to think this woman's misguided to say the least?!

[Floopy21]

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/melanie_reid/article6101189.ece

What a strange article. She doesnt sound very well informed.

Umm, yes, you are. I am constantly surprised that while we'll all happily embrace medical technology for everything else, we all think childbirth should be done naturally.

I'm all for a natural, happy birth if that works for you, but I agree with her that the option of a hospital, drugs etc all work nicely for me thank you very much.

I completely agree with her.

Agree with Bling.

But each to their own I guess and if a mother wants a home birth then so be it.

YABU

I am about as hippy freak as possible when it comes to having my babies.

I like to do so at the hospital. Whilst I firmly believe birth is a natural process and big healthy old me is unlikely to have problems. SHIT HAPPENS. I would prefer to have medical people nearby if something goes wrong. Also while I had an easy ride with hypnobirthing if something were to go wrong, it would bloody hurt I assume and at that point I want some drugs.

Women should do whatever they think best when it comes to having babies. They certainly should listen to advice/opinions and then they should do exactly what THEY want to do.

I am very happy that I did have medical problems that put me in the high risk category, with all that means of monitoring and frequent hospital visits. Because what noone knew at the time was that both my children carried a genetic disorder which made them less able to cope with labour and the aftermath. There were no tests for that, no means of knowing, I was just lucky.

It is a very ignorant article. Those who give birth are not "turning their back" on modern technologies if they so need them. They will be transfered to a hospital if there are any signs of potential problems.
It's about choice - both home and hospital births can be safe and valid choices

i agree with her....i would never have a home birth, would feel i was putting myself and the baby at risk.

At least two of my babies would have died if I hadn't have been in hospital. Don't like her snooty tone though.

the times has some very inflammatory articles now. it's quite polarised isn't it.
"Women who think they can have a baby without 21st-century medicine are spoilt and complacent." spare me.

i thought the idea was we were given a choice, and that home birth was added to our list of options, with the midwife explaining why it is an option, in the correct circumstances. that's what they do here.

articles like that one just come across to me as trying to boost sales.

Well, you may think she is misguided but I think the article makes perfect sense.

YANBU

I had a home birth and I am categorically NOT spoilt or complacent. And I do not wear sandals

Just because I chose to have my baby in my own home, in familiar surroundings, I am deemed careless and spoilt?

Just because I decided I did not want to give birth in a cold sterile environment surrounded by overbearing professionals?

Because I didn't want myself or my baby to be subjected to unnecessary interventions?

Because I saved the NHS god knows how many thousands of pounds by NOT using their already limited and stretched resources?

I had a low risk pregnancy and having researched all my options thoroughly I made an informed decision to have my baby at home.

I had a fantastic birth experience. My DP, myself and our beautiful 4 hour old daughter went to bed together in our own bed.

What an ignorant vicious woman.

I know at least one mother who would not have been placed in any high-risk category, she would have been considered a very good candidate for a home birth, but if she had tried it she and her baby would have died. Sometimes there just isn't time to transfer to hospital.

I know it's rare, and I know that there are possibly thousands of women who give birth in hospital who would have been 100% fine and healthy doing it at home, but those thousands of women feeling a bit happier/more relaxed does not balance out with the one or two who will die.

Feel free to have a homebirth, I hope it goes fine and that you feel good about it. But don't tell me that I should. Don' go evangelising about how it is so much better. You are choosing to take a risk because you think that you will feel better and you think that you won't be the one for whom it goes wrong. I choose not to take that risk.

I've posted on this on Pregnancy.

It's the fact that she talks about supporting choice for those that want it - but not acknowledging and disseminating accurate research is not providing choice, is it? It does matter matter how safe home deliveries are proven to be. It does matter that the NCT "bangs on about the spiritual, emotional and practical virtues of home birth" - if nobody puts these things in the public eye, how else are women going to start getting the knowledge that allows them to make an informed choice?

Home birth is not a "whimsical, perverse idea that we should turn our backs on modern medicine's starring role in safe childbirth"

• home birth is a medically supported birth that just happens to be at home. Yes there are cases where women have died at home when they wouldn't in hospital - but the same is true the other way round. We have to present women with these stark facts - birth, no matter where you are, is not 100% safe. And therefore it is up to the individual to then make their own decision based on all the information, and the risk level they are comfortable with. The decision one women takes shouldn't then limit the decision someone else comes to.

I'm still amazed at just how angry she's made me. And just how dare she accuse me of being disrespectful to those millions of women who have died in childbirth - my own mother nearly did (in hospital at that). How dare she?

I gave birth at home. When my waters broke they had meconium in them so I needed a transfer to hospital. In less than 10 minutes of my waters breaking there was an ambulance on my doorstep. I would've been in the hospital within 15 minutes of my waters breaking. That is probably about the same time it would've taken to get everything sorted had I been in hospital in the first place.

Luckily DD put in an appearance about 2 minutes after the ambulance arrived and didn't need any help at all. The ambulance man also got to witness his first ever birth.

My midwives were fantastic and really kept an eye on me so any problems would've been spotted very quickly. I felt much safer than I did at my hospital birth where I was left to just get on with it.

But TA - the sad fact is that woman die in hospital from badly managed childbirth too

FWIW I didn't like the tone of the article either, it sounds rather as if someone has been telling her that she did the wrong thing in going to hospital and she is reacting to that, which is the wrong way to go about writing an article when the readers don't know the context of her rant.

TrillianAstra "But don't tell me that I should."

That's the problem isn't it? It would be so awesome if everyone could just accept that their way may be best for THEM but is not necessarily the best for everyone.

The Mummy Olympics suck.

I had a home birth. I don't even own any sandals, I'm not spoilt or complacent. I hopefully will never have another hospital birth but I think it is personal choice. I would never be so rude to someone who wanted to give birth in a hospital will all available pain relief.

YABU - somebody should be giving the alternative view to the whole 'natural birth' con trick. By duping women into giving birth in extreme pain but using the greatest PR by putting the word 'natural' in front of it (with associations of purity, health and tradition) then the cost to the NHS is so much lower than hopeless, synthetic women who need medical assistance...

I had one natural birth and two with epidurals. Give me full the medical works any day.

TrillianAstra - that's the point. She's allowed to go "go evangelising about how it (hospital birth) is so much better" - but she implicitly denies a truly informed choice for every women?

I couldn't give a stuff about where anyone chooses to give birth once they look into it, however deeply or not, and make a decision. I care very deeply that they're given decent, unbiased, accurate information on which to make that decision. And if they simply don't fancy a home birth, then fine - it's not up to me. But those who want choice should surely be able to make that choice on quality evidence, and not be vilified for it either?!

now fairy you see I'm the opposite/

I had one CS (classed as EM as it wasn't planned before the day - but in reality a very laid back affair as I wasn't actually in labour and it was all based on "possibilities"

Then I had a VBAC - with full pain relief (99% of which failed to do its job).

Then I had a VBAC with just gas and air

I know which one I'd do again (and at home next time too if it were ever to happen - extremely unlikely that)

To Melanie Reid sounds like the one who is 'spoilt and complacent'. She advocates birth in hospital to avoid pain and ''to have a rest and let someone else look after the mess for a change''!!!!
Women who choose to give birth at home (the ones I know anyway) do so primarily because they will be in an atmosphere which is more relaxed and less likely to lead to interventions which might harm their baby. They are willing to put up with a bit of pain, discomfort and mess because they feel it is the best thing for their baby... and NONE of them wear sandals.

Sure, home birth is not always the right decision, but neither is being as complacent as this woman and handing all the responsibility of giving birth over to someone else while you put your feet up and enjoy the pain-free rest!!