YYYYikes! That's a special brand of crazy, right there.
While I'm the biggest wuss on the planet, I can see the appeal of natural childbirth - there's the risk from epidurals, the appeal of being wide awake after the birth, the feeling of accomplishment for having done it without drugs, etc. And I'm definitely all for staying away from a hospital if you can - the way many doctors and nurses push epidurals and induction and C-sections and treat the birth like a complication that keeps them from getting home in time for dinner is criminal.
But this is beyond the pale and these idiots are helping clear out the gene pool, IMHO. I mean, even in them thar olden days people had a trained midwife or at least Granny around to give advice and smooth things along. Going completely without a medical safety net is the height of foolishness and irresponsibility. If they do end up needing a hospital it's going to be riskier and more expensive by the time they finally end up there.
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Originally Posted by Lady Sage
If birthing unassisted was so dangerous humans would never have made it this far. Gods forbid a woman give birth at home for free. Avoid unneeded c-sections and episiotomies? Ooooo. Why shouldnt a woman be allowed to choose a way to give birth away from tens of thousands of dollars, medical malpractice, being put on display for the world to see her crotch and possibly needlessly butchered to give birth? What the hell do I know though? I am not a man with a medical degree or a know-it-all.
Still today women die in child birth or with complications related to... theres a shocker.
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C'mon, you're throwing out the baby with the bathwater
I'm certainly with you on the desire to not have some detached clinician calling the shots and making decisions that are in HIS best interest and not in mine. But there is a
happy medium that can balance empowering the parents and honoring their wishes with providing a safe environment if anything should go wrong. My friend Holly just gave birth in a birth center assisted by a midwife and trained nurses, and it was really reassuring round about hour 20 that someone with experience was there in case anything started to go wrong. Holly got to move at her pace, sit in a nice warm bathtub as long as she wanted, and she was in charge. Her husband was there, I was there, our friend Christine was there along with Holly's parents. It was intimate and warm. But there were people there who knew what the fuck they were doing, and could spring into action or get Holly to a hospital if anything started to go seriously wrong. It's not a binary choice between medicine and no medicine. Even if you wanted to have the birth in your home, at least have a trained midwife there.
And I don't know about "leading cause of death" but until recently, it was quite a risk. 1% is not insubstantial:
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The death rate for women giving birth plummeted in the 20th century.
At the beginning of the century, maternal death rates were around their historical level of nearly 1 in 100 for live births. The number today in the United States is 1 in 10,000, a 99% decline.
The decline in maternal deaths has been due largely to improved asepsis, use of caesarean section, fluid management and blood transfusion, and better prenatal care.
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http://www.answers.com/topic/maternal-death