http://partonwords.blogspot.com/2009/08/saying-no-to-home-births.html
Dear Mark, seat belts and birth, what are you on about mate? As a mother of four who is a former nurse, a consumer health care advocate and someone who studies medical research as a hobby, I can only say you have no idea what you are talking about. With respect of course ; )
The fact is that hospitals are unsafe places for anyone, including sick people and especially newborn babies. Hospitals and the health system they are a part of (Dr's, nurses, anaesthetists, pathologists etc.) are incapable of being "safe" no matter what the so called "experts" say. The evidence is that many people are harmed in hospitals by hospital borne infections like golden staph and by human error involving medication, to mention just a few possible causes of further injury or illness and death.
I have had three babies in hospitals by caesarian section and one home birth baby. I have attended many home and hospital births as a doula or birth helper.
Research has proven that home is safer for mother and baby. There is no golden staph at home! Golden staph kills babies. I had a qualified Dr and midwife at my home birth. I had been told by "experts" that I could not birth naturally, that my pelvis was too small. I did not believe that. I delivered a healthy baby girl weighing 9lbs in a natural birth at home. I had my privacy, I had my wood fire, I had my children close by, I had the helpers I chose as guests in my home, I had a clean and safe environment for my healthy baby to be delivered into. No unnecessary intervention, no infections, no change of staff, no clatter of stainless steel, no nursing students watching, no pressure to be medicated, no threat of going to theatre (again) just a peaceful loving birth in my own home with the people I loved.
And I had a huge sense of triumph that I had done it!!! I had birthed my baby girl myself without having a fourth caesarian. I didn't have to recover from major abdominal surgery. It was a great feeling!
The caesarian rate in Australia continues to climb. Chances of a woman having a natural birth with no medical intervention in hospital is slim. Maybe the high rate of post natal depression is something to do with the difficult/traumatic birth experiences women have in hospitals?
Obstetricians are experts at dealing with birth complications often brought on by unnecessary intervention that they have initiated. Don't be naive about it Mark, hospitals are not the safe place you think they are. Newborn babies must be the most vulnerable little people in our community, let's give them the best and safest start to life! Be informed, their lives might depend on it!
