The question of homebirth vs. hospital birth came up by our new admin Momma Shannon on our facebook page. This is always a tough topic, even moreso within the birth trauma community. Within our community, we usually get two very similar answers on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Trust me, I get it. From the bottom of my heart, I (personally) believe in what the true scientific evidence states (ex. home birth is safer than hospital birth in most cases, there's no valid reason to circumcise an infant, donor milk is much better than formula, vaccines cause more harm than good for the developed world, etc.). In terms of debates, my heart is obviously with birth and breastfeeding as that’s what I advocate for the loudest. Although, when I speak to new parents, I always ask about the other questions and try to get them thinking about the answers and what that could mean for their family. I’ve been the type of advocate before where I wouldn’t bend. I’m not saying we need to bend on our opinions, and certainly not on the evidence. Frankly, that wouldn’t make sense. I’m saying we need to bend on our humanity and sincerity. So… the status was: “Share your knowledge, thoughts and/or experiences about home birth verses hospital birth. Your words of wisdom might help a woman make a important decision. ~Shannon~” Brilliant and deep question. Here are my thoughts:
o Which will make me feel safer, more at ease? Care from a doctor & nursing team, a midwife or having no skilled attendant at all (unassisted)? o What are the circumstances surrounding my opinion on safety? Have I had a traumatic birth at home before? At the hospital? Was I sexually or otherwise abused in the past? Have I healed from that birth or abuse yet? o What actions can I personally take to make either location feel safer for me? o Hospital birth: How do I feel about actively managed labor in all stages? The cascade of interventions? o Home birth: How do I feel about emergency situations? What can I do to prepare for all aspects of labor at home? o Who do I want at either location in order to feel safe in my birthing team? There are obviously a lot more questions and thoughts regarding the decision to birth at home or in the hospital, but hopefully this will get you thinking a bit. Those of us who were traumatized by violent actions of our care providers at the hospital are very adamant on birthing at home for our next babies. We’ve seen far too much of the insides of hospitals, including their staff. Those of you who really struggled at birthing for one reason or another, perhaps you had serious complications, might be more adamant about birthing in a hospital and some, even, are adamant on no one birthing at home at all. All of these scenarios are Okay; they’re based on opinions, experiences and conclusions from our own research. The bottom line is that the location of your birth is *your* decision. For that decision, you need to do some research and you need to feel safe. Going beyond that, the same is said for *how* you birth. The location and type of birth of our peers is NOT our decision, rather it is theirs and theirs alone. Chances are we don’t know every last detail that is needed to make that decision. Instead of pushing our opinions and conclusions on another family, why not help them through the process of coming to a decision that is best for their family and perhaps even helping them prepare (or send them to someone who can do so) for birth after coming to a decision? What made you decide to birth at home or in a hospital (or birthing center)? How did family, friends and professionals help you in your decision?
2 Comments
I wouldn't say I chose hospital birth. My state will finally be certifying non-nurse midwives in January. Because of my traumatic birth experiences and my passion for wellness, I am studying to become one. Maybe the first time I was pregnant I would have considered a home birth crazy (still would have done it if only for the promise of no needles and much lower risk of c-section), but the pitocin augmented labor and episiotomy, tear, and repair all done without me numbed, made hospital birth look pretty insane. I had 2 more children in the hospital because I didn't have access to other options. It was so dangerous I could have died from a cytotec augmented labor with my third child. I'm pretty sure I felt my uterus tear between contractions, but I can't know because it didn't cause enough distress and she was born immediately after that happened. Due to long labors, it's just not possible for me to have a natural hospital birth. I tried three times with different providers in different hospitals. I suffered severe harassment from a nurse-midwife every hour or two for about 15 hours of a nearly 48 hour labor just for wanting to rest undisturbed and continue natural labor and she blatantly lied to get me to take the cytotec and when it took too long to work she still wanted to use pitocin despite me already having had two horrible experiences with it (contractions without breaks and vomiting that wouldn't stop without meds). All women should be able to access better care than that in any hospital, but the reality is that right now we can't. Home birth isn't for everyone, but those who truly want a non-invasive birth the hospital might not be a reasonable option.
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Shannon
8/19/2013 09:06:15 pm
Awesome information and extremely well said. :-)
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