More Women Weigh Risks and Rewards of At-Home Birthing

Midwives assume the role of the doctor and replaces the more clinical hospital setting with holistic and homeopathic methods. Credit: BigstockBy Lorraine FarquharsonNEW YORK, Jan 27 2014 (IPS) It was a long and hard 10 hours of labour. “Don’t give up,” Carolina Pinheiro recalls her doula urging, as she provided both physical and emotional support.“If you feel safer in a hospital then do that, but there should not be an assumption that hospitals are safer than home. " -- Carolina Pinheiro Pinheiro says she chose at-home birthing with midwife assistance because she wanted a safe environment, plus the gentle care the method provides, which included exercise stretches, a foot massage and aromatherapy. Since Pinheiro could not sit up to eat during the 10 hours, yet still needed strength to push, the doula squeezed “fresh green [kale and fruit] juice” for her and constantly brought jugs of water. “A doula is recommended if a mother chooses the at-home [birth], because she comes to your house and guides you through until the time is right for the midwife to come,” Pinheiro tells IPS. Pinheiro’s baby was positioned feet-down, and it took three hours to turn him around. “Usually, pushing should last two to three hours,” she says. “If I was in a hospital they would not allow me to push so long and suggest a C-section. I didn’t want that,” she adds. “My doula and I agreed to invite the midwife over only when the time felt right.” In Pinheiro’s view, the...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Featured Headlines Health North America TerraViva Europe TerraViva United Nations Women's Health midwives Pregnancy United States Source Type: news