tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post7941764400850965493..comments2023-11-02T06:49:24.564-07:00Comments on American Home Birth: What Drew Me To Home Birth and What Turned Me Away, Part 4Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460197503063601577noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-76496344659416471292015-12-25T06:12:52.443-08:002015-12-25T06:12:52.443-08:00CPMs *legal*CPMs *legal*Christinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-61468252097680719192015-12-25T06:11:52.125-08:002015-12-25T06:11:52.125-08:00I really have enjoyed reading your posts! I am esp...I really have enjoyed reading your posts! I am especially grateful for your posts on questions to ask midwives and equipment/training they should have. I tend to be shunned a bit in the hardcore natural birth community bc I am not signing the petition to make CPMs illegal and I warn new moms about hiring illegal midwives. But I truly think the best thing for natural birth is being on the up and up and being accountable and making standards of care better! If all the passionate women I knew could get on that boat--I can only imagine the possibilities for birth in he US!<br /><br />I agree that the us vs them mentality is an issue. It goes both ways and is hurtful and unnecessary. It's the main reason why I hesitate to label myself because truly my birth decisions are personal and as a doula I enjoyed supporting families who chose very different experiences. The judgement and blaming is just heartbreaking. Home birthers judging parents who choose medical interventions and hospital birthers judging parents who choose to birth at home. Blaming poor hospital birth outcomes on the interventions allowed by parents and even worse blaming perinatal deaths on parents that chose home birth. It is the healthcare professionals who we should be looking to for responsibility in all of these situations. Expecting them to follow ACOG guidelines and working together for better experiences and less interventions (if desired) in hospitals and more seamless transitions from birth center and home births. <br /><br />As for my personal experience, I had a very long and hard first labor at a CABC accredited birth center. My son was poorly positioned after 9 months of prenatal yoga and eating whole and preparing my mind and body (the doula curse, as we later joked)! BUT it was such a positive experience. My midwives made me feel very confident that though my labor was hard, they were following safe protocol and my baby was doing well. They were in touch with the back up OB as my pushing extended into a 4th hour. I delivered in the oddest position, but it worked and I was so grateful for the knowledge of my midwives and the faith they placed in my body to deliver my baby. I do not say this lightly, but I am positive (as were they and the back up OB) that had I been in a hospital I would have ended up with a c-section. Being pregnant again with number 2, I am even more grateful for my normal birth and going into a 2nd birth uncomplicated. I tell my story just to say that there are legitimate safety reasons to choose home birth and for me avoiding a serious and unnecessary abdominal surgery is one. I guess I am a bit defensive. I recently read Dr. Amy's article that a home birth death is the parent's fault. I dislike her take on things because I think she could do more. She could write to a homebirth audience. She could educate without being condescending. And that goes for hardcore natural birthers as well. We need to talk to each other with open minds instead of at each other with hardened hearts. And ultimately we should support parents!Christinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-27181322109406209992015-07-13T21:29:17.456-07:002015-07-13T21:29:17.456-07:00Thank you. Your 2nd paragraph is wonderful. I wo...Thank you. Your 2nd paragraph is wonderful. I work in a NICU . . we are the land of birth-plans-gone-wrong. The health of the baby is way more important than whatever is written on that paper. I wish, when people wrote up their plans, they wrote them with a column that said "Baby not doing well"------>scrap plan. It is beyond frustrating to be called back to look at a baby and have the family refuse to turn the lights on, or unwrap the baby, etc. We want everything to be perfect for you as well, and we most certainly would prefer your baby stayed with you. I'm all about breastfeeding/bonding . . but if your baby is having trouble breathing or is septic . . . minutes can make a difference. We are not the enemy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-61495055634453143122015-06-02T11:37:26.603-07:002015-06-02T11:37:26.603-07:00Thank you for sharing your story. I am surprised a...Thank you for sharing your story. I am surprised at just how similar our birth stories are- but unlike you I had my first birth at a birth center with midwives when I massively hemmorhaged. This is my blog<br />http://thehealthshock.com/2014/10/29/lessons-about-health-life-and-motherhood-a-birth-story/<br />I would love to connect sometime if you want (I am pregnant with my second, and choosing a hospital birth this time!) and possibly post some links to your studies on my website :)<br />Thank you again for having the courage to speak out with your story.Chelsiehttp://www.thehealthshock.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-289081374637408382014-12-11T23:00:06.628-08:002014-12-11T23:00:06.628-08:00Thank you so much for writing this blog. I am a La...Thank you so much for writing this blog. I am a Labor and Delivery nurse. I know why women want to have home births and understand their need for feeling safe in their own home and feeling like they have control over their labor and delivery process and their infant when at home. I feel it is safer to have a delivery at the hospital where medical interventions and equipment are available if needed. Our unit and physicians are wonderful. As long as everything is ok with the baby, then we pretty much let them do what ever they want. We let them shower, walk, squat while pushing, use the labor ball to sit on. Whatever makes them happy. We want them to be in control of everything concerning the labor and delivery process. I think some soon to be moms do not research enough and are just dead set against a hospital birth. If they only knew that 5 minutes can literally make the difference between a live born infant and a baby that does not make it, then I think that they would choose the hospital. Thank you for sharing your story and congratulations on your beautiful children. We need more people like you than can keep their minds open about these situations. My daughter wants to have a home birth because she hates going to the hospital. I have talked to her about the dangers and will be showing her your blog tomorrow. I want a healthy grandchild. That is all that matters in the end. A healthy baby and a healthy mom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-60749529877861668502014-12-11T12:43:31.366-08:002014-12-11T12:43:31.366-08:00Good for you for writing these articles, and good ...Good for you for writing these articles, and good for you for making an educated choice. We did also (my husband and I) and were thankful that we ended up in a hospital after I too had bleeding and clotting issues and needed drugs. Yes, my homebirth friends poo pooed me but we were very well cared for. All I can think of is 25 years ago being the 10 year old girl that was very informed and educated about natural birth (I grew up on a farm) and my parents giving birth to my brother who had a serious heart defect, not found until immediately after birth. He was medflighted and had several heart surgeries before coming home at almost 6 months of age. This baby is now grown and is a successful young man- that would never have survived if he had been born at home. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-53689554025099071902014-10-21T15:51:11.493-07:002014-10-21T15:51:11.493-07:00Thank you for sharing your story. How wonderfully ...Thank you for sharing your story. How wonderfully enlightening! I also felt quite drawn towards home birth and home -based midwifery care, for my own pregnancy and birth (I am due in Feb 2015). But being a scientist by profession I am somewhat subconsciously trained to look at data from both sides of the story. When I looked at some of the data on safety of homebirths, how midwives are trained in the US and also about how home birth increases the risk for babies, I decided against it. The weird part is homebirth advocates only seem to present these happy, glorious births data. In any birth there is a risk of maternal and neonatal mortality. Why don't midwives ever share that? That seems very one-sided and scary, as though they are trying to push something unwanted under the rug. Obstetricians and medical personnel openly share (most of the time) rates of neonatal and material mortality. <br /><br />Yes, in a hospital there might be too much intervention and I might not have the birth experience I want. But that is something minor, something I can deal with. At least I feel that my baby and I have a greater chance of survival in a hospital if there is an emergency. Having 2 days of crappy labor with interventions, c-sections, epidurals, episiotomies and doctors with terrible bedside manners is a smaller risk than suffering hemorrhage or having to deal with increased risk of death to my baby and me during a home birth. C-section recoveries, episiotomy stitches I can deal with. The experience is less important than my baby's or my safety. I don't want to be wishful in thinking that I am all healthy and will never have any kind emergency. I want to be prepared, and I think being in a hospital with my partner and a supportive doula gives me the best of both worlds. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-37223531659516802622014-09-15T12:22:54.148-07:002014-09-15T12:22:54.148-07:00Couldn't agree with you more! Yes, there is de...Couldn't agree with you more! Yes, there is definitely an "us" versus "them" feeling in the home birth and natural birth worlds versus the medical/hospital world. There is not enough emphasis on the healthy reliance of the medical world when birth veers from normal to not-so-normal and this absolutely makes a difference in how women are able to process their births in cases such as transfers from home birth and if any interventions coming into play.<br /><br />Thank you for your comment!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10460197503063601577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-84941083786819193682014-09-15T06:26:56.059-07:002014-09-15T06:26:56.059-07:00"I don't know where they get the idea we ..."I don't know where they get the idea we poke everyone with needles and give tons of medications and rip a healthy baby away from their mother."<br /><br />They get it from homebirth activists. That is what mothers in the care of the natural birth extremists are led to believe - and it's not TOTALLY off-base depending on which hospital you look at. I think the face of hospital birth is changing for the better, however, and thank you for all you do to make it a positive experience. :) The nurses I had in my 3 births were angels and you're all the unsung heroes of the medical world. Sunrisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11414752378032566870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-6121717522354583682014-09-15T06:20:23.134-07:002014-09-15T06:20:23.134-07:00Dani, thank you so much for taking the time to wri...Dani, thank you so much for taking the time to write this all out. I am floored by what you discovered in the real numbers. <br /><br />As someone who was terribly wounded by how deeply I bought into all the same philosophies you outline in this story, and then had my "perfect birth" dreams dashed twice by complications from being overdue, I sympathize greatly with your position. I received wonderful care from my midwives, who were CNMs and rightly had me make hospital transfers both times, and I absolutely do not want to discredit them as they had impeccable judgement and experience. It was my own mindset that turned the experiences (particularly birth #2) into traumatic ones - the fear of the hospital, the bitterness over the perceived "failure" of my body to do what it was supposed to know how to do, the anger that I had done everything "right" and it hadn't mattered, the distrust of the medical staff - all things propagated, directly or indirectly, by the hard-line philosophies of the natural birth movement - turned what really were uncomplicated hospital births, births many women would be happy to trade for their own terrible experiences, into nightmare in my memory of them. While neonatal mortality is clearly the most important factor to consider, my experience shows that, even in cases of healthy baby/healthy mom, the fight between home and hospital birth philosophies can have negative consequences in other aspects of a mom's life. <br /><br />I was lucid enough once I came out of the postpartum madness to own my choices and realize it was no one's "fault" that things had turned out the way they did. The natural homebirth proselytizers believe strongly in their convictions and I am certain they mean only the best toward mothers, and pregnant moms are incredibly vulnerable and eager to believe in their messages of empowerment. But the hardline stance most of them take on hospital birth is not helpful. It is, in fact, emotionally devastating to women who wind up having to transfer, and probably makes for many cases in which a necessary transfer is refused or delayed because of a mother's fear and distrust of "the system". I wonder how many babies are lost for that reason alone, which can only compound the grief and guilt experienced by the poor parents. <br /><br />For my third child, who I knew would go all the way to and past 42 weeks like her brothers, I chose an OB (who, ironically, refused to induce me before 41.5 even though I begged!), hospital birth, medicated, 180 degrees away from the births I had planned for the first two - and it was the most peaceful, beautiful, healing experience I could have wished for. Sometimes you just have to roll with what life gives you...and if anything, this is the message I should have taken away from birth advocacy. Their message gets lost in their zeal. Sunrisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11414752378032566870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-29831601357043467032014-09-12T10:55:49.863-07:002014-09-12T10:55:49.863-07:00Thank you for writing about your experience. I ad...Thank you for writing about your experience. I admire that you did so much research in order to make a decision you were comfortable with. With baby number 3 on the way, your blog has become part of my homework. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04950899499199203499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-77054188791036707442014-07-12T22:11:44.820-07:002014-07-12T22:11:44.820-07:00Hi
Your post brings up a lot of good points about ...Hi<br />Your post brings up a lot of good points about the studies done on home births. You obviously did a lot of research! I have done 1 home birth's with no problems and planning for another in December 2014. I do get worried about something going wrong, but I do have a hospital very close to me. Check out my blog post on my home birth experience http://www.azmomma.com/?p=564Amandahttp://azmomma.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-21547107463318396672014-06-14T12:43:27.740-07:002014-06-14T12:43:27.740-07:00Thank you for posting about your journey. I admir...Thank you for posting about your journey. I admire that you looked at actual studies, real data, So often when someone says they "did their research," it means they looked at lot of opinions and talked to a bunch of friends.<br /><br />I wanted a "natural" delivery. No, scratch that.. I wanted a healthy child. Sometimes, we forget why we get in to this whole pregnancy thing. Its NOT all about YOU, its about having the healthiest child you can. Often that does mean less intervention, but sometimes, it means more intervention, more doctors, more medications and NICU care.<br />My first child was born by C-S after prolonged labor, interventions to try to advance labor, etc, but no dice. I had my first healthy child. <br />My second was an un-medicated VBAC. My second healthy child.<br /><br />That's all that matters.RShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00658425336386000798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-75239549456308558992014-05-24T20:33:48.176-07:002014-05-24T20:33:48.176-07:00I think there is so much to learn from home birth ...I think there is so much to learn from home birth midwifery. I learned so much in my childbirth education class about diet and nutrition during pregnancy (taught by a home birth midwife). My hope is not to make home birth obsolete -- but to make it better. In my opinion, it starts with midwives earning hospital privileges and carrying malpractice insurance -- then care providers who collaborate with home birth midwives don't carry all the burden in case of a bad outcome. It would also ease transfers - make them more seamless. And it benefits women greatly, emotionally, who have to transfer to be able to have their midwife continue care in the hospital. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10460197503063601577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-71217613266044476912014-05-24T19:04:37.939-07:002014-05-24T19:04:37.939-07:00Dani,
I respect the path you have taken, and as a...Dani,<br /><br />I respect the path you have taken, and as a doula and a mom who has had 4 homebirths...I can tell you that a lot of what you found is definitely true. I often get frustrated with the rhetoric in the natural birth community, and the circling of wagons when any midwife is charged with endangering women.<br /><br />However, a big shortcoming we have in the data to date comparing home and hospital birth is that we don't have any studies tracking women from when they start prenatal care forward. Are homebirth midwives helping women--through prenatal care--to avoid having complications that would lead to higher risk births? Looking to the next birth, there is data that suggests that having a cesarean increases the rate of unexplained still birth in future pregnancies--is the reduction in cesarean births in homebirths reducing the overall rate of still birth?<br /><br />Having had two "good" hospital births with mostly supportive care providers, I can still tell you that there really is no comparing home and hospital birth for emotional atmosphere. But yes, there is that issue of "what if?" and I certainly respect women who find that they are better served--emotionally--in the hospital.<br /><br />I think we really need to work on the skill of home birth midwives, and the collaboration with hospital providers. I think this would reduce a lot of the excess perinatal mortality that we see now in homebirth.Knitted in the Wombhttp://www.knittedinthewomb.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-27339700776046336092014-04-26T21:41:17.787-07:002014-04-26T21:41:17.787-07:00I just wrote a very long THANK YOU for your honest...I just wrote a very long THANK YOU for your honest and heartfelt words, but then accidentally deleted it. Suffice it to say, I am so grateful to you for helping me to sort out my own feelings on this topic. I've spent years lamenting the fact that I could have had beautiful home births with any or all of my six children but didn't. It's easy to wish for something different in hindsight, knowing that everything turned out well. But all in all, my hospital births were positive experiences, and even the things that weren't ideal were valuable learning opportunities for me. After reading your honest, well-researched and informative posts I am at peace with my decisions to have hospital births, with the CNMs and doula who supported me. It really was the best of both worlds. Thank you so much for putting so much time and thought into this, and helping other women on their journey to find what is truly best and safest for them.Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16377471121672477332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-8464073050608790412014-04-26T09:40:56.822-07:002014-04-26T09:40:56.822-07:00Dani I seriously appreciate your posts!! There are...Dani I seriously appreciate your posts!! There are SOOO many options and opinions flying around - everyone has them! I truly value your insight and your research. As a brand new mom-to-be (7 weeks!) people keep telling me to watch The Business of Being Born and to really "do my research" - and again, so many options and opinions. Safety, of course, will be our #1 concern and I never imagined not being in a hospital setting with the comfort of knowing there are experts all around "just in case." I have also heard the horror of pitocin and an epidural and am still doing my research, but I have found an OB here in San Diego that is on board with the natural birth and delivers 95% of his patient's babies. He's also from the midwest, which I, of course, love! Anyway, I just want to let you know that I seriously read everything word for word and appreciate putting yourself out there. The truth is more important than anything!!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07463460283085336330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-22861932122030778222014-04-07T21:28:23.549-07:002014-04-07T21:28:23.549-07:00As an RN that works in the NICU and post partum, i...As an RN that works in the NICU and post partum, it makes me sad people think having a baby in a hospital is a horrible option. Our goal 99% of the time is to have a healthy mom and BABY. (There will always be thar select few who have their own agenda, but this also happens in home birth.) Many people come in with birth plans and their requests are part of our everyday routine. I don't know where they get the idea we poke everyone with needles and give tons of medications and rip a healthy baby away from their mother.<br />On the NICU side I have seen things go bad, and go bad fast! I always tell new employees when setting up for a delivery, "plan for the worst but pray for the best." There are so many life threatening things that can happen when a baby is born. Thankfully the large majority of babes are 100% fine, but think about that very slim chance- a hospital a equipped to deal with that slim chance is safest.Meghan Endorfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-56580905536712285072014-04-03T13:44:00.148-07:002014-04-03T13:44:00.148-07:00I just stumbled upon your blog and I just want to ...I just stumbled upon your blog and I just want to tell you how much I appreciated your honest thoughts. I am so impressed with your genuine search for truth and your willingness to fairly assess your options. It's so important that we, as mothers, look for legitimate sources and reason out our decision without letting our emotions or biases take control. <br /><br />I find myself in a fairly similar situation. I live in Brooklyn and there is a strong home birth movement here. Many of my very closest friends are firm advocates (thankfully, whether or not I agree with them on home birth doesn't affect our relationship). I still honestly haven't decided if it's right for me or not. I just want to hear more stories like yours - those that offer an honest approach, who understand both sides and genuinely care about people in both camps. Like you mentioned in your posts - sources that censor so carefully aren't trustworthy in my opinion. It's so hard to find online sources that admit that their opinions may have flaws - no matter what their opinions are. I've always felt that if some method (in this case home birth or hospital birth) is truly the best, it will be able to face opposing opinions and not simply crush or erase them. <br /><br />So thank you for all the time and energy I'm sure you put into this. I don't normally comment online, but I just really felt you deserved some thanks. Rebecca Hugheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16083037689393769325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-6109241011205178662014-03-13T14:00:09.458-07:002014-03-13T14:00:09.458-07:00Completely agree, Maribeth! Thank you for your com...Completely agree, Maribeth! Thank you for your comment :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10460197503063601577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-64896100361469087122014-03-13T13:59:23.482-07:002014-03-13T13:59:23.482-07:00"No offense, but I learned a long time ago th..."No offense, but I learned a long time ago that I have to find the answers on my own and not just take a bloggers word for it"<br /><br />I completely agree. I think women should carefully consider the risks of childbirth, risks of birthing in either location, take studies into consideration (studies regarding home birth in the USA), research different types of midwives, etc etc. I like reading the studies for myself, not just taking someone's word for it. It's why I reference/link everything on my blog, so people can read for themselves.<br /><br />"The biggest concern I've had as of late is over the whole Jan Tritter/Christy Collins baby and the comments from lay midwives and cpm's that have followed."<br /><br />Yes, it was horrible. All of it. The comments were disgusting.<br /><br />" I found an interesting article with statistics showing that redheads, fair skinned women and women from European descent are more likely to have a hemorrhage but with redheads taking the lead"<br /><br />Every nurse I ran into in the hospital for both births made comments about redheads being big bleeders! So odd. I'd love to read the article!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10460197503063601577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-11482813396384642752014-03-13T08:16:50.453-07:002014-03-13T08:16:50.453-07:00Dani,
Thank you for taking the time to share your ...Dani,<br />Thank you for taking the time to share your story and insight. I am a CNM. I have only worked in hospital settings. I tell the families I work with that birth is just the very beginning of the long process of being a parent. And, as we all know, parenting is complicated! At times it is fabulous and perfect, at others it is difficult and challenging. The very act of becoming pregnant is a leap of faith. We give up full control of life at that point. But, in letting go we gain so much more, the opportunity to nurture and parent a new life. This is why I encourage women to have an open mind. Also, any choice they end up making about interventions should come from a place of kindness to herself. For example, if you elect an epidural, view it as a gesture of care for yourself, not a failure! Being extreme or exclusive can make one's heart constricted. An open heart makes the journey much nicer, don't you think? Be well, Dani, and good luck with your future endeavors. The fact that you are a thinker, that you look for the evidence, that you ask questions, that you ask for help, will serve you very well.Maribethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-54247555508751619852014-03-12T17:45:42.217-07:002014-03-12T17:45:42.217-07:00This is very interesting and I really appreciate y...This is very interesting and I really appreciate your candor. I'm in the process of getting my RN to eventually become a CNM and have had a lot of questions nagging at me lately. My 3rd child was born at home with a CNM and thankfully, everything was perfect. A lot of the studies have left me with questions and I have a lot of searching to do. No offense, but I learned a long time ago that I have to find the answers on my own and not just take a bloggers word for it. The biggest concern I've had as of late is over the whole Jan Tritter/Christy Collins baby and the comments from lay midwives and cpm's that have followed. It just doesn't add up. As an aside, you look to be a redhead, are you? Fellow redhead here and I hemorrhaged at my second, CNM attended Birth Center Birth. It was well controlled and I was fine, but it led me to seek out answers. I found an interesting article with statistics showing that redheads, fair skinned women and women from European descent are more likely to have a hemorrhage but with redheads taking the lead. They are unsure of why exactly, but it's an interesting correlation. Anyways, thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-59871960221988194992014-02-11T14:45:39.249-08:002014-02-11T14:45:39.249-08:00"I do still believe that birth has a mental/p..."I do still believe that birth has a mental/psychological component, but that this is hard to quantify." <br /><br />Yes, me too. <br /><br />I agree, sometimes I think the NUCB movement sets women up to feel like failures and can be too rigid. In a board I used to be a part of, someone wrote a post once condemning those who had induced/augmented labors and still calling them "NUCB." Ridiculous. Is it a competition? <br /><br />That's awesome you had volunteer doulas! I dream some day of starting up a program for my hospital (or multiple area hospitals) for volunteer doulas. I think having someone there for support, without pushing an agenda, just there to check in with the mom and make sure she feels confident in her choices, it can make such a huge difference in how a woman feels afterward. No one has control over birth but there are ways to help women feel more in control and less scared of what's going on, especially in times where complications come up. Some nurses and doctors are amazing with this but not all are, not every day.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10460197503063601577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923885836586206729.post-14468371702676611362014-02-09T15:40:55.572-08:002014-02-09T15:40:55.572-08:00Thanks for posting this series. I really identify....Thanks for posting this series. I really identify. I was also quite into the natural birth idea but never seriously contemplated a homebirth because I planned to birth in a hospital birthing center with CNMs, which I thought would be the best of both worlds. I ended up with a much more interventive birth than I had planned (pitocin, epidural, and every kind of monitoring) and struggled for over a year afterwards to stop having negative feelings about it - even though it was overseen by CNMs in the hospital. I, too, hesitantly and reluctantly visited Dr Amy's site and while I still find her to be mean and abrasive, I believe that when it comes to the risk of homebirth and debunking certain claims of NCB philosophy, she is right. I do still believe that birth has a mental/psychological component, but that this is hard to quantify. I feel like a lot of the anxiety and negative feelings about hospital birth and interventions are manufactured or conditioned by blogs, books, childbirth classes etc. For instance, I think that my mixed feelings and faint regrets and my "well maybe I'll get my natural birth next time" feelings about my daughter's birth were completely unnecessary and that I had excellent care. I feel lucky that my feelings were only "mixed" and "faintly" regretful rather than angry or traumatized or militantly anti-hospital, and actually I credit my doulas for some of that. <br /><br />My doulas, two volunteers (who I met just that day) supported me through the unpredictable roller coaster of birth and totally supported my decision to get an epidural after 16 hours of labor and 36 hours awake. On reflecting on it afterwards, I came to understand the doula's role as helping the mother through the journey of birth so that she feels safe and is less likely to be traumatized. In this sense, she totally succeeded and it had nothing to do with her advocating for me or stepping on doctors' toes or trying to block or talk me out of interventions. A doula can be helpful for any kind of birth - not only those that live up to a particular ideal. I feel like you are among those who understands this.Sarah Kleinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15326060829886122449noreply@blogger.com