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• July 30, 2008 3:40 p.m.

  By the way, I share my insights and experiences about birth on my blog, spiritledbirth.blogspot.com

  - Susana

• July 30, 2008 3:39 p.m.

  It is refreshing to read your open-minded post. I am the mother of 7 children and I have given birth in the hsp. with CNM's twice, once at home with a lay midwife, and 4 times unassisted with only my husband and family assisting me. I think a woman has the right to choose where and with whom she wants to give birth. I can appreciate Jackie's comment, but I have to say that hospital birth can detrimentally affect more than a mother's comfort. By birthing in the hospital a woman's life is endangered as her risk of cesarean greatly increases. With this risk her chance of hemhorrage and hysterectemy are also higher. For the woman who plans on a large family, hopsital birth is a danger. For some woman religious beliefs affect their family size. The medical establishment should strive to serve the consumer and not be in authority over our bodies and choices. It would be much safer to have people willing and able to work with homebirthers rather than be oppositional, judgemental, arrogant and condescending.

  - Susana

• July 28, 2008 1:46 p.m.

  I worry about the hospital RN from Ontario. Our government fully supports and endorses homebirths for low risk mothers with qualified support. http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/166/3/335 My experience of OB/GYN's in Ontario have given me full support in homebirth plans as long as I have been at low risk. Try taking the time to actually read the research Ontario, BC, the UK governments used to decide to support homebirth. These medical bodies based their recommendations on solid grounds.

  - Emily

• July 28, 2008 12:55 p.m.

  I'm so glad to see the openness of this post! I truly agree with the educated response. Medicine's advances have done much to safeguard women and their babies, in high-risk cases; but the over medicalization of birth has done great harm to women and children and their psyche. I had a planned, unscheduled C/S with my first, after I risked out of my planned homebirth due to several complications. I then went on to VBAC at home with excellent attendants. What a blessing to have both of those experiences, at appropriate times. I have 2 beautiful daughters as a result.

  - Ruth

• July 28, 2008 11:25 a.m.

  In theory the mother's right to chose sounds nice, but I agree with Lisa in Ontario. Too many things can go wrong and there are only seconds to save the baby's life. The hospital delivery can have a baby in distress delivered in the time it would take the home delivery to call 911 and give their address. I think the safety of the baby out weighs the comfort of the mother.

  - Jackie

• July 27, 2008 10:48 p.m.

  I truly enjoyed reading all of the posts here. I am the mother of 4 children and am expecting my 5th at the end of the year. My first 2 were hospital births with anesthesia. My 3rd birth was in the hospital with no anesthesia. For my 4th delivery I realized I would like a different experience and looked into a birth center but ultimately chose to give birth at home. I can state unequivocally that my home birth was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had and I will be birthing at home to deliver my 5th child. Birth is not a one size fits all situation. There is no "right" way to give birth. The issues that are the most important are maternal and fetal health bith of which can be handled just fine at both home and hospital. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years, this is nothing new or radical. As to answer a comment made by Lisa, there are some untrained midwives out there for sure. It is very important that a woman choose wisely and researches her potential caregiver. I should add however there are just as many incompetent physicians out there who are willing to perform a c-section to suit there dinner appointments or own agenda. ( I speak from personal experience.) My father was a well respected OBGYN and I think he would be truly disappointed in the lack of quality maternity care given in hospitals today.

  - Kinney

• July 27, 2008 4:53 p.m.

  I'm glad to see you support homebirth, but I am surprised that you chose to highlight the "experience" over the fact that the research supports homebirth for low-risk women with a skilled caregiver to be as safe or safer than hospital birth. The "experience" over the safety issue is a red herring since there is no statistical difference in outcomes between the two. In reality, women do not choose homebirth for the "experience", "comfort", or to be "reckless" and these insinuations are vile, to say the least. Women who choose homebirth are on the whole much more informed on childbirth practices, outcomes and procedures than the average woman who births in a hospital because that's the status quo. I'm also sad to seem such misinformation and fear-mongering in some of the comments. As for the RN's comment, in a homebirth, resusciation equipment would also be available but in the same room as the mother, not down the hall. How did this infant fare any better in the hospital than it would have at home, when staff trained in neonatal resusication would have been present in either location? You must remember that babies die in hospitals too, and at the same rates as those born at home. Having a hospital birth is not assurance of a better outcome, nor is choosing a homebirth assurance of a worse one. The bottom line is that both should be a choice. Women should make informed decisions with unbiased information, not manipul

  - Catherine

• July 26, 2008 7:02 p.m.

  I am an RN working in a busy L&D unit in Ontario. I feel very strongly about having a hospital birth. I have seen things go wrong..and when they do...seconds count. If you were at home and encountered a problem, no matter how close you are to a hospital, I can almost guarantee you, you would be too late. I have ran down the hall with a patient, doctor and OR staff, had a baby delivered within 3 minutes of encountering a problem. We still had to do resuscitate this baby. What the future holds for this child, is unknown. Yes I don't argue that your own home may be more comfortable, but look at your child's and your own health. Some midwives are well trained, but from what I see, there is a big lack of training when things don't go as planned.

  - Lisa

• July 26, 2008 3:08 p.m.

  I've given birth myself four times, and not one of them proceeded like any of the others. All four were in the same hospital, one that specialized in women's health and has 10,000 births per year -- so they've seen it all. I was glad to know that, if something went wrong, they would know what to do. Was it cosy and warm? No. Was it professional, clean, caring and efficient? Yes. Are all four of my children healthy? You bet. Do I regret for one instant that the "birth experience" wasn't in my home? No. (Who wants to clean up from that party? Not me!) Keep in mind that the birth experience lasts a few hours but your child's health is at stake for his or her whole life. Yes, there are such things as hospital-borne infections, incompetent medical personnel, and other horrors, but if your child is born with an unanticipated problem, the hospital has the equipment and personnel to deal with it. Infections and mistakes happen at home, too, no matter how much you trust your midwife. Remember that it isn't just you involved in the birth experience; your child is, too. (Do you remember your own, most likely, hospital birth as cold, scary and violent? Unlikely that you remember your birth experience -- the one where you were the baby -- at all.) It's one thing for you to want a home birth. I suggest that you get your baby's written permission before doing it. You are both involved.

  - Naomi S

• July 26, 2008 12:56 p.m.

  Awesome that someone with RN after their name can see that the public should have rights in regard the medical care they choose to have; birth or otherwise in my opinion. Lay midwives are well trained and should not be dismissed for lack of "medical" training their care is just as practical and in a emergency they do have the training they need. (If they have gotten that training) Choosing a good midwife is more than just choosing someone you like. You need to interview and know exactly what their experience and training is, just like you do when choosing any care provider. I appreciate your comments and hope that this movie makes changes that cannot be undone. OB's are vital, but they are overused for normal birth. Too many women want to be a special needs case and does not view pregnancy and birth as normal. Woman need to take on the responsibility of pregnancy birth and parenting and stop leaving it to the "experts". WE ARE THE EXPERTS!

  - UtahDoula

• July 26, 2008 10:52 a.m.

  Thank you. It's so refreshing to hear positive things about homebirth. Pregnancy is normal, and not a disease. If a woman is more comfortable being at home to give birth, and she's not sick (I don't think someone with, say, a heart condition, say, placenta previa would be a good candidate), then why not let her deliver in a way that's of her choosing?

  - Jenna

• July 26, 2008 9:37 a.m.

  Yes, I agree with you. I've worked in the medical field for over 18 years as a publicist and I just recently gave birth to my daughter at home. Why did I choose my home? Because I knew it was safer for me and my baby--not because it is the safest place for every woman--it really does depend on your emotional reaction to the hospital. I didn't want to be controlled by hospital personnel. I knew too much about hospital borne infections. I wanted a calm, gentle birth for my daughter and I knew an educated midwife. I am also five minutes from three hospitals just in case of an emergency. The biggest reason for a home birth is that some women get too nervous and the rush of the chemicals that go along with that fear impede the process for a safe and natural birth. My daughter was simply too precious to me to risk that. I found a childbirth educator who really helped as well, Fay Kelly. She has a Web site with a lot of the research that answered my questions. I don't want a doctor I do not know dictating to me. I am so glad i chose homebirth.

  - Sarah Sherwood

• July 26, 2008 3:24 a.m.

  I agree with you that where a woman gives birth is her choice, and the legislative body should have no right to dictate her choice. I also agree that homebirths should only be performed by professional, well trained midwives. I myself am having my first homebirth with my third pregnancy. After two horrible experiences at my local hospital, one of them being an unnecessary c-section due to too many interventions, I decided to birth in the comfort and safety of my own home with the assistance of a licensed and professional midwife. I personally dont think enough women know of their right to choose where to birth, and they should have the chance to know.

  - K.C.