"Extreme Birth" article in New York magazine - Page 3

[RubyOrganique]

Oh New York Magazine. I just find it so over-the-top. The article seemed to me very typical of the magazine's style - with a goal to reinforce the sense that some New Yorker's have that they are the most extreme, most radical, ambitious risk takers of all. It's no surprise that the writer had to take the article in this direction - who wants to read about crunchy, cozy, private, natural homebirths without any controversy?

We didn't work with Cara so I don't know her style. From BOBB, she does seem intense, but she has an intense job! And how unfair was it to present it as though she just shows up without any supplies, equipment, etc. to handle challenging situations that may arise.

It takes a tremendous individual to want to be a homebirth midwife. I wish the writer had been more balanced so that those who had never considered anything other than a hospital know that they have options.

[Pirogi]

Maybe it's just that I am a radical, extreme, conspiracy theorist , but I believe not only are these articles originating from AMA/ACOG, but their purpose is to sway the general opinion so far against women who choose home birth that when they pull out their big guns and take aim, no one will jump in front of the 1%. The printed and online articles, the vocal twisters of data and facts, the "studies" that are so poorly designed as to be irrelevant from which AMA/ACOG policies are formulated ... it's all orchestrated to be a cultural marketing campaign to denigrate HB'ers. If they can successfully convince people that OOH birth is crazy, especially if people think that they came to that conclusion on their own, then it will be very difficult to preserve birth freedoms.

[xmasbaby7]

I don't believe these articles are planted, but the majority of America just isn't as educated about the flaws of our maternity care system as many natural parents are.

I resent more than anything the ignorant notion that HBers want their birth for themselves. We choose the ways that provide the most natural births with the least amount of unnecessary intervention for the sake of our children.

Here is a blog post reacting to the piece.

[D'sMama]

Originally Posted by xmasbaby7

I resent more than anything the ignorant notion that HBers want their birth for themselves. We choose the ways that provide the most natural births with the least amount of unnecessary intervention for the sake of our children.

Dude, seriously. I didn't birth at home so I could have some hippie-dippy experience/be a martyr about the pain/make hospital birthing women feel bad/brag/prove anything to myself or anyone else/etc.
I did it because I felt it was right for me and my child - that we would have the best opportunity to have a safe, heathy, natural birth with the least amount of interference, intervention, fear, trauma. And I believe we did. It was wonderful. Difficult, beautiful, painful, joyful, wonderful. And I know that my son got a great start in life because I avoided pitocin, epidurals, cesareans, etc. Some women need those things and when needed, they are a blessing. But when not needed, they are just part of the assembly line of hospital birth and that's not okay with me.

[MegBoz]

Originally Posted by Full Heart

You know why the ACOG is so scared of us? ...That 90% is their income walking right out the door.

Not only that, but I think that ACOG wants to be sure that women birthing in hospitals continue to believe that birth is dangerous. They want to be sure women believe that they are "not qualified" to birth (to quote the "PING" Monty Python sketch). They want us to believe we need to rely on them to mange the process... and not question them.

Once word gets out that the majority of the stuff they do in hospitals hurts, not helps women & babies... the tougher life will get for them. That's my mission in life to work towards that change

Originally Posted by peainthepod

But I think even the most well-meaning allopaths genuinely believe that homebirth is unsafe--

I agree
I really think it's a combination... birth moved into the hospital about 100 years ago because of money in the first place - and now it's a combination of docs truly believing OOH birth is dangerous, and the medical establishment wanting to keep birth in hospital for the money.