Monday, May 5, 2008

I didn't forget!

I got a comment a few days ago asking me if we were going to have a homebirth with this baby. I didn't forget about ya, promise!

As a Doula and being just a little crunchy, the idea of homebirth to me is perfect. I truly beleive that when women are allowed to follow their instincts and run the show, and be in a place where they feel in control and are comfortable that birth happens faster, easier, less painful, and with less complications than if she is in a setting where she feels she is at the mercy of others who know more about what her body is doing than she does. In a sterile, uncomfortable environment where she is not in control in any way. In a hospital, she doesn't call the shots, someone else does. This can inhibit labor immensly.... her body is telling her to move, moan, etc and she feels in doing so she has an audience of strangers.

Having said that. I do not birth at home. I have been fortunate enough to find a hospital that allows me as much freedom, control, and comfort as possible. I birth with a midwife in a hospital that offers water birth. Birth takes place in a dim, quiet environment with the mother directing the show. The bed is not broken down, the lights are not cranked up, no one gowns up in a monkey suit. My husband catches our babies and the medical staff are there to watch and intervene if needed. After birth we stay in a "family room" with a queen sized bed and a pull out sofa so our children can stay as well if they wish. There is very little bothering by the nursing staff, at the beginning of their 12 hour shift they come in and introduce themselves and take vitals on mom and baby, and at the end of their shift they come in to say goodbye and see if we need anything. They do not bother us at all through the night.

Why do I choose this over the comforts of home? Then answer comes from the happenings in my life on January 28th, 2006. At 2:32 am I gave birth to a 36 week bitty baby boy at the hospital. At 4 lbs 14 oz he was a scrawny thing but checked out wonderfully. The pediatrician looked him over in depth and declared him healthy as a horse, for being so tiny and told us we'd take him home in a couple days pending he passed his carseat test (a test on preemies to make sure they can breathe well in an upright position)....

16 hours after he was born he stopped breathing in my arms. They couldn't intubate him. He desperately needed a certain medication to stay alive.

If we had delivered at home he would have died before an ambulance arrived, even if CPR were started immediately. His heart didn't work and his lungs and his heart didn't have the normal connections, only the fetal connection that was closing quickly. Without that medication, that could only be administered in a hospital with a ventilator and close supervision, he would have slipped away while we waited.

Most of the time it all goes right. And most of the time when it doesn't, help is nearby and a midwife or even mom and dad can keep the child alive until help arrives. But sometimes that isn't the case and although my son did die at 6.5 weeks old, I know that he was given EVERY chance to live. If he had been born at home I wouldn't be so comfortable in that knowledge.

So there ya have it!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are so lucky to have such a great hossy!!!

From FAT to FAB said...

i think most women choose to birth at home simply because they cant have the options you have at your hospital.

your birth and hospital sounds pretty much like the hospital where i had my first 3 children. pretty inovative at the time, considering my eldest is 13 now lol.

i feel sad that women arent offered more options. i too had a water birth drug free with my third birth. my 4th birth i was in a more traditional hospital, but they still allowed showers, walking, moaning, baths... ect. unfortunately when i went in the bath had been used and not yet cleaned so i wasnt able to use it. in the end my last pregnancy was a vacuum birth, and this was only after the midwife did everything short of reaching in and yanking Declan out herself. She only called in intervention as Dec's heart rate kept going down to 60 and was staying low too long for her to feel comfetable.

it turns out he had the cord around his neck, so i was glad to be in a hospital setting.

finally i dont understand why gas isnt used there more, its used in nz, uk and australia with great sucess. its less invasive then a needle, or an epi and the effects are more easily reversed.

Farmer Mama said...

http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=45525
have you seen that? Pretty cool! anyhow I have to agree, i am all for and have done birth centers and hospital births with mom in control, but homebirth is a no no for me because our nearest hospital is a LONG way and an ambulance takes an average of 20 minutes to show up where we live!