Comments on: New Home Birth Study Shows Increase for Out of Hospital Births…

By: The Week’s Wrap Up | Momotics

The Week’s Wrap Up | Momotics — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:55:54 +0000

[...] blamed on Ricki Lake like groups like ACOG have been claiming in recent years. You can go back and read My Post on it that even attracted the #1 internet troll in the childbirth [...]

By: Maya

Maya — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:25:09 +0000

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 =-.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:10:20 +0000

This is just one of dozens of articles I found in the span of 10 minutes, from major news sources, & medical journals, discussing the growing problem of rising c-sections & maternal mortality rates…yes, there are other causes, but Amy seems to be the only one in complete denial of THIS cause, over those folks all over the news who are far more experienced & qualified to comment than she is….but then again Danielle, we DO just tend to believe everything we read, even if we do read it dozens of times from dozens of sources…oh wait, we’re not at all educated, so we must not even do that much….sigh, I just shouldn’t stoop to that should I?? Ah well, maybe THAT is Amy’s draw, she’s controversial, & in her own way, she DOES get the conversation going! So thnx for that Amy, since my youngest is now 4, I have really moved away from these areas of discussion & on to the much harder areas of raising 4 kids, 2 of them tweens!! I have enjoyed revisiting my thoughts on this!

http://www.californiawatch.org/health-and-welfare/more-women-dying-pregnancy-complications-state-holds-report

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:53:36 +0000

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.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:11:27 +0000

Everyone was right. It is like talking to a wall, you simply do not get it, nor do you take the time to actually read and think outside the box.
You constantly harp on the same, or off topic things.
You did not read a word I wrote.

I hope you had a nice visit here, because like I should have done the first time around, I will not be approving anymore of your comments. You are simply an internet troll, just one with an MD which is pretty pathetic.

By: Amy Tuteur, MD

Amy Tuteur, MD — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:08:50 +0000

“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.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:05:35 +0000

First things first… I am not a home birth advocate. I am a BIRTH advocate meaning, ANY birth a woman feels is right for her. I am for women being educated on ALL of her available options. Simple as that. I am a 2 time hospital birth mother, by CHOICE. And next time around, I will make an educated DIFFERENT choice because of the two experiences I have had.
Second, I read the report before the vast majority of home birth advocacy groups press releases. I made a post, with these statistics before noon yesterday, which can be found at http://birthactivist.com Then I sat down last night once my children were in bed, as well as my husband and read this in full.
Apparently your reading skills, or at least reading comprehension skills are lacking because it is apparent from ALL the information in my post that I read the entire study, and I specifically spoke about that, and burning the midnight oil at the start of my post.

I know exactly what I am talking about, and I do not need an MD or a shitty internet blog that is the laughing stock of the majority of the medical community to make me feel better about myself.

By: Amy Tuteur, MD

Amy Tuteur, MD — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:52:37 +0000

“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.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:23:26 +0000

WOW, Amy, seriously??!! Surely someone as educated as yourself must realize that it is you who is playing “fast & loose” with the truth….the goal of any home birth advocate is simply to empower & educate women as to the choices & control they have over their own bodies…part of that mission is to expose the truths those in the medical community prefer to hide away. After decades of being bullied & conditioned in to believeing in a “medical” birth, women no longer seem to realize they have any choices of their own. Doctors perpetuate these myths to ensure the quick & easy route for them, while covering their own butts in the process. Surely you cannot deny that c-sections have risen to astronomical rates, & maternal death rates have also risen, & then with a straight face claim there is no correlation? Or that home births vs hospital births are statistically shown to be equally safe for low risk, “normal” pregnancies, the only GLARING difference being a consistently lower number of medical interventions in home births. Yes, medical interventions…all those unnecessary things done to us & our newborns that CAUSE complications where none would exist had we been left alone to do what came naturally. Most of us do not judge those who choose a “medical” birth…when it is an educated decision. It rarely is. Yet those same women, such as yourself, will happily judge us….yes us, the ones who actually DID put thought & research in to the most important thing we will ever do. Never ceases to amaze me how people blindly do what their doctors tell them, yet will put weeks in to educating themselves on the best TV to purchase.

The bottom line Amy, for most women like me, is to simply encourage, support, & educate women as to the choices involved in having the safest & most positive birthing experience possible for them & their baby, wherever & however they ultimately choose to do it. Unfortunately, your agenda seems typical of most in the medical community….scoff, bully, deny anything that takes away from what you do. The medical establishment has a very valuable role to play in high risk pregnancies & has saved many lives with the amazing tools at hand today….but for the average, normal, low risk pregnancy, often it’s the medical intervention that causes the risk in the first place. I am grateful to live in Canada, where my government has not only embraced the role of midwives & home births, but also covers it under my government health care…my 4 kids were all attended by midwives, & I wouldn’t have it any other way…despite the ignorance of those who think it’s dangerous & ridiculous…yet are unable to answer me even the most basic of questions about their own medical births, & the risks involved, never mind having any knowledge whatsoever on my midwife births. Maybe if doctors got on board with empowering women in their own birth experience instead of taking it away from them, ALL of these poor stats would turn around, & more women would be happy to have a hospital birth that is NOT medically interfered with, but rather supported & monitored, left to run it’s natural course unless an ACTUAL reason came up to intervene. It’s such a shame that there are still women out there who are seemingly so archaic in their views.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:36:06 +0000

Really sad numbers don’t ya think?
Maybe one of the reasons we have such a high c-section rate too…