Natural birth results in death

[Eos of the Eons]

A baby girl died after her parents refused to let midwives help with a natural home birth in a cold room lit by candles, an inquest was told yesterday...

The inquest at Flax Bourton was told that the parents, Elizabeth and Shaun, strongly believed in natural childbirth at home.

The real issue is the circumstances presented to the midwives. Their presence was required by statute but, as their help was refused, they were bystanders. One can appreciate their feelings as professionals. No one dares interfere especially with the possible threat of action for assault, such is the sad nature of society

http://connected.telegraph.co.uk/he...22.xml&sSheet=/health/2004/04/22/ixhmain.html

The lady didn't even know she was pregnant with twins. She was told the one baby would be breech though, and didn't think anything of it.

People are getting carried away in their ideas about what is natural.

 

[AK-Dave]

I do not see why you do not consider this to be natural childbirth. Due to the evolutionary path that led to the current human species, this is to be expected. It is very natural that there is a high mortality rate with human babies (and their mothers). That is why we developed modern medical procedures in regards to childbirth. It is inherently dangerous for humans to have children. The saddest part about this story is that it was the child who died, not the idiot parent(s). I was the second of 10 kids, and I guarantee that no "natural" childbirth techniques* were used, with the exception of the lack of pain killers for the last 8 kids (this due to the negative short term side affects on myself and my older brother from the painkillers my mom was given).

*Just to clarify, myself and all my siblings were born in a hospital with a doctor present and modern emergency medical treatment readily available.

ps. This post was made while suffering the effects of mild ethanol poisoning. It may contain spelling and/or grammar errors.

 

[Eos of the Eons]

To answer your question, It's not 'natural' because woman don't have babies alone, there were always some midwives or elder women around to help with birthing. It was rare that a woman had to deal with that alone, it is not the more preferable scenario.

It is not unnatural to let a midwife assist. It is not unnatural to check a baby's vital signs, etc.

Those parents are taking things too far. Where did they get the idea it was natural to let a baby die rather than listen to women with some experience?

I don't care if parents want to have their babies at home, but listen to people who can tell when a baby is distressed.

I just wonder what exactly is their definition of 'natural childbirth'?

 

[yersinia29]

These idiot parents are clueless. The notion that because someting is natural makes it "better" needs to go the way of the dinosaurs.

 

[belinda]

Uummm, maybe a dumb question, but why isn't the mother up on some form of child abuse/neglect charges? It was her actions (in preventing the mid-wives present, from assisting the baby to birth normally (and I use the term advisedly).

Maybe that would 'cause woowoo parents to stop and actually use their brains before they go and do this sort of @!#! .

 

[Eos of the Eons]

I'm wondering the same about the charges. That's the problem though.

The parents thought they were doing the best by their child, but it killed the child.

Parents have always gotten away with it. Why start doing something about it now?

I sure would like to, but I don't seem to have that kind of power

 

[Dr. Imago]

Two comments:

(1) Excellent point about the misconception that childbirth was, up until recently, "unassisted" in the past. While we may not have had the technology (e.g., surgery, drugs, fetal monitoring capabilities, etc.) in the past that we do now, it is easy to forget that people figured out the "right" thing to do, more through trial and error as well as careful observation, and did that. I'm sure that even back in the proto-human days of our ancestors there were probably "midwife" like people who assisted in deliveries. Of course, there is no question that modern technology has vastly improved perinatal outcomes for both the mother and the baby.

(2) Having said all of that, I can tell you (as I'm currently - right at this moment typing this message - in the hospital on a 24-hour midway through my OB/Gyn core clerkship) that it is incredibly asinine for anyone to go it alone these days. There is so much that can go wrong - most of which is preventable - in the pre- and perinatal period that it is absolutely foolhardy to, at the very least, not have a midwife involved and, at best, an obstetrician close by in case something dreadful (as in this case) happens.

By the way, this is a timely topic for me as I caught my first baby today! What a rush!

-TT

 

[crimresearch]

Oh no....

Please...

Don't get me started on my midwifery/'natural birth' rant.


You wouldn't like me when I'm on my midwifery/'natural birth rant' rant.

 

[Vorticity]

Oh no....

Please...

Don't get me started on my midwifery/'natural birth' rant.


You wouldn't like me when I'm on my midwifery/'natural birth rant' rant.

Don't lump in what these people did with the practice of midwifery in general. There's quite a difference between the two.

Five months ago, my girlfriend gave birth to our son at home, with two midwives assisting. That's what she wanted, and after a lot of research, I went along with it. Modern licensed midwives have extensive medical training, and can administer drugs, do suturing after-the-fact, give prenatal and postnatal care, etc.

A "midwife" does not have to be some uneducated woo-woo chanting, dancing around with beads and muttering about chakras. One of our midwives had been a delivery room nurse for 20 years before becoming a midwife, and she handled things great.

 

[Eos of the Eons]

Don't lump in what these people did with the practice of midwifery in general. There's quite a difference between the two.

Five months ago, my girlfriend gave birth to our son at home, with two midwives assisting. That's what she wanted, and after a lot of research, I went along with it. Modern licensed midwives have extensive medical training, and can administer drugs, do suturing after-the-fact, give prenatal and postnatal care, etc.

A "midwife" does not have to be some uneducated woo-woo chanting, dancing around with beads and muttering about chakras. One of our midwives had been a delivery room nurse for 20 years before becoming a midwife, and she handled things great.

I'm not sure that's what crimresearch meant, but crimresearch is teasing us by not telling.


I don't know much about woo midwives, and I'm sure some exist, but most people are smart enough to follow up on getting a great midwife like Vorticity got.

The Young of "essential oils" had no midwife present when his son was born. He was an "ND" and tried to do the waterbirth thing. His son drowned. He left his son under the water for an hour for some crazy reason.

When my ex-friend had her baby at home, the midwife was getting her to take things like alfalfa during the pregnancy. Some weird stuff, but the baby was born in great health.

By the way, this is a timely topic for me as I caught my first baby today! What a rush!

Good for you!

"Caught" That brings some crazy images to mind

TT is going to make a great doctor.

 

[Denise]

Two comments:


(2) Having said all of that, I can tell you (as I'm currently - right at this moment typing this message - in the hospital on a 24-hour midway through my OB/Gyn core clerkship) that it is incredibly asinine for anyone to go it alone these days. There is so much that can go wrong - most of which is preventable - in the pre- and perinatal period that it is absolutely foolhardy to, at the very least, not have a midwife involved and, at best, an obstetrician close by in case something dreadful (as in this case) happens.



-TT

Absolutely! My daughter would have probably not survived if I had not had in in the hospital. I was pushing for over two hours, cord wrapped around neck. The doctor had to finally about rip her out of me- talking half an hour of stitching up inside and out Apgar of 4 with a team working on her for about half an hour.

It's gotten to be some kind of bizarre one-up-manship these days. One is a "better" woman for not taking drugs during labor or better because of a more "natural birth." They seem to forget that our species has more problems with child birth because of our evolution as in larger heads and more problems with birth because of pelvic position by walking upright.

I am reminded of a talk show I watched years ago. A young child was killed by bee stings because his parents would not seek medical attention for religious reasons. A person in the audience stood up and asked the father why he was wearing glasses if God healed all. I got a chuckle out of that.