Study Finds No Value in Fetal Oxygen Monitors
All Things Considered, November 22, 2006 ยท A large new study indicates the fetal oxygen monitor is essentially worthless. It was hoped the monitors would lead to healthier infants or fewer C-sections for expectant mothers.
Listen here: NPR.org
ACOG Statement of Policy
ACOG Statement of Policy
As issued by the ACOG Executive BoardOUT-OF-HOSPITAL BIRTHS IN THE UNITED STATES
Labor and delivery is a physiologic process that most women experience without complications. Ongoing surveillance of the mother and fetus is essential because serious intrapartum complications may arise with little or no warning, even in low risk pregnancies. In some of these instances, the availability of expertise and interventions on .an urgent or emergent basis may be life-saving for the mother, the fetus or the newborn and may reduce the likelihood of an adverse outcome. For these reasons, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) believes that the hospital, including a birthing center within a hospital complex, that conforms to the standards outlined by American Academy of Pediatrics and ACOG,1 is the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period. ACOG also strongly supports providing conditions that will improve the birthing experience for women and their families without compromising safety.
Studies comparing the safety and outcome of U.S. births in the hospital with those occurring in other settings are limited and have not been scientifically rigorous. The development of well-designed research studies of sufficient size, prepared in consultation with obstetric departments and approved by institutional review boards, might clarify the comparative safety of births in different settings. Until the results of such studies are convincing, ACOG strongly opposes out-of-hospital births. Although ACOG acknowledges a woman’s right to make informed decisions regarding her delivery, ACOG does not support programs or individuals that advocate for or who provide out-of-hospital births.
1American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Guidelines for Perinatal Care, 5th Edition. Elk Grove Village, IL, AAP/ACOG, 2002.
Approved by the Executive Board October 2006
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
409 12th Street, SW, PO Box 96920.
Washington, DC 20090-6920Telephone 202-638-5577
Please do not be fooled. This is NOT about home birth, it’s about midwives. If ACOG can successfully assert their opinion on the issue of home birth being unsafe, they can successfully thwart the efforts of regulating midwives in states where midwifery is illegal or unregulated. After all, if home birth is unsafe why would you need to legalize the only practitioners willing to serve that population?
At least one of the authors of that statement is concerned that if midwives gain carte blanche as [legal] independent practitioners they will not have the ability to provide safeguards for their clients’ health. When questioned another doctor simply replied that it is tiresome dealing with mid-level practitioners who stand up to doctors. That is all about home birth, right?
Be concerned. And get active within your states’ midwifery organizations. Read the response by American College of Nurse-Midwives, the Midwives Alliance of North America and others here: ACNM.org
HISTOR!CA Minutes: Midwife
The first midwife began her practice, so the saying goes, nine months after God placed two women and one man on the earth. The office of midwife, which literally means ‘with wife,’ is an ancient one. Throughout history, babies were delivered with the assistance of a midwife. At least until the 20th Century, women controlled the process of childbirth in all cultures.
Follow this link to see a 1-minute movie and read about the history of midwives in Canada: Historica Minutes
Ann Nicole Smith and Asia Carerra
Why would you find a Playboy Playmate and an adult film star on a G-rated home birth information site? I thought I would take the opportunity to note the stark contrast in their recent experiences of childbirth.
Anna Nicole, as shown below in the exclusive Entertainment Tonight piece, has a unplanned but non-emergent Cesarean because when she presented to the hospital in labor she was told her baby was allegedly so big it threatened to “bust her womb”. Her daughter Dannielyn Hope was a bit over 6lbs. In the footage you’ll see a highly anxious woman undergoing major abdominal surgery, something touted in America as just another way to give birth. Anna Nicole seems traumatized throughout the surgery and in the recounting of it to the reporter.
Asia Carerra on the other hand, gave birth at home. Her original plan was to have an unassisted birth with her husband alone, but tragically he was killed in a car accident shortly before she was due. She received offers from midwives to help her and she was torn with decisions right down to the time she was ready to push! While it’s not a “dreamy birth story” it is refreshing to take in after watching Anna Nicole’s experience play out (even she has a hard time with it!). Read it here: iVillage.com
More celebrity home birth moms: Ricki Lake (who is working on a documentary for an indie film festival on midwives!), Eryka Badu, Lisa Bonet, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, Lucy Lawless, Thandie Newton, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Joely Fisher…
Women told to give birth at home
You might think that order was given to the women of Mars, but oddly enough it was the women of Great Britain! In an effort to slash health care costs and shorten hospitals stays, women are being encouraged to give birth at home. Of course the fear is that the resulting savings will cause a deterioration of health care service overall, not just in maternity service but the results remain to be seen. Can you imagine anything remotely radical like this being announced in the United States?
To read more about Martian home birth in the United Kingdom click any of these links: BBC NEWS, National Childbirth Trust, Royal College of Midwives
Podcasts
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Or listen/watch each Podcast on demand:
Podcast 1: Midwives
Podcast 2: Birth Places
Podcast 3: Thinking About Home Birth
Podcast 4: The Birth Kit
Podcast 5: Interview with Ricki Lake