I loved hearing a wide range of midwife and TBA voices in this video. Safety is such a huge part of the out of hospital conversation, and there are so many misconceptions about what midwives are able to do in an emergency situation. This video spells out the skills, tools, and limitations of out of hospital birth in such a lovely way. A big part of this conversation is recognizing that midwives have a unique ability to recognize issues early on, because of the intimate relationships that develop with clients.
One of the things that I love about my midwife experiences is that so much time was spent prenatally addressing all areas. We decreased the likelihood of complications by spending so much time discussing proper nutrition and supplementation. Through the hour long visits, a trust was built. When my midwife did have a concern during labor, I trusted her fully and was ok with transport, if that is what needed to happen. I was always impressed with the way she unobtrusively monitored both baby's and my wellbeing. Safety was top concern. She knew very well the boundary of normal and abnormal, and was not afraid to acknowledge when a situation seemed to be nearing that boundary so that we could be prepared for next steps. As a birthing mom, I feel that homebirth was the safer choice for me. In my hospital birth, medical interventions led to medical emergency. At home, my body was left to birth without intervention, and in the end, I had amazingly healthy babies born at home surrounded by peace and love.
Thank you! So often this conversation takes the shape of "homebirth is risky, hospital birth is not." I appreciated what several midwives and traditional birth attendants spoke to in this video--that we can only manage risk, not eliminate it. Birth carries risks no matter where it happens. Some may look the same at home and in the hospital, and some may look slightly different. Conversations regarding the risks and benefits specific to home birth as it compares to other venues is part of every client's care in our practice--as is a discussion of hospital transfer. I also really really appreciated the NM traditional midwife's mention of emotional safety. This is so important! Midwives who have the opportunity to get to know their clients prior to birth are so much better equipped to protect and promote the emotional, spiritual, and psychological safety of their clients.
Love hearing midwives talk about how they prioritize safety. My midwife was caring, supportive, thoughtful and had my and my daughter's safety as a priority. I so appreciated that she treated me as a person, not just a vessel for a delivery!
Was at a homebirth earlier this week. Happy, healthy mama and baby all tucked up into bed together after a 9 hour labor. It was a lovely way for the whole family to welcome their baby. Mom was so happy and said that she'd never received such great care. It was a wonderful thing yo be a part of.
I am so grateful that I had a midwife to help me give birth in a way that FELT safe to me. When I did end up in a hospital birth situation, I was grateful that I had someone (a midwife) to advocate for me so that I could continue to feel safe and not bullied into choices that were not good for my baby or me.
I liked this piece because it touches upon what I think is the key personal decision for rational, mothers who seek evidenced based care. On one hand at the hospital you take on an incredibly high risk of unwanted interventions and secondary complications from those interventions. This risk can be as high as 50% in some hospitals. On the other hand, if you are healthy and are considered low risk, you have an incredibly low chance of needing any intervention, and an even lower chance of a bad outcome because emergency services are not available at home. Neither choice is without SOME risk, and every person deserves to make this choice for herself. I chose home birth ultimately for both births and know that the providers who were with me offered my the safest possible care.
"We don't have an operating room, we don't have a NICU, and we don't have blood transfusion capabilities." Says it all. Our presence is here is NOT proof that labor and delivery are inherently safe for everyone. Just a reminder that labor and delivery have been a bottleneck in terms of natural selection: we're not here because labor and delivery is safe and natural, we're the lucky few whose ancestors survived long enough to give birth to generations past. Natural selection is not about strongest/smartest/fastest/best, it's just about "good enough". And we're a social species that can adopt and raise the babies of women lost in labor in delivery. Those same ancestors may have died giving birth to younger siblings. Were do you think the wicked stepmother trope in fairy tales comes from?
