Increase in home births leave women of color behind.

[dawn9476]

http://radicaldoula.com/2012/01/31/incr ... or-behind/

Person who writes the blog is a doula for births and for abortions.

[ladypuglover]

My birthing days are behind me I hope but I really hope that home birth doesn't become the way it was 100 years ago. My neices and great neices have to have access to hospitals, doctors and all that goes with as they will be high risk. We know this as this generation back to the early 1900's has been very high risk with every pregnancy without fail. If hospital birth becomes as uncommon as home births then my neices very well could die in childbirth or lose the baby as well.

Home births are fine when a certified midwife is present and the pregnancy very low risk but we have to have the option of hospital births.

[AcidMolybdate]

http://radicaldoula.com/2012/01/31/increase-in-home-birth-leaves-women-of-color-behind/

Person who writes the blog is a doula for births and for abortions.

wait ?!?! Why does one need a doula for an abortion?

[Ridiculous]

A doula is a support person for the woman. A woman having an abortion is often in need of support. I don't see why a doula for an abortion would be an odd thing.

[dawn9476]

wait ?!?! Why does one need a doula for an abortion?

Because a lot of women have to go through an abortion on their own for a wide variety of reasons. Doulas can provide support to those women who have chosen to have an abortion and they don't want anyone else to know they are having one, people in their life don't support their choice, or they do have people in their lives who support their choice but are unable to go with the woman to the abortion.

[AcidMolybdate]

Because a lot of women have to go through an abortion on their own for a wide variety of reasons. Doulas can provide support to those women who have chosen to have an abortion and they don't want anyone else to know they are having one, people in their life don't support their choice, or they do have people in their lives who support their choice but are unable to go with the woman to the abortion.

Makes sense I suppose. I've just never come across a situation where a women brought a Doula with her for an abortion.

I volunteer at a womens clinic (that provides abortion services) as well as had one myself - and have never come across this, ergo I was (still am?) a bit taken aback that a women would want a doula there for the procedure. :think:

[Feberin]

I think a doula for abortions is a great idea since I would assume many women having abortions don't have a supportive partner (please note I'm not saying all don't but I think you would find many lacking one).

I don't think home births will ever equal or outnumber hospital births. Too many women have high risk pregnancies or want epidurals. I had a hopsital birth with a midwife and think I got the best of both worlds. I was able to labor in a jetted tub and didn't have an epidural (but had the option). And I knew if anything went wrong there were doctors, an OR and NICU in the same building.

[Witsec7]

I think the concept of a doula for abortions is a fantastic idea. I wonder if poor women can afford one?

[Caxpax]

Abortion doulas are affiliated with the clinics and are volunteers (although some may get paid by clinics but I've never heard of it being done). You don't hire an abortion doula in the same way you hire a birth doula- they are provided for free to women who request them. I think abortion doulas are a fantastic option- clinics don't generally allow partners/support people back with the women during the procedure, so the doulas, who have been specially trained, are there to provide comfort and support during the procedure. Another note is that abortion doulas aren't widespread, yet. Hopefully they will be one day. Hopefully birth doulas will be too.

I think it's great that women are volunteering their time in this way- I've thought about doing it (I'm already a birth doula), but it would be a bit of a hike for me to get trained, and I'm also visibly pregnant, so I haven't felt like it was appropriate for me to do much hands on work (clinic escorting, for example) personally. When I'm out of the pregnant/nursing stage of life I'd like to go back to escorting work and possibly doula-ing at a clinic.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand- I volunteer my time as a doula for low-income, mostly minority moms. Many of them would love the option of a homebirth, but Medicaid in my state won't reimburse for it, or at least not without some really demanding hoop jumping. I think that homebirth is a great option for low-risk women, and considering the abuses and violations and crappy medical care that's offered to women on Medicaid delivering at the local hospitals, I would definitely feel safer delivering at home with a midwife if I was in their shoes. I'm planning on a homebirth with this baby and all the research supports that homebirth is a safe option for low risk multiparas, as long as there are emergency obstetric services close by. All of those conditions are true for me, and because I was very close to being forced into an unnecessary c-section with my first (in a hospital, with a great midwife who had to fight off doctors tooth and nail in order to allow me to deliver vaginally) I really don't want to risk going into a hospital. Every woman has to decide what is right for her- most women will choose hospitals, which is fine (I just wish the hospitals treated mothers with more respect and practiced better evidenced-based care) but some women will choose homebirth, which is also fine. Let everyone make the decision right for them, keep all of those options safe, and women and babies will be happier and healthier.

[Witsec7]

Thanks for the info Caxpax, I've worked as a doula for the dying as an avocation most of my adult life. (The phrase I use is thantos worker.)

[ohmeohmy]

Huh! I've been considering getting certified to become a doula, but have been dragging my feet with it because it can take a long time and you have to get a lot of hours of experience in. However, I think having a doula for an abortion is an awesome idea and this has renewed my interest! I would totally offer free or cheap doula services for abortions.

(Not that I'm all Yay! Abortion! but I think this could be a valuable service for women facing such an enormous issue)

Eta: Apparently I type slow. Thanks for the info, Caxpax!

[deelaem]

My birthing days are behind me I hope but I really hope that home birth doesn't become the way it was 100 years ago. My neices and great neices have to have access to hospitals, doctors and all that goes with as they will be high risk. We know this as this generation back to the early 1900's has been very high risk with every pregnancy without fail. If hospital birth becomes as uncommon as home births then my neices very well could die in childbirth or lose the baby as well.

Home births are fine when a certified midwife is present and the pregnancy very low risk but we have to have the option of hospital births.

Have you ever seen Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of Being Born"? It's a really good look into what home births are really like, the dangerous side of hospital births, and when it's a good idea to choose one over the other. It's available on NetFlix. Another good one is "Pregnant in America". You'll learn that many births are low risk until hospital intervention makes them high risk. Just a suggestion. :)

[ladypuglover]

Have you ever seen Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of Being Born"? It's a really good look into what home births are really like, the dangerous side of hospital births, and when it's a good idea to choose one over the other. It's available on NetFlix. Another good one is "Pregnant in America". You'll learn that many births are low risk until hospital intervention makes them high risk. Just a suggestion. :)

I understand that but ours is starting labor at 20 weeks and trying to bleed out all before baby is here. In our family we get to lie on our left sides for 6 months and pop about 7-9 pills every few hours. Never mind the equipment, meds and home nurse who comes by daily. Or live in the hospital for 6 months. :( Our family stinks at breeding. :( :(

[eohiken]

In that case, you definitely would have risked out of homebirth!

[treemom]

Have you ever seen Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of Being Born"? It's a really good look into what home births are really like, the dangerous side of hospital births, and when it's a good idea to choose one over the other. It's available on NetFlix. Another good one is "Pregnant in America". You'll learn that many births are low risk until hospital intervention makes them high risk. Just a suggestion. :)

I don't consider the business of being born an less biased than dr. Amy.

[valsa]

Have you ever seen Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of Being Born"? It's a really good look into what home births are really like, the dangerous side of hospital births, and when it's a good idea to choose one over the other. It's available on NetFlix. Another good one is "Pregnant in America". You'll learn that many births are low risk until hospital intervention makes them high risk. Just a suggestion. :)

More likely you'll learn a bunch of biased bullshit.

[emmiedahl]

The thing about movies to promote a certain point of view, made by people with that same certain point of view, is that they basically ignore any fact that contradicts them and put a huge amount of stock in things that support them. It's basically propaganda.

I would watch them, but also read some of the well-thought-out and less biased critiques of them. For example, this http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/ind ... eing-born/

Also, there are problems with the statistics that go beyond bias. If a woman plans a home birth and is transported to the hospital due to a complication, that complication is officially counted as a hospital maternity complication, not a home birth one. Maybe the baby has cerebral palsy as a result of prolonged labor and the time it took to transport; if he was born in the hospital, it is still counted as a complication occurring in a hospital birth and not a home one. In addition, most midwives screen out the patients with complicated pregnancies, so the population that gives birth at home is generally healthier than the hospital birthing population.

I am not against home birth completely, but I would love it if there were changes made to our system so that every woman had the option to have the best possible experience and the best possible risk management.