In the health section of Scotsman.com yesterday there was an article called Natural birth units 'putting mothers at risk'. The article says: "Up to a third of expectant mothers are rushed at the last minute to
doctor-led labour suites because midwife-run wards cannot deal with
medical complications or provide sufficient pain relief." Now, this article is based on research in Scotland and says that a lot of the problems are with first time mothers.
Obviously, this is causing a huge controversy where doctors and midwives are on opposite sides.
I have several friends that have recently given birth in birthing centers instead of hospitals. I know a lot of people who have done home births. I understand that women have been having babies for millions (or however old man is) of years without anesthesia and I know that it can be better for the baby.
I also know this: when my children were born I needed a blood transfusion. I had an emergency caesarian. I also had a very complicated pregnancy and odds are that the only reason my children both lived is because through modern medicine the doctors were able to delay childbirth for six weeks. I went into labor when I was 28 weeks pregnant. (Think of it as seven months.) Naomi Wolf is probably going to hate me for saying this but I thank my doctors and medical staff for saving my life and the lives of my twins.
That being said, even if I had gone into labor on my due date I still would have wanted an epidural and medical staff nearby. For me it just isn't worth the risk. I feel fortunate to live in a time where we have all of these wonderful medical tools (including painkillers) available to us.
I don't mean to slam midwives, I'm sure they are wonderful people. I am sure that a home birth without complications is a beautiful thing. I just like to hedge my bets, especially when it comes to my kids.
