i too have been very interested in this debate alison. here's a few thoughts:
i strongly disagree that birth is inherently dangerous. most obstetricians see birth as a train wreck waiting to happen. this comes from their training in learning how to treat all of the different complications that can happen during pregnancy and birth. this is what we need them for, the 10% of births where something is wrong. they seem to have little preparation for the 90% of births, where nothing is wrong.
the overwhelming success of the human race strongly disputes this point. think of this: 1/3 of moms are c-sectioned in our country today. can 1/3 of moms or babies truly be in danger? we could not have survived as a species if this were the case. and i don't believe that american women have inferior babies or pelvises. the world health organization states that over a 10% c-section rate will not result in better health for moms or babies. that means we have 20% of births having surgery that is not for the better health of the participants. this is a clear overuse of technology with no benefit.
if you want to learn first hand that birth is safe, look at the statistics from the Farm, a community which has been using the midwifery model for over 30 years. here are just a few numbers, a 95% successful homebirth rate (that means these moms had no medical interventions at all), 3.6% non-emergency transport rate, just over 1% emergency transport rate. 1% of over 2000 women needed emergency care! that sounds pretty darn safe to me. these are low-risk, healthy women, 44% first time mothers. but can they be that different from the general population of american mothers, 33% of which need c-sections? at the Farm, 1.4% c-sections. i don't think if we factored out all of the high-risk women, and looked at only the same kind of healthy women and babies, that OBs could get down to 1.4%. i know in my doula and birth education business, i have a far higher number of young, healthy, no complication women who have "something go wrong" in labor at the hospital and need a c-section. and none of them are minorities. or have multiples. or are old. it's not the moms who are predisposed to the c-section, it's the place of birth.
it is obvious to me that these midwives are doing something so differently at the Farm (and in homebirth and birth center practices all over the country), that they are dealing with an entirely different process than what most OBs routinely encounter. no one is told how to labor, given arbitrary time limits, given a bed to get in, hooked up to anything, or given any kind of drug. and somehow this translates into women who can birth.
when you begin with the premise that birth is safe and women's bodies know how to birth, amazing things happen. i've seen women labor and birth in hospital and at home (and i've done both myself), and it's a completely different process. women and midwives are not afraid at home (usually!) and this changes everything. everyone believes birth will happen normally, and at least 90% of the time, it does. for the 10% of the time when someone is transported, good medical care, with an OB or family practice dr., is the safety net. of these moms, maybe 5% will need a c-section, others might need pain meds or pitocin or just an IV. i'm thankful for the expertise of good drs when you need them, 10% (or less) of the time.
more technology will not make birth safer, here in the developed world, a deeper understanding of what women really need in labor and a profound respect for the birth process and all involved, will.
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i too have been very interested in this debate alison. here's a few thoughts:
i strongly disagree that birth is inherently dangerous. most obstetricians see birth as a train wreck waiting to happen. this comes from their training in learning how to treat all of the different complications that can happen during pregnancy and birth. this is what we need them for, the 10% of births where something is wrong. they seem to have little preparation for the 90% of births, where nothing is wrong.
the overwhelming success of the human race strongly disputes this point. think of this: 1/3 of moms are c-sectioned in our country today. can 1/3 of moms or babies truly be in danger? we could not have survived as a species if this were the case. and i don't believe that american women have inferior babies or pelvises. the world health organization states that over a 10% c-section rate will not result in better health for moms or babies. that means we have 20% of births having surgery that is not for the better health of the participants. this is a clear overuse of technology with no benefit.
if you want to learn first hand that birth is safe, look at the statistics from the Farm, a community which has been using the midwifery model for over 30 years. here are just a few numbers, a 95% successful homebirth rate (that means these moms had no medical interventions at all), 3.6% non-emergency transport rate, just over 1% emergency transport rate. 1% of over 2000 women needed emergency care! that sounds pretty darn safe to me. these are low-risk, healthy women, 44% first time mothers. but can they be that different from the general population of american mothers, 33% of which need c-sections? at the Farm, 1.4% c-sections. i don't think if we factored out all of the high-risk women, and looked at only the same kind of healthy women and babies, that OBs could get down to 1.4%. i know in my doula and birth education business, i have a far higher number of young, healthy, no complication women who have "something go wrong" in labor at the hospital and need a c-section. and none of them are minorities. or have multiples. or are old. it's not the moms who are predisposed to the c-section, it's the place of birth.
it is obvious to me that these midwives are doing something so differently at the Farm (and in homebirth and birth center practices all over the country), that they are dealing with an entirely different process than what most OBs routinely encounter. no one is told how to labor, given arbitrary time limits, given a bed to get in, hooked up to anything, or given any kind of drug. and somehow this translates into women who can birth.
when you begin with the premise that birth is safe and women's bodies know how to birth, amazing things happen. i've seen women labor and birth in hospital and at home (and i've done both myself), and it's a completely different process. women and midwives are not afraid at home (usually!) and this changes everything. everyone believes birth will happen normally, and at least 90% of the time, it does. for the 10% of the time when someone is transported, good medical care, with an OB or family practice dr., is the safety net. of these moms, maybe 5% will need a c-section, others might need pain meds or pitocin or just an IV. i'm thankful for the expertise of good drs when you need them, 10% (or less) of the time.
more technology will not make birth safer, here in the developed world, a deeper understanding of what women really need in labor and a profound respect for the birth process and all involved, will.
July 18, 2008 - 6:59pmThis Comment
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