(no subject)

[primroseburrows]

What she said.

I'd add something, but really, she says it all.


In other news, there are five patients on my unit (we have eighteen beds). We're getting one more in the next couple of hours, and then we'll have six. *twiddles thumbs*

Comments

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying that hospital births are 100% safe, but to claim that home births are safer is delusional.

Except that studies published in respected publications like the BMJ and organizations like the WHO don't agree. This study, also from the BMJ, says that there is no difference in outcome. In fact, the vast majority of statistics say home birth outcomes are at least as good as hospital outcomes.

Postpartum uterine hemorrhage is rare, but yes, it definitely happens. Midwives, though, don't come to births untrained or empty handed, and hemorrhage is one of the possibilities they're prepared for, both by training and equipment. And life-threatening events happen in hospitals, too, sometimes caused by the hospitals themselves.

I'm definitely not saying that every woman should give birth at home. I would love to see hospital birth as a safe, healthy option for low-risk women who don't want a home birth. Unfortunately, the doctors and hospitals have most of the power, and they want to keep it that way, so it's hard for women to know who or even what to ask when it comes to childbirth choices.