Those who consider homebirth: Would you go underground?

[Inertia]

I am not 100% sure how one goes underground properly in the current system. I mean, you need the forms and thus need to present at a hospital to get them one way or another. So obviously you'd be going in saying you freebirthed or accidental home birthed. Just would be fair obvious you are telling porkies I guess.

I would go to a hospital. As much as I hate the environment, I would not ask anyone to put their career - and possibly freedom - on the line for me.

[Visitor8]

free birthing is birthing without any professionals, no MW or doctors, a lot of freebirthers also don't have any medical checkups during pregnancy.

Homebirthing is birthing at home with a midwife or doula.

Or at least that is what I thought???

By making it illegal to practice homebirth without insurance (the midwife) and no one will insure them, thus making it illegal to homebirth.

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

A homebirth with a doula is also a freebirth because doulas are just a support person and aren't responsible for any of the medical aspects of childbirth.

[Visitor8]

ahh ok cool I thought they were training MW's lol

Shows what I know (or don't :P)

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

I think I am past childbearing....but should I be so lucky I will find a way to birth at home. It's my right. I know I will find a midwife to be with me, law or no law. I am sick at the though my daughters will have to give birth in a hospital. And sick to death for fighting for my right for a normal birthing experience.

[phynna]

skybie: i liked your ticker so much I had to get the same for myself, I hope you don't mind!

I would really prefer homebirth (and waterbirth too).

BUT, what I've read is that the midwives charge thousands to do a homebirth, and being in a rural area too, it seems out of my reach for that reason. I've heard of women using the baby bonus to pay for the midwife, but we need that money to get us through the early months as I'll have to have a few weeks off work, and once I'm back at work, reduce my hours to outside of my partner's hours till our baby is old enough for the local childcare.

I'm also a first time mother, which makes the docs say I can only birth at a bigger hospital, b/c first-timers are high-risk already without doing anything! Plus I'm positive for anti-cardiolipin antibodies too, with a history of finding it difficult to fall pregnant, and one possible miscarriage as a teenager, never confirmed. So they tell me I've absolutely no chance at all of even the bigger hospital 60km away, (forget the local one) and I have to go over 100km and go to major hospital like Bendigo, Ballarat, Horsham. So there's no way in hell that I'd be able to be allowed to have a homebirth.

But.....

If birth comes on really quickly at home, and you have to accidentally birth, with ambulance called at the last minute, what would they do? Prosecute you? Some babies do not even last the ambulance trip, they arrive on the side of the road!

On the same philosophy, water birth seems still frowned upon by the hospitals, you can labour in the pool, but you must get out to birth. If you don't they pull the plug! You have to sit on the plug to prevent this! They don't like you to do it, but what do they do afterwards, ban you from having a pool anymore? Too late, baby is already here.

Yes I would go underground, providing I could afford the midwife, as things get more expensive when they become illegal due to the risk.

[tk1999]

slightly off topic for one second...

phynna, just thought I would clarify that first time mums are not automatically high risk... there many be other factors that may make a first timer high risk but it simply being her first child does not automatically mean she is high risk

Back on topic...

[phynna]

thanks TK, it's good to hear that actually, seems the local docs here are only about mis-informing me, or not-informing me, resulting in scaring me out of my wits! Once again, I learn more online than I do from my "supposed" doctor!

[The[cookie]Doctor]

I was going to say the same tk... someone is spinning a web of crap there!! The other things are understandable (although I dont know what anti-cardiolipin antibodies are...) but first timer, yeah right?!!!

[Karina]

I definately want a homebirth for my next baby, but I'm not TTC so I wont be having a baby before july 2010... If its still illegal by the time my next baby is due, I would still go looking for a midwife who was willing to be be there to help me birth my baby. If I couldnt find one then maybe I could just stay at home for my whole labour and call an ambulance at the last minute, then refuse to get in the ambulance and insist I give birth at my house, lol!!!!!!

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

If birth comes on really quickly at home, and you have to accidentally birth, with ambulance called at the last minute, what would they do? Prosecute you?

It's legal for you to have a birth at home (or anywhere else!), it's just that if you have a private midwife with you, SHE is breaking the law (you're not though). So while you wouldn't get prosecuted, your middy, if you had one, would get a $30 000 fine.

[boomba]

This whole situation makes me so sad. Shouldnt womens rights be getting better not worse in this day and age?

what will be next they will be telling us we all need c section so it can be as clinical as possible

I hope the new regulations are not passed and women ahvea right to choose to birth where they wish!

[edaj84]

I have had one hospital birth and one homebirth, i will NOT go back for another hospital birth without a GOOD medical reason, they scared me, they terrified my mother and my husband, they interfered with me, they nearly killed my son. As far as i am concerned, hospital is more dangerous for me than freebirth. I will make sure i have good prenatal care and appropriate tests, i will book into a hospital just incase but i will birth at home with my husband and my mum, and maybe a midwife that i know who attended my last birth even though she wasn't registered, i have jumped through the hoops of not having a midwife present at my birth in regards to birth certificates and centrelink and i will do it again.

I would be more than happy to discuss this further with anyone

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

edja84, are you me with a different username?

If I'm denied any help with a homebirth, I will cancel all further appointments and freebirth without stress. Having said that, a freebirth was my preferred option with Liebling and hospital records show that when I was left alone, head round the door every hour, my labour was "perfect". So I'd be an ideal candidate for just calling in a midwife just before I want to push apparently.

Unless Alan fancies travelling halfway around the world, any future baby is going to be aiming for a freebirthed baby.

[paradise lost]

I would freebirth if i could not homebirth. More likely i would invite a friend who happened to be a midwife (with their agreement of course!) over to assist and if anything went wrong i would call an ambulance and have her out of sight when it arrived. Trust is not an issue for me. If i trust someone with my child's life, pretty obviously i trust them to do their best not to get us both fined $30000.

Midwives in the US face this dilemma every day and still homebirths are done, and attended, whether it is legal or not. Eventually politicians will realise that you cannot effectively enforce laws governing birth any more than you can make it illegal for it to rain.

Bx

[Julie Doula]

I would like to encourage every woman out there to never let cultural norms, the economic climate, politics, laws, increasing technologisation of family life, beliefs, misinformation, scare tactics, expectations from family, friends, society or government, lack of freedom, the failure of democracy, oppression, persecution or ANYTHING else prevent you from choosing the safest, gentlest, wisest way to give birth, for the sake or your well-being, your baby's well-being and that of you family and everyone in it.

It doesn't matter what the law will be from next July onwards. We need to see the bigger picture. Right around the world, natural values and feminine wisdom is being denigrated and marginalised. In every society where technology is advancing, natural living skills are being lost, sometimes irretrievably. In countries where this is not a mutually honouring balance between the wisdom of the masculine and the wisdom of the feminine, you see the feminine being dominated and vital wisdom and skills being trodden under foot.

Every woman knows deep in her heart and soul what she is capable of and what she needs to give birth safely. You can't look at what is available, what is "allowed", what is even "legal" and then try to work within that. You need to start with your own deep wisdom, your own vision of what you know is right and safe and good for you when you are birthing. And then - choose that. And do whatever you need to achieve that.

Underground or not, we in Australia are part of a network of women and men in every country who are clinging onto the remnants of natural wisdom and knowledge, to preserve the love and gentleness and compassion needed to nuture our unborns, birth them safely, and parent them gently and kindly.

Don't give up and don't let any authority of home, church, state or peer group, dictate what is accepable for you. Access your own inner wisdom, then reach out to support, and feel the support of, women all around the world who instinctively know these things are too precious to lose and cannot be wrested from our possession so easily.

(Paradise I LOVE your last sentence, especially.)