July 23, 2013: this week in homebirth idiocy

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The hardest thing about a post like this is limiting the number of ignorant, inane, narcissistic examples. There are simply so many to choose from.

1. She almost managed to kill her 3rd child attempting an HBAC, so the obvious thing to do was to try for another HBAC with her 4th child. Because really, what’s more important: whether her baby lives or dies or whether she can brag about “her” homebirth?

From My Journey to Home Birth after 3 C-sections – Part 1. At her attempted HBA2C, she pushed for 6 HOURS with an anterior cervical lip and then transferred to the hospital:

… I had to just take the OB on call. I didn’t care. I needed it to end. In the hospital they treated me like a leper. When I was getting the spinal I tried to lean on the OR nurse for support. She pushed me and said “don’t touch me!” Upon entry into my abdominal cavity they discovered a 10 cm by 8 cm uterine dehiscence. The only thing keeping my baby in my uterus was peritoneum…

2. The hospital had a negative view of homebirths? Maybe it’s because babies DIE at homebirth, just like hers did:

Thomas Freemantle had no heartbeat and was not breathing when he was delivered near Bendigo in October 2010…

The boy’s mother, Katrina Freemantle, gave evidence about why she decided to have a homebirth, despite complications with a previous child.

She told the inquest, Bendigo Health had been unable to assure her that she could have a natural birth in hospital with minimal intervention.

She also criticised hospital staff for having a negative view of homebirths.

3. Homebirth advocates are always whining that no one takes them seriously. Perhaps it is because of stuff this this:

The dictator/oppressor is the “Medical/Obstetrical Industrial Complex” and the oppression is massive human rights violations and the systematic destruction of choice for childbearing women in the world. We are hopeful that this will give us a focus and a way to rally together for real change for birth on our earth!

Sometime over the week I spent at the Midwifery Today Conference I started to ask myself WHY. Why are so many midwives being arrested at this time? Why are states midwifery laws being challenged? Frankly, the political activist in me started to smell a plot! …

4. The Narcissist Breeder is at it again, inflating her credentials:

As a maternal child health scholar, Certified Childbirth Educator, and Certified Doula, I now teach and guide women on their birth journeys and specialize in helping women working toward a VBAC. I also train doulas and other birth workers on how to help VBAC mothers.

Earth to Gina:

You are not a scholar of anything. You are a student, one who is nowhere near graduating. No doubt your professors and classmates will have a good laugh at your expense if they ever read that.