Homebirths

[scotpens]

. . . when people talk about midwives it's not a babushka in a dirty apron - esp in Europe - they're highly trained, experienced, birthing professionals who love what they do.

Same in the U.S. In California, professional midwives have to be LPN's (Licensed Nurse Practitioners) which means they're qualified to perform some of the tasks traditionally done by M.D.’s, such as diagnosing and treating some illnesses, conducting physical exams, ordering routine diagnostic tests, and prescribing certain medications. I assume other states have similar requirements.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Same in the U.S. In California, professional midwives have to be LPN's (Licensed Nurse Practitioners) which means they're qualified to perform some of the tasks traditionally done by M.D.’s, such as diagnosing and treating some illnesses, conducting physical exams, ordering routine diagnostic tests, and prescribing certain medications. I assume other states have similar requirements.

My sister gave birth in California. Her midwife was an LPN. Very well trained and educated. She wasn't some hippie wannabe. Qualified midwives do know what they're doing.

 

[pookha]

Newborns die in hospitals too

And where did I say they don't? I said having a homebirth would increase the chances of death and other problems. I never said a hospital would completely eliminate the risks, but expensive medical equipment and well-trained doctors sure as hell aren't going to increase the risks.

You *think* a homebirth increases the chances of death. That's NOT a fact. A FACT is that people are more at risk of developing an infection in a hospital MORE than at home.

Again,

this is one of the times facts can be made to dance.
while yes a lot of midwives are well trained ect ect..
the point is most births that are high risk get recommended to a hospital.

which of course has an artificial affect on the death rate.

and as much as i admire the training and compassion of many midwives i do know that if a child was born with the complications during my birth at home.. even with a well trained midwife..
both i am my mother very possibly would not have survived.
but being in at that time a state of the art hospital we did.

 

[Brolan]

My wife wanted a home birth for our first child, but I insisted on the hospital. My wife was couple of hours into labor when the doctor noticed it was a little butt coming down, not a little head. This even after a totally normal pregnancy and being told a few days earlier that the baby was head-down and getting settled for delivery.

They whisked my wife into emergency surgery for a c-section. I still shiver at what might have happened if we had been at home.

There was never any discussion on where our next two children were born; at the hospital.

 

[Whoa Nellie]

Count me as another woman who would have died in childbirth (twice) had I not been in a modern hospital while giving birth to my two children. Both deliveries had unforeseen complications after very normal, healthy, uneventful pregnancies. My great-grandmother did die while giving birth to my grandmother.

Same in the U.S. In California, professional midwives have to be LPN's (Licensed Nurse Practitioners) which means they're qualified to perform some of the tasks traditionally done by M.D.’s, such as diagnosing and treating some illnesses, conducting physical exams, ordering routine diagnostic tests, and prescribing certain medications. I assume other states have similar requirements.

A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) also known as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) takes about a year of study.

Registered Nurse (RN) has an Associates Degree in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Scotpens is referring to a Nurse Practitioner (NP or LNP).

A Nurse Practitioner (NP or LNP) is a registered nurse who has advanced nursing education (generally a master's degree or doctoral degree). Nurse Practitioners are usually licensed through nursing boards rather than medical boards.

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

 

[scotpens]

A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) also known as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) takes about a year of study.

Registered Nurse (RN) has an Associates Degree in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Scotpens is referring to a Nurse Practitioner (NP or LNP).

A Nurse Practitioner (NP or LNP) is a registered nurse who has advanced nursing education (generally a master's degree or doctoral degree). Nurse Practitioners are usually licensed through nursing boards rather than medical boards.

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

Excuse me, my bad. In my haste, I transposed two letters. Thanks for the more detailed info.

 

[Whoa Nellie]

Excuse me, my bad. In my haste, I transposed two letters. Thanks for the more detailed info.

No problem. There are several nurses in my family, so I'm very aware of the distinctions.

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

 

[Deckerd]

I read the BBC article you linked to, but it goes against what some posters in this thread, such as Byrdman and Shikarnov, have said. Byrdman specifically mentions a perfect pregnancy, a low-risk pregnancy, that could have ended in death if it hadn't taken place in a hospital.

You do understand the difference between 'anecdote' and 'research' don't you?

I understand perfectly. I understand that the research says there is "no difference in death rates of either mothers or babies" between home births and hospital births. If even one of those anecdotes are true, and I have no reason to doubt any of the posters, that proves the death rate for home births is higher than hospital births. That would completely invalidate the research.

Which proves you don't know the difference.

 

[Whoa Nellie]

If you don't understand how less stressful it would be to have your baby in your own home surrounded by your family then you clearly have never given birth in hospital.

you don't have to be subject to whatever shift change / teaching class / horrible service staff / unhygienic / infection-ridden ward they can fit you in.

Deckerd, what you describe was not my experience at all.

Both of my children were born at the same large city, teaching hospital at which I received excellent care from a professional, very caring and reassuring staff. Both times I had a 'state of the art' birthing room designed for the mother's comfort but fully equipped if an emergency arose. I had a private room where my husband could stay with me the entire time I was there. I also had the option of having the baby in the room with us or sending the baby to the nursery if I needed to rest. Keep in mind my youngest was born on the morning of December 31, 1999, a millennium baby. My husband and I watched the fireworks from my hospital room window that night. Also we're not talking a pricey private hospital – we are talking a normal city hospital.

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I may appear to be bias, my wife is an OB/GYN so I'm willing to have what I say discounted. I personally think that all births should happen in the safety of a hospital. I hear a lot of stories where women are having normal, uneventful child births then they are rushed into the OR for emergency c-section because of bad tracings on fetal heart rate monitor.

We also experienced the importance of being in a hospital ourselves, my son was born a month pre-mature, not breathing with APGAR's of 2 of 9. He was immediately taken to NICU and spent a week there.

 

[May 20]

I wish I could have tried for a home birth. I think the experience would have been more positive than giving birth in the hospital. But I was high-risk, so it wasn't an option for me.

And, even if it had been, my husband wouldn't have considered it, mainly for the reasons many of the men have already posted -- concern for my safety and the safety of our baby.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I may appear to be bias, my wife is an OB/GYN so I'm willing to have what I say discounted. I personally think that all births should happen in the safety of a hospital. I hear a lot of stories where women are having normal, uneventful child births then they are rushed into the OR for emergency c-section because of bad tracings on fetal heart rate monitor.

Nothing against your wife, who I'm sure is a fine Obstetrician, but it was my experience that OBs are trained to be far more interventionist than they need to be; when we succeeded in incorporating my Midwives into the Residents' and Medical Students' training, they faced an uphill battle in teaching them to let nature take its course.

 

[Terengo]

My first child was born in a hospital. My wife so disliked the experience that the other two were born at home. We had midwives for both of them, but the midsife was delayed for the first of them, and didn't get there until after the birth, so my wife and I did it ourselves. When the midwife rushed in, we were all peacefully resting on the bed, and she just about fell over when she realized the baby was already born. The birth of the last child was uneventful, except that her brother (2 at the time; the one the midwife missed) woke up during it, and I sat in the rocker and sang him Christmas carols while my wife gave birth in the other room. The midwife told us later it was the most peaceful birth she'd ever attended.

This to me is the real selling point of home birth. It was a marvelouslty peaceful process for the whole family. We didn't have to scamble to get the other kids to a sitter, or have my wife spend days away from home. We see "birth" scenes on TV medical shows, where everyone's rushing around and yelling and think, "Do people really believe birth is like that?" For high-risk pregnancies, you probably need a hospital, but we sometimes forget that birth is a natural process (and not all that hard; 18 years after we did it ourselves, I think I could easily do it again), and why involve doctors and hospitals in a natural process if you don't have to?

 

[Kestra]

If I ever by some miracle have a baby, I'd want it to be in a hospital. One with lots and lots of drugs. And doctors. And fancy gadgets.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

Nothing against your wife, who I'm sure is a fine Obstetrician, but it was my experience that OBs are trained to be far more interventionist than they need to be; when we succeeded in incorporating my Midwives into the Residents' and Medical Students' training, they faced an uphill battle in teaching them to let nature take its course.

My wife is the OB/GYN residency program director for the hospital she works for. She pushes for natural child birth as much as she can. They have midwives incorporated into the practice.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Nothing against your wife, who I'm sure is a fine Obstetrician, but it was my experience that OBs are trained to be far more interventionist than they need to be; when we succeeded in incorporating my Midwives into the Residents' and Medical Students' training, they faced an uphill battle in teaching them to let nature take its course.

My wife is the OB/GYN residency program director for the hospital she works for. She pushes for natural child birth as much as she can. They have midwives incorporated into the practice.

That's terrific. It's great to see Midwives being used more for education. Now that I've moved into insurance, I'm going to work on getting Midwives credentialed as PCPs.

 

[Raven_Shayde]

If I ever by some miracle have a baby, I'd want it to be in a hospital. One with lots and lots of drugs. And doctors. And fancy gadgets.

Although being in hospital doesn't always equal drugs....damn my quick labours

 

[Lookingglassman]

If I was a chick I would want to give birth at a hospital in case there is an emergency.

 

[Alpha Romeo]

Ladies - Have you/would you have a homebirth (assuming you plan to have children)?
Guys - Would you want your wife/girlfriend to have a homebirth (or has she already have one)?

A homebirth was never an option for me because I had complications with all my pregnancies and births.

No. Anyone who does this is asking for trouble.

 

[Kestra]

If I ever by some miracle have a baby, I'd want it to be in a hospital. One with lots and lots of drugs. And doctors. And fancy gadgets.

Although being in hospital doesn't always equal drugs....damn my quick labours

Yeah, I know. I'm just a complete wimp and can't imagine going through childbirth.