"Selfish" moms and I liked it better when they didn't say vagina on tv. *warning I use anatomically correct terms in this post*

Posted by Le

I read an article from a fb link for midwifery today about how home birth moms are reckless and selfish. I am used to the hype about women who just want a spa like birth experience at home even though it increases the risks for their baby. So most of this article was the normal stuff I just ignore until I got to this part.  "The other selfish aspect of a home birth is that it requires a fully-trained midwife to leave the hospital and give one woman her undivided attention for the duration of her labour, which can be 24 hours or even much longer. Websites supporting home births, including the National Childbirth Trust, strongly encourage women to 'stand your ground' if a local authority declines a request for a home birth. There is no mention of all the other women in hospital who might need the midwife's care during that time. Thought is given only to the right of the woman to choose to give birth wherever she likes."

That really really bothered me and made me sad. It also showed that the author doesn't understand some of the fundamental differences between ob/gyns and midwives. While she is in England and things work a bit differently over there I would guess that home birth midwives there, like home birth midwives here, tend to have less clients due at the same so they can accommodate for spending a whole 24 hours (or more) with just one client. I think it is sad that she doesn't think she (or anyone else) is important enough to request special attention when giving birth. I for one think all women are special enough to have the complete attention of a midwife (plus whoever else comes with her) at their birth. That is part of why I want to be a midwife - to give women the attention and support that they need and deserve.

And on a different note I like it better when they didn't say vagina on tv because I can't stand it when people use the word improperly. I saw a clip on tv last night where a guy was complaining that a girl's vagina was showing. She was blurred but apparently the woman was naked and she was standing up with her legs together. If her vagina was actually showing then she needs to be rushed to an emergency room because there is a serious problem! I guess I should be happy they are attempting to use anatomically correct words but I'd be more impressed if they could add a few like labia or vulva because that is what they actually mean 99% of the time when they say vagina...