reputable homebirth info/stats needed

The silly thing is, a tiny minority of people planning homebirth would
even consider staying home before 36 weeks (a few more after that, the
vast majority wouldn't until 37 weeks). So I don't know why its an
issue either way.

include me in that, obviously I've no idea how things are going to pan out,
but I've experienced hospital birth and I know that I really don't want that
so I would seriously consider staying at home pre 37 weeks, I haven't worked
out at what point I would definitely thing hospital was the best thing, but
it's unlikely that things will come to that.

I do have some doubts about the necessity of NICU for some preterm babies, I
worry about things like infection, hopefully this is all unnecessary worry.

Plissken wrote:

I would love to have a homebirth but my husband is not at all keen. I am
wondering if anyone out there knows of a reputable website or a good book
that my husband could read to put his mind at ease. I am going to ask my
midwife this week as well but thought I would try here too.

TIA
Nadene




My favourite site is Angela Horns Homebirth site
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/

Click on the research botton at the side and she has a gazillion studies
from all over the world for you to mull over.

Andrea

Plissken wrote:

I would love to have a homebirth but my husband is not at all keen. I am
wondering if anyone out there knows of a reputable website or a good book
that my husband could read to put his mind at ease. I am going to ask my
midwife this week as well but thought I would try here too.

TIA
Nadene



Another thing you can do is find a homebirth support group/coffee group
and take him along to meet and talk to other fathers for some
reassurance. It was the other way around for us, my husband is dutch and
just expected we'd have our babies at home but I was a little
apprehensive first time around and planned a birthing centre birth. I
decided I'd like a homebirth for my second but was talked out of it by
my GP, finally managed it for my third and never looked back. The only
hospital births I had since were my twins and Lydia who was a
c/section...and if they could do those at home I'd of probably taken
that option too lol



Andrea

These are Canadian studies, published in very reputable journals.

http://www.asac.ab.ca/resResearch.html

Mary G.
(Toronto, Ontario)

Hillary Israeli wrote:

In ,
Kelly wrote:

*It is highly likely to have a natural non-interventionist hospital birth in
*the US. Fortunately I live where the hospitals have midwifery groups
*associated with them, OB practices that are low interventionist in their
*philosophy, and nurses that are supportive. There are also lots of Doulas

I think an informed patient makes all the difference.

I think an informed patient makes a lot of difference, but
I don't think it makes all the difference by a long shot. Obviously,
I didn't give birth in a hospital, so my personal experience with
myself as a patient is limited to something like four or five hours
in hospital for an external version. I have, however, spent quite a bit
of time supporting other people in the hospital. My experience with
that is that knowing what you want and being informed is helpful,
but there are a *lot* of ways in which staff can make it very
challenging for you to get what you want.

In the hospital
where I deliver, MOST patients have highly interventionist births. If you
say you don't want that, though, you don't get it! They can't FORCE you.

They can't force you, but they can do a lot short of forcing
you that is *very* effective sabotage. I agree that just because a
lot of people have interventionist births isn't necessarily an
indication that you can't get a low intervention birth. Lots of
women *want* interventionist births (or at least don't want to
avoid interventions). On the other hand, it is only natural for
people to become accustomed to practicing in a certain way. Think
how many women here have said that hospital staff told them they
were the first unmedicated birth they'd seen! I mean, really!
Short of someone's first week on the job, it's rather amazing that
an L&D nurse would never have seen an unmedicated birth.

You just have to tell your caregiver what you want and make them realize
you mean business.

If you are able to be forceful, that will certainly help.
Not everyone is that assertive, though, and it seems to me that
being really assertive while in labor shouldn't be a prerequisite
for getting the birth you want. It really *ought* to be sufficient
to ask nicely. I think one also ought to be able to expect the
same level of care and expertise if one wants a low intervention
birth, but with staff having so little experience in that area,
that is often unlikely. The result is that if you want a low
intervention birth, you'd better be knowledgeable *and* able
to bring any support you might need, because odds are you won't
find it there. Women who want low intervention births are paying
just as much money. Why aren't they entitled to just as much
expertise and support to help them get the birth *they* want?
If women had to be forceful and beg and plead to get an epidural,
we'd say the staff were being inhumane. Why should someone have
to beg and plead and get forceful to *not* have an epidural (not
to mention also having the appropriate care and support to make
them more likely to be successful in that endeavor)?

I really don't believe that hospitals are so supportive
of and experienced with low intervention birth that anyone who
wants a low intervention birth can get it without too much
difficulty. I think in most hospitals it takes quite a bit
of effort to make it happen and a whole lot of courage of
one's convictions (which is particularly difficult to come
by in one's first birth).

Best wishes,
Ericka

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...
Plissken wrote:

I would love to have a homebirth but my husband is not at all keen. I am
wondering if anyone out there knows of a reputable website or a good
book
that my husband could read to put his mind at ease. I am going to ask my
midwife this week as well but thought I would try here too.

In addition to the other resources you've already been
directed to, my advice is to have your husband come along to
interview a midwife or three. Many husbands seem to have the
notion that homebirth midwives are a bunch of earthy-crunchy
grannies who wouldn't know a research study from a hole in
the ground. When they actually *talk* to the midwives and
realize that they are highly competent professionals who can
explain in detail what they will do in any particular situation
and why that's appropriate, the husbands often have a change
of heart.


I already have a midwife although he did not come and help pick one out. He
has been to an appointment though and has admitted that it is much nicer and
more personable than going to the doctor. I picked a midwife that I
'clicked' with and fortunately she is also a registered nurse (not necessary
to be one here in Canada) as well has having her masters in nurse/midwifery.
So that has made him feel better that she has a masters degree. I know it
really doesn't make a difference but if it makes him feel better, then
great!

My midwife has said that he should do some reading on homebirths and once we
get a little closer to the EDD she will talk to him about homebirths and try
to get someone who has had a homebirth to meet with us and discuss any
concerns he may have. He is a stubborn one though, but I'm hoping he agrees
in the end.

N

Ericka Kammerer wrote in message ...

In addition to the other resources you've already been
directed to, my advice is to have your husband come along to
interview a midwife or three. Many husbands seem to have the
notion that homebirth midwives are a bunch of earthy-crunchy
grannies who wouldn't know a research study from a hole in
the ground. When they actually *talk* to the midwives and
realize that they are highly competent professionals who can
explain in detail what they will do in any particular situation
and why that's appropriate, the husbands often have a change
of heart.

That's what happened to my husband. I mentioned to him several years
prior to trying to conceive, that I was interested in a homebirth. He
was adamant that it not be with our first baby, that he was too scared
to lose either of us. Then when we were shopping for an OB that would
do a waterbirth, and having no luck (water labor yes, water birth, no)
we decided to interview midwives who would do hospital births (seemed
like an ideal situation - a doctor would be around to step in in case
something serious happened) and water births. It was still in the back
of my mind to homebirth. I mentioned that everything I had read
suggested that home births were just as safe, and this time, he said
he'd consider it - but he wanted to hear what the midwife had to say.

He asked some questions, she had some good aswers (the "decision to
incision" stats came up), he was satisfied, and on the way home he
said "OK, let's do it." He was still worried though, but the closer
we got to the birth, the more at ease he was - he had LOTS of time to
get used to the idea (we interviewed our midwives before I got
pregnant - we were trying to conceive at the time).

Now? He tells EVERYONE that they should have a homebirth -he's more
of a zealot than I am. :-)

His first child was born in the hospital, and though it wasn't a bad
birth by any means - he says there's no comparison at how much better
it was at home - the birth was gentler, Kivi was treated better, so
much more peaceful, etc.

I know this doesn't help the OP, but I thought I'd share.

Cathy Weeks
Mommy to Kivi Alexis 12/01

"Sue" wrote in message
...
I had three hospital births in the US and they were all non-intervention
unless I wanted it to be. They asked, but I didn't want or need any
intervention and they didn't push the issue. I would have to say that your
sweeping generalization is not correct.

Quite possibly not. I based the sweeping generalisation on a lot of horror
stories and complaints about hospital births that get posted on MKP, and
seem to be for the most part generated by US posters. It does seem from what
I read though, that there are a lot of extra tests and procedures (many of
them harmful and unnecessary) used over there which we've never even heard
of. To name a few differences off the top of my head:
*Circumcision - far from routine here in NZ, in fact would be hard to find a
Dr. to do it.
*Antibiotics in babies' eyes - again, not routine, mother would have to have
known STD's or request it. STD testing is not compulsory here.
*Epidurals - uncommon except for c-section, nitrous oxide is our drug of
choice _and_ is adequate pain relief for the majority of women _and_ does
not lead to other interventions.
*Stirrups and lithotomy position - would only be used by request. The
majority of women here use midwives who encourage them to birth in their
position of choice (not saying the OB's don't, but I don't know many who've
used them). It is really weird BTW to see photos of surgical-looking vaginal
births with OB's in blue scrubs and surrounded by plastic sheeting. Midwives
here wear latex gloves, and possibly an apron if they're attached to the
outfit they have on ;-)
*Eating during labour - no Doc who wanted to live long would tell a pg Kiwi
woman not to eat.
Similarly, IV fluids are unlikely except if the woman did not want to drink
and the labour was long. Since most providers I know *encourage* women to
drink, this is not usually an issue.
*Breastfeeding - Most of our hospitals are very supportive of breastfeeding,
in fact it's a Government initiative. My hospital was the Breastfeeding
Gestapo and began to annoy me, and I _wanted_ to exclusively feed.
*Rooming in - Those big nurseries full of babies are one of those weird
Americanisms they show on the movies.

There are some other areas where we fall down, a lot of providers don't see
immediate cord clamping, cord traction, natural delivery of the placenta as
big deals. But from experience, it's very easy to avoid these if you put
them in the birthplan. And there is no-one around where I live who would
deliver a breech, and you can attempt VBAC but you could run into problems
with a lack of full support for it. Overall, from what I've heard I would be
*afraid* to birth in the US. If I found myself holidaying over there at term
far from a good midwife, I would endeavour to birth in one of your yellow
cabs. Again, just from what you've all told me.

--
Amy,
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
email: barton . souto @ clear . net . nz (join the dots!)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/carlos2002/

"Mary Gordon" wrote in message
om...
These are Canadian studies, published in very reputable journals.

http://www.asac.ab.ca/resResearch.html

Mary G.
(Toronto, Ontario)

This is a GREAT link! I especially like the studies linked to the Canadian
Medical Association Journal. Just what my husband needs to read. Thanks!

Exactly. It isn't the anesth. fault someone gets and epidural The more
info one has and the more one thinks about wishes and desires, the smoother
things go IMO.

Kelly
#4 2/12/05

"Hillary Israeli" wrote in message
...
In ,
Kelly wrote:

*It is highly likely to have a natural non-interventionist hospital birth
in
*the US. Fortunately I live where the hospitals have midwifery groups
*associated with them, OB practices that are low interventionist in their
*philosophy, and nurses that are supportive. There are also lots of
Doulas

I think an informed patient makes all the difference. In the hospital
where I deliver, MOST patients have highly interventionist births. If you
say you don't want that, though, you don't get it! They can't FORCE you.
You just have to tell your caregiver what you want and make them realize
you mean business. My doctor backed me up in the hospital and I had no one
bug me at all during my last delivery (in fact, I almost had no one show
up as the baby came out, but a resident swung by at the last second ).

h.

--
Hillary Israeli, VMD
Lafayette Hill/PA/USA/Earth
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it is
too dark to read." --Groucho Marx