“Why no address to the link between the rising maternal mortality rates with rising cesarean section rates?”

First look at who is dying (age, race, whether they even had a C-section), then you tell me whether there is a connection? If you don’t know who is dying and what they are dying of, you can’t claim a connection.

“That was a nice way to tip toe around the question. Bravo!”

In other words, you have absolutely no idea who is dying, what they are dying of, or whether they even had a C-section. You just threw the accusation out there because it appeals to you.

“I have sat down and read about it, I have watched reports, listened to speakers, listened to work shops, and attended conferences.”

Evidently you weren’t paying attention then, were you? If you’ve read about it, watched reports and listened to speakers and still don’t know the facts, what were you doing?

It’s fantastic to see the growing number of women who are taking back their births, informing themselves and demanding evidence based care. Stats here in Canada are very similar to the US when it comes to home birth but luckily we have a slightly lower C-section rates and better maternal outcomes.

Anyone who can’t see that a change is happening, is just willfully blind.
.-= Glowing Goddess´s last blog ..Today’s Special: Placenta =-.

I had 2 hospital births, and then a homebirth, I will never go back to a hospital to have a baby again. I was empowered, Safe, relaxed, able to move, to birth how I wanted to, I was not straped down, and rushed through my labor with meds because the hospital had to fill that quota.. it was just me, my husband and my midwives, I called all the shots.
It was more perfect than I even could have imagined.

Of course there are reasons that a woman might risk out of a home birth and for those women we have hospitals, but other wise if a woman is healthy and the pregnancy is low risk, and the baby looks good, she should be allowed to make the informed wise choice to birth at home with a midwife. Just as she should be able to choose a hospital birth if she so chooses. the sad truth about hospital birth today, is that woman are rushed, into a spiral of unnecessary interventions, and each intervention leads to another, for most normal births a hospital is actually overkill.

“Yet those same women, such as yourself, will happily judge us”

Of course I judge homebirth advocates. They have no idea what they are talking about. They tell themselves and each other that they are “educated” but most of what they think they “know” is factual false.

This article is a perfect example. Danielle fell for the propaganda put out by homebirth organizations that the rate of homebirth is “rising.” But it is not rising, it is falling and has been since 1990. The fact that it recovered a bit from 2004-2005 within the midst of a long term downward trend tells us nothing.

Danielle never bothered to read the actual paper. Most homebirth advocates never do. They simply believe the stuff that other homebirth advocates make up.

It’s bad enough not to know what you are talking about, but it’s even worse to think you are “educated” at the same time you are spouting nonsense.

“I know exactly what I am talking about”

You do not have a clue what you are talking about as you have made embarrassingly clear. You simply copy the things that other people tell you without lifting a finger to find out if they are true.

First you claim that homebirth rates are rising when they are actually falling. Then you claim that C-sections have led to an increase in maternal death, but have literally NO IDEA which women are dying, what the causes are and even whether they have had a C-section or not.

Homebirth advocates don’t understand even the most basic facts about birth, and don’t make even the tiniest effort to find out. You’ve demonstrated that quite clearly.

Ahhh Amy, bowing once again, I see, to condescending holier than thou crap….& again, such a shame that there are actually women who cannot support the free choices & empowerment of other women over their own bodies. It’s clear to me that our 2 countries are quite different on this issue, so I cannot speak to a lot of what goes on there…except to say that it’s too bad many states don’t yet train, recognize, & use midwives. Here, our midwives are highly trained professionals, & they can administer almost any medical care at home aside from narcotics. Here, it is a symbiotic relationship between the midwife & the medical community, using both when & as needed. I, like Danielle, am a FREE CHOICE advocate, who happens to have a genius level IQ & I became highly educated, thank you very much, (since you seem to know me so well), on these issues when the time came that I was pregnant. On BOTH sides…THEN made my choices. You claim that it is advocates for choice that spout nonsense & beef up the stats for “our” side while “downplaying” those for the other side, yet not once have I seen you offer up anything to show the risks involved in the constant intervention in the birthing process. Why does a low risk, perfectly normal hospital birth require drugs, episiotomy, monitors, & being strapped to a bed???? And by the same token, of course there is inherent risk in a home birth….but if there is not a hint of trouble, a certified midwife is in attendance, & the mother has made the conscious choice to do it, who are you to judge that?? And why exactly do you seem so threatened by it?? Because we like to encourage open discussion of the pros & cons, & risks associated with birthing choices? Because we like to remind women that their doctor is NOT God, & will not always tell them what they need to know?? Or maybe it’s because we support women in being active in their own care.

2 of my births wound up being sent to hospital because my midwives were trained well enough to know when that became necessary. The other 2 were born at home. My 2nd was delivered early, due to my routine 20wk ultrasound showing her to be “small”. After an OB consult, my midwife was forced to transfer my primary care to her, but still remained involved & active. The OB continued weekly ultrasounds & stress tests & finally decided I had IUGR. She induced me at 33wks, thinking my placenta was dying. Never occurred to her that at 5 feet, & 100 pnds my whole life, I wouldn’t have big babies, even my 1st born, at home, AND a boy, was only 6 & 1/2 pnds at 1 wk overdue. OR that the baby was only measuring 2wks behind, & only in the legs….OR that NO OTHER test showed ANY problems with me or the baby….long story short, she is required to test the placenta after the fact with suspected IUGR to rule out drugs & glue sniffing & what not…& she was wrong. When she told me the next day that the placenta was functioning perfectly normal & I didn’t need to have any concerns for future pregnancies, I was livid…her response? Better safe than sorry! Tell that to my 4 pound preemie who then spent 2 weeks in an incubator while I waged a constant battle to be allowed to breast feed her, then 2 years in & out of hospital with pneumonia & RSV, & at 9 years old, STILL has asthma, thick glasses, & is tiny & scrawny, all from being a preemie, that she never should have been! Side note, my next 2 daughters ALSO measured TWO WEEKS behind, the entire pregnancy…thankfully I had the same midwife for all, & she knew NOT to involve an OB this time. Bottom line is, mistakes can & will be made, on either side. Being involved & knowledgeable can help every women ensure she has the best possible birthing experience for her, not solely what her doctor dictates she have. I am amazed that you can spout such poison at women who truly value & appreciate the birthing process & the opportunity to support other women through it…maybe you’re not as educated as I thought….

As for Danielle, I have no doubt that you did your due research & diligence with your posts….the medical community will put their own spin on it to once again cover their own asses & protect the giant money making machine that is big medicine.

Actually Amy, the Palo ALto Medical Group (I believe) just did a story on the jump in maternal deaths here in California. Those doctors, who practice in hospitals, are saying they believe the increase in maternal death IS related to the increase in cesarean sections, many of which are probably unnecessary. For instance, they said doctors are more likely to push c-sections on overweight or obese women just b/c of their weight, when the surgery is actually more likely to cause complications because of their size. And according to WHO, the c-section rate is the US is about twice what it should be.

And for the record, I had my son in the hospital and will be having any subsequent children in the hospital.
.-= Maya´s last blog ..Friday Favorites =-.