Homebirth tragedy

Janet Frazer of Joyous Birth is a staunch advocate of what is known as freebirth. I discovered homebirth, unassisted birth and free birth in my quest for natural birth methods and honestly, they made a lot of sense, provided the proper infrastructure was present.

A home birth is essentially a birth at home, attended by a midwife. An unassisted birth is a birth that is exactly that - unassisted. It may be at home, or in the hospital, but it basically trusts the mother to go with her instincts and give birth to her child in a manner that is most comfortable to her and her child. A freebirth is a birth that is unassisted and where the mother gives birth to her child alone. Needless to say, free birth, while a courageous move and trust in instincts is also quite risky.

Janet had an earlier child with an emergency C-section, and chose to free birth her child at home. After a week of labour her child was either stillborn, or died shortly after birth. That's tragic. My heart goes out to Janet. Various people variously have criticized her choice for a home birth or pointed out that infants die in the hospital too.

My take on this is different. What proponents of unassisted birth or freebirth say, makes sense, that there is a possibility to call for medical assistance if things go wrong. There is no guarantee of life and death in the hospital either. However, I find the concept of free birthing as a little extreme. I think of myself as extremely tuned in to my instincts, yet it is my instincts that want me to have another person capable of keeping an eye on the medical/emergency aspect of things while I give birth in peace.

If we are to talk about instincts, humans are social animals. It is in our nature to be interdependent. I don't see the big deal in going against our natures to refuse assistance in a time of vulnerability.

Sure, hospital births carry greater risks of infections, may expose the mother to less than comfortable medical interventions, may increase risk to the child through unnecessary medical interventions. Yet, these are things that can be worked around. They may be uncomfortable, sure, but how long does that discomfort last, and does avoiding a hospital or midwife guarantee absence of discomfort?

In my opinion, if Janet was in labour for a week, that in itself was an indicator that some attention may be needed. Not getting any medical attention throughout pregnancy and then in an abnormally long labour, is criminal negligence, particularly when her previous delivery was an emergency C-section. The child may not have lived in any case, but the point is that there were things that could have been done to prevent its death, which were refused through choice.

I see this kind of a perspective as slavery to medicine as well, just in the opposite direction. If proponents of free birth criticize hospitals for taking away choices, their method takes away other kind of choices, with a far greater price. It is a classic case of counter-dependency - I refuse to give you power, so I refuse to accept any good in you, that could help me. Sad!

On my part, I'd love to have an unassisted birth, but in the hospital. Now, I know that there will be some amount of interference, but like I said earlier, I can get through anything short term.

Also, I find the idea of the home being more comfortable for birthing absurd. Sure, some women may prefer the reassurance of familiar surroundings, and I may be a nomad with less of an attachment to places, but if my husband is with me for birth, I'm fine. In fact, I find a certain reassurance that if things go wrong, I'm not going to end up travelling.

Luckily, in India, we have maternity homes, which are only for delivering pregnant women, so there is less risk of the germs and all that the proponents of free birth speak about. The atmosphere is cozy, and I can focus on my child after delivery rather than clean up the birthing mess.

I see a pattern of independence in these choices, which I find disturbing, because I worry that it could be a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. I think its okay to be knocked off your feet (or stay off them as a treat) rather than get back into action immediately. Its okay to need medical attention, or even have someone keep an eye on things though you are perfectly capable and confident of handling the delivery of your own child. If not a hospital, a midwife, is a lovely option, with the comfort of home, and the wisdom of a professional who knows when things are going out of the safe patterns and will raise an alarm. At the very least, someone else who knows enough of birth to take a call on when enough is enough and dial 911.

So, if you are considering birthing your child on your own, I suggest:

1. Read up on what to expect.
2. Go to checkups regularly and be familiar with any risks you may face.
3. Consider a midwife.
4. Have the flexibility to change your mind about medical interventions if needed, and be open to them as a possibility so that if you need them, you don't increase delays and risks avoiding them on principle.
5. Speak with your doctor about what you are planning, and ask for advice, and keep them on speed dial to consult with, it things seem off. They can't do medical interventions on phone, so there really is no harm in asking for advice if you are not sure.
6. Don't create an image out of your choice. I suspect that being an advicate of free birth could have been a factor in many choices Janet made and some alarms she may have ignored.

Good Luck!