Choices in Childbirth

I found this little article from http://choicesinchildbirth.com/ I just agree so much with it, especially the first two paragraphs. I thought I'd just post the whole thing instead of try to paraphrase it. The only thing that I don't totally agree with is the thought that homebirth is the best for every women. While I do think homebirth is a good option for some, especially if you're close to a hospital, I don't think it's the best option for everyone. High risk pregnancies should be at the hospital, and some women are just more comfortable at a hospital. I do think that birth centers are the best of both worlds though, but that's just my opinion. Women should birth their babies wherever they feel most comfortable. So here's the article:

"It is my profound belief that childbirth is a normal, natural and amazing process. . . one that can be experienced as a joyous, positive and life-enhancing event when a woman has educated herself on all of the choices available to her for this special time in her life.

Education includes knowledge of the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects of giving birth, and a deeper awareness of our bodies and our strength as women. Preparing yourself for this special moment in your life is important, because it will give you the confidence and resources to deal with this physically challenging and rewarding experience.

When childbirth moved from the home setting, where a woman labored with the loving assistance of her female relatives and friends, she left the only place where birth was respected for the normal and natural process that it truly is.

In the hospital setting today, women must make more of an effort to achieve the birth experience that they desire. Simple pain relief measures such as taking a shower or the freedom to move around as needed to stay comfortable becomes more difficult to achieve in a technology-driven setting that specializes in taking care of those who are sick or injured.

Sorting out what is truly medically necessary instead of what is typical and ordinary in today’s hospital births can be difficult and frustrating, especially since evidence-based studies do not support much of today’s routine technology for childbirth.

Evidence-based medicine in Obstetrics means less reliance upon medical interventions. It is up to each pregnant woman to determine whether medical interventions suggested during labor and birth are truly medically indicated and that they are NOT simply being used because they are convenient for medical caregivers.

"The shift to evidence-based medicine reflects not only the constant desire to improve practice but also the developments that have taken place in clinical research, methodology and the increase in medical literature."--- World Health Organization

The challenge for every pregnant woman is to try to find a compromise between what she needs for her comfort in labor versus what is done to her and for her by medical caregivers in typical hospital settings.

KNOWLEDGE OF CHOICES IS A KEY COMPONENT TO PLANNING A JOYOUS BIRTH.

There are many things a woman can do to create a joyous and empowering birth experience. . . choose an appropriate birth setting, choose a philosophically compatible medical caregiver, utilize a Birth Doula to provide additional comfort and nurturing during labor, breastfeed her newborn, and utilize a Postpartum Doula's assistance during the first few weeks after the baby is born to rest and recover from childbirth as smoothly as possible.

Let this web site be the first of many steps you take on your journey to learning about ALL of your choices for your childbirth experience."

Warmest regards,
Victoria Macioce-Stumpf
ICCE, CD (CAPPA, DONA)
ICEA-Certified Childbirth Educator, CAPPA and DONA-Certified Doula