I will be there. I would be there to support women's choice if they invented ways to curtail women's rights to elective c/s, I will be there to support women's rights to choose homebirth. Regardless of any person's view of homebirth, which is largely informed by personal experience (I had three, they were great - all in other countries, so i know what it is like in a country where homebirth is funded and supported) - this is about choice. You can't arbitrarily remove a choice like that.
Kelly, what is the link of the facebook group? Ta.
No one is saying that homebirth is risk free. Hardly. Homebirth is as safe as birth gets. An 80% c/s rate, as in other countries where there is total obstetric dominance, is hardly risk free either. However, obstetric birth is not unfunded, unresourced, unsupported, and under threat of being driven underground. Giving medicare numbers and indemnity insurance to all midwives except for independent midwives who provide homebirth services is a backward step for Australia and a blow to all Australian birthers interested in having vaginal births, be it in hospitals, birth centres or at home.
In the short time I've been a doula, I have been present at 17 homebirths here in Victoria.
7 of those were first time mothers. Of these, 6 had their babies safely at home, with minimal or no tearing, and excellent apgars for the baby. One transferred to hospital, had epidural & synto and eventually a ventouse vaginal birth, baby born in excellent condition.
Of these 17, 9 of the babies were over 9 pounds, and one was 11 pounds.
Of these 17, 3 transferred to hospital during labour. Of these 3, one had an epidural, and pushed the baby out herself. Another had an epidural and a vaginal birth with the help of forceps. The other had an epidural, synto and a vaginal birth with the help of ventouse. All the babies were in good condition.
Of these 17, three were women having their first VBAC following a primary caesarean.
So this has been my experience so far.
Homebirths in Victorai has a 12% transfer rate and a 4% c/s rate. Research shows that the rate of infant deaths at homebirths is on par with deaths occuring in hospitals to low-risk women.
Regardless of people's views of whether or not homebirth is less/more safe, I can't accept that marginalising homebirth and driving it underground, and criminalising our homebirth midwives who are some of the most skilled careproviders we have, is in the best interests of birthing Australia.
It is worth fighting for.
Last edited by Julie Doula; June 22nd, 2009 at 08:09 PM.
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