Channel 5 last night, Free birthing?

[louiser]

Afternoon all,

Did anyone watch this programme yesterday, it was about women who choose to 'free birth' which basically means they give birth at home alone or with a partner without the aide of anyone medically trained.

I thought it was quite worrying that women would risk themselves and their babies by doing this. It seemed very popular in the US but not quite taken off over here yet.

 

[*JOANNE*]

I watched some of it, it angered me alot so i switched over.....i had a home birth with my third child but with a midwife there, it wasnt invasive ...and the thought of doing it without any medical supervision is irresponsible in my opinion.....yes women all over the world give birth in most tribal communities they dont do it on their own they have someone who at least has experience in child birth...a bit like a doula.....not a mate or hubby without any experience.

 

[becki x]

I made my hubby watch it with me. I had broached the idea of a home birth with him and he freaked. So i though get him to watch this and then put the baby channel on and show him the difference.

He was totally astounded at how flippant those women were about the risks . I watched it as if it weren't real iykwim,i just didn't get how they seriously thought they were capable of dealing with numerous dangerous eventualities.

However it did encourage me even more so to look into home birth,they just seemed so much more relaxed,relax is something i wouldn't be able to do without a midwife present !

On the news today have been numerous reports about midwifery and antenatal care being sub standard,i hadn't heard of freebirthing howeve,with todays's news i fear many more will begin to opt for this. The lunchtime news stated the NHS were putting mothers and baby's at risk,how frightening is that,especially to a first time mum,over dramatisation of things like this result in drastic action,freebirthing in a word !

 

[Face Geek]

We watched it as well. The thing that made me most angry was the hospital in England that refused to give the woman treatment once they knew her plan. Surely they should be offering her as MUCH help as possible!!! It seemed so petty of the hospital-sort of a 'if you're not going to do it OUR way then we won't help you at all.' Surely they should do everything they can for that baby to make sure it's safe. She wasn't refusing medical care as a whole, just didn't want anyone there for the actual birth.

I have to say, we were surprised all 3 labours were pretty much problem free. We discussed it after, my husband said they wouldn't have shown any if there WERE problems but I disagree-a show like that I think they'd thrive on it. Look at how they advertised it-showing a mum giving cpr to a baby and all that.

And that first woman was amazing! No pain relief and she hardly made a sound through the whole labour! Even when the head was coming out she just sat there and looked really relaxed. I was amazed.

 

[becki x]

She was amazing she sailed through it.

Allthough i understand your point this was a DIY birth,hospitals have to draw a line somewhere.

Dentists don't give out DIY extraction/filling kit's and let's face it,they would be far less dangerous than a diy birth and hospitals don't give out DIY "remove your own kidney stones" kit's

I'm not trying to make light of it,but reading it back how ridiculous does the above sound ????

As ridiculous as a free birth IMO

What is needed is the opportunity from the NHS for a mother to birth according to her wishes ( all the lady's said birth should be less medical) however surely a midwife on standby wouldn't make much difference at all,even if she didn't intervine she would be there in case of an emergency

 

[1999judy]

I didn't watch it but who gives you the drugs??
Who does an emergency C section or would say the baby is so distressed you need one??
And would you HONESTLY trust your OH not to pass out or have a breakdown if the cord was round the babys neck?

 

[*JOANNE*]

I made my hubby watch it with me. I had broached the idea of a home birth with him and he freaked. So i though get him to watch this and then put the baby channel on and show him the difference.

He was totally astounded at how flippant those women were about the risks . I watched it as if it weren't real iykwim,i just didn't get how they seriously thought they were capable of dealing with numerous dangerous eventualities.

However it did encourage me even more so to look into home birth,they just seemed so much more relaxed,relax is something i wouldn't be able to do without a midwife present !

On the news today have been numerous reports about midwifery and antenatal care being sub standard,i hadn't heard of freebirthing howeve,with todays's news i fear many more will begin to opt for this. The lunchtime news stated the NHS were putting mothers and baby's at risk,how frightening is that,especially to a first time mum,over dramatisation of things like this result in drastic action,freebirthing in a word !

my home birth was brilliant becki,
i had 2 hospital births and a home birth with my last, at home your free to come and go...mine was in the middle of world cup 98 so the midwife watched tv whilst i was actually on my own in the back garden with my contractions....dont like any one near me in labour...lol when it was time....i just (sorry if peeps if too graphic) knelt on the lounge floor and rested my head on the couch, the midwife just let me push when i wanted too and not when she wanted me too...she didnt check me as much like they do in hospital...she just let me get on with it...with her behind dealing with that end.....after i had paul she ran me a bath and rob took the baby upstairs.and she left...and i just sat in the garden, the other 2 boys didnt wake up at all...it was so calm relaxing and i didnt feel stupid....when i was delivering the other 2 in hospital i felt like i didnt know what was going on with me or my body and i felt i didnt get 1- 1 care...felt like a battery hen..but at home its reallly calm.
look into it becki

 

[nicky's nails]

after seeing the trailer i decided not to watch it, i knew i would be too angry

totally agree with everything Judy said

as the one who has had 4 babies in hospital, with only one not resulting in emergency casearian, neo-natal unit or death, i feel these people are very silly, to abandon medical care.

no-one can guarantee a healthy birth, ever, my 3rd baby who was born totaly healhy, then went into distress after 15 mins, if we hadnt been in hospital , he would have died within half an hour,

the child that we lost, had cord round his neck , and even in hospital with all the machines and experience they couldnt save him, so what chance would a woman (who's read some books ) have in the house ffs

sorry if i sound flippant, but believe me, the way i see it, if you choose to give birth on your own with no medical help, and the child dies, then i see it as negligence

yes hospitals are horrid clinical places, believe me no one hates hospitals more than me, and i also know that they dont also get it right (i lost a child to a hospital blunder) but hey you've got far more chance with the medical help than without it.

sorry if this upsets anyone,

 

[dee]

i never watched it either , coz i think homebirths are fab as long ,as theres a trained medical professional there

i mean if i would have just waited to "have " james , it would have been a disaster coz theres no way he could get down to the birth canal ...

now they only knew that after 2 full days and nights of being induced in total about 6 times !! which ended in emergency c section coz he got distressed


now how on earth would they know what was going on ?? it doesnt bear thinking about ,
to me you owe your child at least the safety of someone who knows what they are doing

sorry rant over ! :lol:

 

[hannajadem]

I totally agree with Nicky, I hate hospitals and really wanted a home birth until I was told I couldn't have one as my was experiencing growth restriction. He was born in theatre as they were going to give me an emergency caesarean as he was distressed (he was far too quick for them hehe). He wasn't breathing, only weighed 3lb13oz and god knows what would have happened if I'd had him at home, let alone with no midwife there, I only had gas and air but found the whole experience so overwhelming I barely knew he was born, so I don't like to think how delirious I would have been with no pain relief. I am absolutely so grateful for the care we received and would always have a hospital birth from now on.
Oh and by the way, baby is now 15 weeks old and doing great!

 

[1999judy]

Can you get this online anywhere??
I'd love to see it.
Will have tissues handy though am cr*p at these birth programmes atm. Hormones..... say no more lol

 

[marioned]

Demand Five | watch Extraordinary People, Series 1 - episode 10, Outlaw Births

This is a link to the programme. You have to register (just click on the log in button on the tv screen) as it contains "graphic images and nudity", i.e. the birth scenes.

I have to agree that the women were being very irresposnsible in what they were doing. However, I think the hospital not giving the woman any checkups once they found out what she was doing was irresponsible of them.. She wanted to check that everything was going ok and I feel that if "danger signs" had shown up she would have gone for a supported birth.

Becki, I totally get what you mean, but I feel this woman was more like a person going to the dentist to check there was nothing serious wrong, like a hidden abscess which she would get treated (have a hospital birth), and if it was just a little filling needed, well, then maybe she'd take her chance. Inconceivable to me, given the outcome she could have had with her baby though.

I am assuming that there couldn't be a midwife "standing by" without actually intervening unless something went wrong, as this would have put the midwife in a very dangerous professional situation. If somthing had gone wrong, which could have been detected earlier in the delivery or totally avoided by earlier checks in the delivery, then I'm sure the midwife would have been under scrutiny from her professional body, and what midwife would actually put herself in that position, knowning that she was there, but as she didn't carry out the role she was trained to, circumstances led to a baby's death.

Marion x