I want to talk about birth location options, but first another SAUCE recipe as promised…………..
Recipe
I like to use this as a salad dressing, especially for a TACO SALAD with LOTS of greens, your protein of choice, a little whole milk greek yogurt, a bit of shredded cheese, guacamole, black olives, tomatoes, green onions, and black beans over tortilla chips or shells. It’s also a great marinade for seafood.
I originally made it as a dressing over shredded beets and carrots. EASY and delicious!
In a mason jar or other container with tight lid combine:
Juice of 1 lime
1 tblsp. sesame oil
3 tblsp. olive oil
1 tblsp. rice vinegar
2 tblsp. chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste
SHAKE IT UP AND ENJOY!!!
Now back to birth……
A lot of opinions get floated and shouted about what is the best place to give birth. 10 years ago, when my husband and I voiced that we were considering home birth as an option, some very good and well-intentioned friends shouted, “That is SO irresponsible! We will disown you as friends!”. Of course they wouldn’t have disowned us (I hope), but they definitely had the very strong belief that the only safe option for birth was a hospital. They were afraid of us being too far away from help in case of complications. These are kind, well-educated, professional people with children of their own, but I understood that they might lack some information in this area.
I also have friends who believe that giving birth in the hospital is a very irresponsible decision. Germs, unnecessary interventions, lack of control over their births, uncomfortable surroundings, philosophical issues with insurance costs and hospital politics are some of the factors that keep them at home. What to do?!?!
For myself, I didn’t feel good about going to a hospital. I have some phobias about hospitals already, and I felt pretty sure that I would want a warm, quiet place with no distractions (That turned out to be VERY true). On the other hand, I didn’t feel completely secure about a home birth. I didn’t know anyone who had done this at the time, and I wasn’t sure that my home would be less distracting than a hospital.
I heard about a birth center nearby, and we decided to check it out. It was a lovely, homey place with big tubs and showers, huge real beds, a fireplace, and 4 midwives. I would know them all, so I could be sure there would be no strangers at my birth. There was no option for medication (which I have another minor phobia about), or constant monitoring, but the attendants were well-qualified to handle emergencies and there was a hospital within spitting distance. This felt just right…..for me.
There is so much judgment in the birth world about where is the RIGHT place to birth. So many professionals and individuals stand on one side or the other with not much positive to say about the opposite. Others are more open and flexible. Lately, I’ve been hearing anti-birth center buzz that is troubling. I hear that some consider a birth center to be “hospital light”, or that’s it’s for people who don’t truly want control over their own experience, or who just don’t have the nerve or education to birth at home. Some criticize that because birth centers have to conform to certain standards to maintain accreditation, they have “sold out” and are perpetuating the institutionalization of birth.
So while I am feeling passionate, I want to say this. I am grateful for birth centers. If I were to have another baby, I might choose a home birth, but not because my birth center experiences were lacking. There is also the possibility that I would need a hospital if something were to go wrong, and I am grateful for that also. OR I might go back to the lovely place where I had beautiful birth experiences twice. I am grateful because of my own wonderful experiences where I felt cared for and respected for my choices, but also because of the value I believe they bring to the entire industry of birth.
The fact is that we live in a country and time where hospitals are the standard. This hasn’t always been the case and isn’t true for all of the rest of the world. Having this as our standard is not improving our birth outcomes for normal healthy births. There is a need to reconsider the direction the industry has taken and make adjustments before things get even worse for our girls.
Because most of us have been born and raised with the belief that the hospital is THE option for birth, we don’t usually stop to consider if this is really true. For many, the only alternative that is heard of is home birth. Unfortunately, for all the benefits and safety statistics that home birth truly holds, many people have an impression of home birth as backwards, or less safe, or for those who can’t afford or get to a hospital. They might have the feeling that it would be irresponsible, or maybe that it’s too gross or messy. For whatever the reasons, it’s just NOT AN OPTION that would be considered by most of our population.
On the other hand, most are not fully educated about their options while birthing in a hospital. Hospitals have the potential to become better places to birth, but people often don’t question standard procedures, even when they might not be in their best interest. Although things are beginning to change, changing hospital policy happens at a snail’s pace. New scientific evidence gets released, policies change 20 years later, then the general public learns about it.
But what about a birth center? What about a birth center operated by midwives who are licensed nurse practitioners? I’m not saying that these are the only or even necessarily the best midwives out there, but so much is about perception. Who does the mainstream population perceive as most competent? Do birth centers bridge the gap enough to draw people into a conversation about birth options? It definitely opened a new world to me. Do birth centers improve outcomes by eliminating many of the standard interventions offered in our “traditional” birth setting? To me, even considering alternatives and starting conversations is a big HUGE step in improving our birth experiences and outcomes. It’s a big step in helping women regain some power of choice and in rediscovering their own power.
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