Friday, June 30, 2006

Home births: opinion

This is easy for me to say, of course, as I do not have any children. And I appreciate the desire for a woman to have a midwife, rather than a doctor, attending one's birth. In fact, I support the use of midwives.

However -- unless you live within ten minutes of a hospital, I think having a home birth is a bad idea. Or, unless you are Madonna, and can afford to have a oxygen tank, an ultrasound machine, and a neonatal heart monitor in your bedroom. Otherwise, when things go pear-shaped, the necessary diagnostic equipment is simply not available.

It might be a more pleasant (or less unpleasant?) experience to give birth in your own home; it would probably also be more pleasant, immediately after surgery, to wake up in your own bedroom. But this is not how it works: After surgery, you wake up in a hospital bed. Why? Because the hospital wants to maximize the amount they can charge you?

Possibly. But more pragmatically, because they want to be able to monitor your condition during a potentially dangerous, transitional time, where they have the tools and equipment to (1) diagnose problems, and (2) immediately treat them, should they occur.


I wonder if the desire for home births reflects a touch of middle class romanticism: I highly doubt that villagers in non-industrialized nations would turn down the advantages of giving birth in a modern hospital, preferring instead to give birth in a small hut.

Well, maybe some might, if there were strong cultural or traditional reasons. Or perhaps if the hospital was sub-standard, by industrialized nations' standards.


My point is: Why turn down modern technological advantages? Why introduce unnecessary risk and uncertainty?

Even if 99% of births are routine and uneventful, one cannot tell ahead of time which will be the problematic one. Most people drive cars for several years without a road accident; does that mean they no longer should wear a seat belt?

And finally, if you insist on having a home birth: please, please, please have your infant examined by a trained medical professional, to ensure that your baby that appears to be healthy, truly is. This allows ''hidden'' conditions to be addressed in a pre-emptive manner -- while there is still time.


For another time: a missive on people without biological training -- in my perception, liberal arts majors and those without college degrees -- who refuse to immunize their children, based on their misconceptions of biological science.


--TG

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