I don't know about you, but I would for once like to see journalists and home birth critics stop and ask us why we choose home birth....and then actually listen to our response. Because so far, we've been grossly misrepresented:
* MSNBC reporters referred to it as "extreme birth," as if our motive is for pure bada$$ shock value. "Well, Matt, my hobbies include bungee jumping, home birthing, sky diving...."
* A person interviewed for the above story quoted doctors who believed we do it because we're "hedonistic" and want a "spa treatment." ("I'll take the spa package with the manicure, pedicure, facial, and 10-centimeter cervical dilation. Oh, and could you throw a baby in with that?") Or was I a "hedonist" for wanting pain relief in a birth tub instead of by way of an epidural needle?
*It also cited all of the celebrities having babies at home. "Well, Matt, I did it because Demi did it, and I'm just a slaaaaave to Hollywood trends."
*A number of online commenters posting in response to various home birth stories echo ACOG's portrayal of us as vile, selfish mommies who care more about our "birth experience" than our babies.
If you don't ask us why we home birth, you can artfully dodge what will inevitably be our responses. We do it for evidence-based care. We do it to avoid being coerced into the costly, unnecessary, and often evidence-free interventions that typify hospital "care." We do it because in light of all of this, we feel safer and more comfortable in our own homes.
But God forbid that anybody correctly represents us by mentioning these reasons. It might leak out to the public that hospitals are not always the best place for low-risk women to have a baby.... Nah. It's so much easier to portray us as shallow. Less thinking involved that way.
Thanks for allowing me to vent.
* MSNBC reporters referred to it as "extreme birth," as if our motive is for pure bada$$ shock value. "Well, Matt, my hobbies include bungee jumping, home birthing, sky diving...."
* A person interviewed for the above story quoted doctors who believed we do it because we're "hedonistic" and want a "spa treatment." ("I'll take the spa package with the manicure, pedicure, facial, and 10-centimeter cervical dilation. Oh, and could you throw a baby in with that?") Or was I a "hedonist" for wanting pain relief in a birth tub instead of by way of an epidural needle?
*It also cited all of the celebrities having babies at home. "Well, Matt, I did it because Demi did it, and I'm just a slaaaaave to Hollywood trends."
*A number of online commenters posting in response to various home birth stories echo ACOG's portrayal of us as vile, selfish mommies who care more about our "birth experience" than our babies.
If you don't ask us why we home birth, you can artfully dodge what will inevitably be our responses. We do it for evidence-based care. We do it to avoid being coerced into the costly, unnecessary, and often evidence-free interventions that typify hospital "care." We do it because in light of all of this, we feel safer and more comfortable in our own homes.
But God forbid that anybody correctly represents us by mentioning these reasons. It might leak out to the public that hospitals are not always the best place for low-risk women to have a baby.... Nah. It's so much easier to portray us as shallow. Less thinking involved that way.
Thanks for allowing me to vent.
I couldn't have said it better myself (not that I say much on here, but I read most everything!)
