opinions about homebirthing

CEG · Sep 10, 2008

I also believe people must take RESPONSIBILITY for their choices. With freedom, always should come concommitant responsibility. In the USA, we struggle with this. Most of us are acutely aware of our rights, but not as willing to be so aware of our responsibilities. That is a big problem as I see it.

ITA! Pretty much every patient I see has made the decision to have an elective induction at 39 weeks, epidural, etc and is not held responsible for anything that goes wrong. True that this is a result of much urging from the doctors. I am planning a homebirth for my upcoming delivery and the flack I get from my fellow nurses for that choice is unbelievable.

LaborLovinRN · Sep 11, 2008

This is always such an interesting subject to read about when discussed by other nurses. There are always people who will quote statistics about the fact that things "rarely" happen, or that certain emergencies are "unlikely" to occur. However, the fact remains that emergencies DO HAPPEN, and in OB...they happen quickly! I see (with my own eyes) emergencies every single day I work on the L&D unit.

On 3 occasions in the last 4 years I have had women come in that have tried to deliver at home, and finally present after a prolonged labor/pushing, only to find that there baby is dead. Is that a large percentage, no, but is it worth the risk, in my opinion, no.

Just my :twocents: .

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Sep 11, 2008

The above is why we homebirth advocates strongly recommend auscultating FHTs in accordance with guidelines.

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 11, 2008

Exactly Elvish!

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 11, 2008

The thanks would only let me thank you once for that above post, SBE......I wanted to thank you about twelve times!!

That is a high compliment coming from you. thank you.

AOX4RN, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 11, 2008

The above is why we homebirth advocates strongly recommend auscultating FHTs in accordance with guidelines.

You'd be AMAZED at the number of times I am asked by physicians and nurses if I auscultate FHTs at home :uhoh3: Of course!

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 11, 2008

I have run into midwives who did not, sadly. Nor did they do u/s in cases where it was clearly indicated. There are good and bad in every walk of life.

babynurse357 · Sep 16, 2008

I'm all for birthing centers that are more like home and use midwives. I'm totally not into delivering at home. Too many things can go wrong-not that they do very often, I just would rather not risk it. Many birth centers with MWs still do intermittent monitoring, etc. A "controlled" environment would be best for me but everyone is different.

CEG · Sep 16, 2008

I'm all for birthing centers that are more like home and use midwives. I'm totally not into delivering at home. Too many things can go wrong-not that they do very often, I just would rather not risk it. Many birth centers with MWs still do intermittent monitoring, etc. A "controlled" environment would be best for me but everyone is different.

I think birth centers are great, but how are they any safer than home? They still do not have anesthesia or operating rooms. Many people live close to hospitals, potentially closer than the birth center is. My midwife will be bringing to my house all of the resucitation equipment and emergency supplies that the birth center has. Just curious why this seems a better option. I know ACOG supports birth center and not homebirth but they do not cite any clinical data or reference for their position either.

AOX4RN, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 16, 2008

I'm all for birthing centers that are more like home and use midwives. I'm totally not into delivering at home. Too many things can go wrong-not that they do very often, I just would rather not risk it. Many birth centers with MWs still do intermittent monitoring, etc. A "controlled" environment would be best for me but everyone is different.

I assume you are referring to a hospital-based birthing center with midwives because those that are free-standing and use the criteria necessary to obtain accreditation by the American Association of Birth Centers are maxi-homes, not mini-hospitals. In other words, an AABC birth center is the "midwife's home", not the client's home.

As for a controlled environment, it is... just under mother's control, not ours which is the point of autonomous home birth with informed consent!

babynurse357 · Sep 16, 2008

Let me clarify myself. I was referring to hospital based birthing centers. If there even was one around where I live I'd consider one. Simply saying delivering at home wouldn't be my preference. Kudos to those that do, I've just seen too many deliveries that would have been really bad if they had happened at home.

Booty Nurse, BSN · Sep 16, 2008

As a former licensed (home-birth) midwife, I get so frustrated when I hear people talk about complications during labor/delivery and say "If I hadn't been at the hospital, my baby would have died!" Apparently many people believe that midwives just sit around and watch a laboring woman, don't monitor, don't intervene when there are complications, and have no emergency equipment. I try to patiently explain that midwives monitor extremely closely, intervene early if something is not right, and are quick to transfer to the hospital if they think it's necessary. Most interventions that are done at the hospital can be done at home too. Thankfully, very serious emergencies that have no warning signs leading up to them are extremely rare. My small-town hospital has no OR staff in-house nights and weekends, so a team has to be called in; a home birth mom could be transferred to the hospital by the time the OR is ready. Unless the home is pretty far away -- and here is where the free-standing birth center comes in handy. I worked in a birth center that did both home and center births (parent's preference). Some chose they birth center because they lived far out of town and were not comfortable with the distance from the hospital. The equipment was all the same whether it was a home or center birth.