Dr. Phil is seeking home birth stories. But not just any home birth stories. He wants just the bad ones—the ones you regret, the ones that made you have your next kid in the hospital.
I'm sure those exist somewhere. I'm sure it is partly just who I know that the only parents I've heard of regretting their choice of birth location are people who went to hospitals (which is not to say that everyone who chooses a hospital regrets it certainly).
And Dr. Phil has a right to focus his shows how he wants. If I were doing a show on home birth myself, I don't think I'd go out of my way to find one that had been a disaster.
Nonetheless, it's awfully hard to look at the questions he's asking and not fear that the show will be a massive fear-mongering misconception fest, which is a definite problem as home birth keeps facing legal challenges. You can almost hear the condescension dripping:
"Did you want to have a soothing experience where you were in control and could bond with your child?
Did it not go the way you planned?
Did you have your second child the traditional way in a hospital?"
I suspect that I'm not the only mother whose reasons for to giving birth at home were a damn sight more numerous and complex than just wanting a "soothing experience" (though, frankly, feeling safe and calm is not just a perk—it can make labor a lot shorter). In fact, pne of my reasons was that our (trained, experienced, prepared for emergencies) midwives understood that birth usually doesn't go as planned and can't really be controlled. OBs and hospitals tend to forget that and are all too ready to make extreme interventions not because something is dangerous, but just because it's inconveinent or unexpected. For me, since my kid had unexpectedly turned breech the night before, being at home meant the difference between a trouble-free, quick delivery and an unnecessary c-section.
There are a number of midwifery and doula groups, as well as individuals, encouraging women to bombard Dr. Phil with positive home birth stories. I sent him mine, but I'm not sure how how much good it'll do. Sounds like his mind is made up. I think the suggestion someone made to pester Oprah to do a show of positive home birth stories (and, I would add, include real home-birth midwives talking about how they bring oxygen and know how to do sutures and do transport to the hospital when warranted) might have a greater effect in the long run. Or am I giving up on the good doctor too easily?
Photo, "Prepared," by freckle'sphotos.
