DIY Deliveries: More Women Go It Alone (US)

[Trillian]

You have completely misunderstood what I was getting at. I am not advocating hospital births because I mentioned that things can go wrong - things can and do go wrong in many different birthing settings - I was asking what are *you*, as the mother who has chosen to do it this way going to do to make sure you can get yourself and your baby out if it if it happens. have you organised oxygen in case your baby needs it? Do you have clamps for the cord? Why didn't you save up to be able to afford a homebirth midwife if you knew that's what you wanted to do? There is no point just going and doing it without learning basic processes to help you birth your baby - would you, your husband and your Doula even have the first clue what to do to safely birth a breech baby, a baby with the cord around it's neck or even if you had a retained placenta - these things commonly happen - please dont be so naive to think that they can't. You can have a great birth in spite of your previous experiences without being spiteful. I am all for women choosing the way they want to give birth, just make sure that you are prepared for it. Its like saying that tomorrow you are going to go and perform brain surgery - now that's all well and good, but do you know how to perform brain surgery?

Don't be sorry for my experience - I'm not, he was a posterior birth and while yes it was hard and I didn't get to delay the cord clamping because it was around his neck I don't reget it for a minute or think that it was a 'bad' birth - I worked damn hard to bring him into this world and I am thankfull that I had staff who knew how to try to get him to turn and to remove the cord from his neck and to dislodge his stuck shoulders. I have had one birth that did go a bit pear shaped - my 3rd was an induced birth and I had a retained placenta and a PPH but I don't regret that either because if I wasn't where I was I would have died, simple as that. And it was her birth that made me find the answers I needed to make my final birth what it was.

[s361768]

Not that I want to justify this but my pregnancy did not occur at the best time financially for my partner and I. In answer to why I didn't save for a midwife if that was the birth I wanted.

It is pretty bad that women have to pay so much for this option anyway.
Look my previous labours and births were heading in the right direction until medically intervened with, these are my experiences.

My doula is very experienced and I am well read on birth, as well as having had 3 previous pregnancy's, labours, births. I attend all my antenatal visits and have my blood pressure checked, urine, have had ultrasounds, bloods for GD, a liver condition I knew I didnt have etc etc.

Have syntocinon on hand etc. I Know how to transfer to a hospital as well

I know things can go wrong and I am not being naieve. I am sick of being made to feel like I have to walk around in fear and anguish of my life and baby's life. I thought birth was a natural process.

Should I forgo birthing my baby at home and go to a public hospital because I don't have the finances for a midwife? Because that is getting a little political and discrimatory.