Sunday, 08 June 2008
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Ani DiFranco on Homebirth
by Mama TurtleFrom a call-in show:
"I would definitely choose a homebirth again despite the fear mongering of this patriarchal society, which convinces women that they are incapable of having babies without the intervention of men and their machines. I look at societies where women are marginalized and oppressed their whole lives (even covered head to toe in tarps!) but are still in control of birthing practice, in a whole new way now. I mean, who is really more advanced? To take birthing out of women’s hands and deny us the continuum of eons of wisdom and experience is to eject us from the very seat of our power."
I have nothing to add but "Hell Yeah"!
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Comments (18)
ditto that!!!
I had mine in the hospital back in the day. I was not listened too. For example, the pushing position was not working. I wanted to squat or something. I was told no. I think I know my own body, that pissed me off.
@momofjenmatt - With my second (and last) hospital birth in 2001, I started off pushing on my hands and knees on the bed because it felt right, and had every intention of staying right where I was. The nurses wanted me on my back and I said no. They started physically moving me onto my back. I clung to the side rail and stayed on my side which was how I ended up pushing my son out. I'm still sad and angry that many mothers are not listened to, it's usually only about what's easier/convenient for the Dr's and nurses, not what's safer and easier on mothers.
just make sure you have an experienced midwife. My grandma was one but she knew of a lot of stubborn parents who lost babies because they refused help too. So in life there are checks and balances. Not all things are for everyone.
Thanks for posting this - we need more celebrity and hi-profile women advocating for women and telling about their experiences! I had a hospital birth with #1 and a homebirth with #2 and I would choose homebirth again if I were having more children. The homebirth was definitely the more empowering and more positive and HEALTHY experience, for me and for the baby.
Ditto the above! I have 5 children the first 2 I had in hospitals, when my second daughter turned 10 we had another daughter, a son and then our last, another daughter, all three of these last ones were born at home and I wouldn't have done it any other way!
Exactly.
I still have to get past MY fear of birth (I come from a very 'give me drugs' mother) ... but I do believe if I have another it will be a homebirth.
Hi momaroo ,this is my first time to cm you.
I'm from hong kong,maybe my english not good,you will not understand what i talking about,but i will try my best to talk with you^^
I was very fortunate to find a doctor who listened to me and was my doctor for all 3 of my children so far. I pray I can find that again (am pretty sure I am going to go with a midwife) if I get pregnant again since my doctor retired. (She had a brain anurism (sp?))
@babybooties33@xanga - I am sure you will get past your fear. And even if you don't before hand, going through a situation that confronts you with a particular fear is the perfect way to squash it - you will realize there was very little to be afraid of in the first place!
@lizard_web@xanga -Thanks, I am certainly trying. My first experience really did nothing to eliviate fears however. Pregnancy as well as labor and delivery were much much harder then expected and I ended up with an emergency c-section. My daughter wasn't decending despite all our efforts...we found she had the cord wrapped around her neck 4 times.
I switched care from my OB to a midwife at about 7 months pregnant b/c when I brought up with my OB that I wanted to try giving birth in different positions, not just on my back, she kinda looked at me and pretty much said, "But that's the birthing position, lying in bed. Why would you want to do it any other way?"
And of course, one of the first things I noticed while in labor was that anytime I had to lie down (back, side, anything) contractions felt SO MUCH WORSE. If I'd been forced to lay in bed while laboring there's no way I coulda done it without drugs! And so of course it's not wonder so many women use peidurals when they're already confined to their beds thanks to pitocin inductions and continuous fetal monitoring (which has not been shown to be any more safe than having a nurse or midwife check baby's heartbeat every 10 minutes).
Wow, with how my daughters birth went [I had to have emergency surgery moments after she was born, I had seven lacerations...four on my cervix....and a piece of the placenta was still inside after the afterbirth] I don't think I would have survived a home birth but thats an amazing thing to go through.
<3Kristeenuh
Both of my sons were born in a hospital setting. The delivery of my second was not considered high risk, but during labour his heart rate began alternately racing incredibly fast and diving frighteningly low during my contractions. It's an issue I would never have known about had modern medical devices not been around. He wouldn't be waddling through the living room right now if he weren't born in a hospital.
I did, however, do a great deal of OB interviewing before I settled on one. One who felt comfortable with the way I wanted L&D to go. It seems to me that should be the greatest concern. If the search for what you want is made at the outset, there should be no need to fight over it when actually in the process of giving birth.
No matter how small the risks, I could never convince myself that my total control over the situation was worth gambling with my child's well-being. After all, the only inconveniences to me during labour were a monitor around my belly, an oxygen mask, and changing my resting position from one that was most comfortable to me to one that better regulated my son's heart rate. Twenty minutes of bother to provide me with joy for the rest of my life. Or, the alternative of insisting things go my way to feel regret and guilt forever. No, thank you.
I guess I can't relate to any of this because I have an amazing OB/Gyn who is such an advocate for her moms. I had 2 c-sections. One emergency, one scheduled and I don't regret either of these experiences. I don't think I lost out on anything because to me, it's about raising my girls and not how they came into this world.
ani difranco's midwife is my midwife as well. meg grindrod, she is such an awesome homebirth midwife! :D i'm glad i lived in rochester when i had my second baby and was able to have her attend the birth. :)
@mightymarce@xanga - i had a "medwife" at my hospital birth, a midwife who pretty much acted like a doc. :p i was induced, pushing on my back, she broke my water, etc. with my homebirth, i went into labor spontaneously and pushed on my knees. i wish both of my babies had been homebirths, my second birth resulted in such a happy relaxed calm baby girl whereas my little girl from my first birth was the angriest little baby for the first few hours. poor kiddo. :p
That's a great quote!
@kellymum@xanga - I understand this sentiment, but where I'm coming from, my oldest child nearly died from medical overmanagement of labor and birth in a hospital, where many practices are not evidenced based and do more harm than good on healthy women and babies. If we had been at home, he wouldn't have spent three weeks in the NICU. I'm not a one case scenario - I hear the same sorts of stories over and over from other women for many years now.