You trust them to save your baby’s life, but not to ensure that the baby won’t need his life saved?

So, homebirth and natural childbirth advocates, let me see if I get this straight:

You trust obstetricians to save your baby’s life, regardless of the nature of the emergency, regardless of the complexity of the medical problem, regardless of how much time you have wasted because you had no idea your baby’s life was in danger, but you don’t trust them to prevent the very emergency that threatens your baby’s life?

Does that make any sense?

And how about this?

You trust homebirth midwives and childbirth educators who have absolutely no idea how to save your baby’s life, who have never seen many types of emergencies, who have no idea your baby’s life is in danger in the first place, to tell you an emergency is about to occur far enough in advance that you can actually do something like that?

Sounds incredibly foolish when you put it like that, doesn’t it?

Every bit as foolish as this:

You believe that the very people who know how to save your baby’s life have nothing better to do with their time than pretend that your baby’s life is at risk? And that the very people who don’t know how to save your baby’s life are honest with you about the real risks your baby faces?

I’m curious:

Do you think that oncologists are playing the “dead person card” when they tell people that smoking causes lung cancer?

Do you think architects are playing the “damaged building card” when they tell people the building with no structural beams will fall down?

Do you think lawyers are playing the “incarceration card” when they tell certain clients that if they take the stand they will hurt their own case?

So why on earth do you fall for the obviously self-serving cant of homebirth midwives and childbirth educators that obstetricians are “playing the dead baby card” when they warn you that your baby is at risk for postdates stillbirth, or shoulder dystocia, or breech with a trapped head?

As far as I can tell, the only reason is because you are incredibly gullible and know very little about childbirth, but feel free to offer valid a reason that doesn’t make you look so easily manipulated.