regretted it if i hadn't.
and i guess i had 2 very lovely midwives and a student midwife so i was very
lucky in the fact that i had great support during the birth.
The only thing to worry about now is facing my mum nd maybe my boss they might
be scarred for life afyter seeing me naked!... hee hee
Karen"


"thank you for your kind words some comments on the guardian website were really horrid. the placenta delivery was actually more like 3hrs 20 mins. i'd opted for a natural third stage but after an hour the placenta wouldn't come out. Then i had the injection and it was left another 45 mins and after that the ambulance was called. they tried again in hoospital to remove it before finally having to go into theatre. my notes looked pretty funny 1hr 15 mins pushing 3hrs 20 mins third stage!
and yes the i can't do it moment was exactly as you said it. happy to have been pregnant for 20yrs at that point plus i had morphine in the cupboard if i really wanted it as midwives can adminster that at home.
but it got people talking so i guess thats good and i'll defiantely be trying for another home birth and happy for them to do a follow up piece ha ha
karen"

 

[mushroom]

Slightly O/T but will the Irish bill (midwives can be charged if the person is not brought to hospital within 24 hours of waters breaking) mean that actual homebirths will not be possible in a lot of cases? That's disgraceful. Waterbirths are not allowed here either- due to a baby with unforeseen complications dying in 2006. I cannot believe our lack of options- there is only one birthing centre too. I am a few years away from TTC but this is appalling! Hospital standard birth or nothing in Ireland it seems.