Last week a homebirthing couple expecting their newborn any day received a knock at the door only to discover police officers who were sent to their home by their local hospital (see here).
Allegedly the mother was "12 days overdue". Given mainstream Australia's tendency to pin-point the arbitrary 40 week mark as when the baby should be born it is most likely that this mother was at an estimated 41 weeks and 5 days pregnant (which cannot be proven and thus we refer to these things as ESTIMATED due dates). Even still, full-term pregnancy ranges anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks, meaning she could not be "12 days overdue" until she was 43 weeks and 5 days pregnant. (It's worth noting that even these "overdue" mothers can go on to have healthy homebirths see here).
Bathurst Hospital informed the mother that they wanted to induce her at her next appointment. Having suffered a traumatic induced hospital birth in the past she opted not to attend the appointment after consulting her primary care provider: her independent midwife. According to the mother and the midwife, an induction was not medically indicated. (even when the mother asked the hospital to provide evidence attesting to their claim she required an induction they could not). The hospital's response was to bring in The State to try and scare the mother into submitting to an unnecessary procedure against her will!
While the hospital gave the couple an apology for their behaviour this hardly undoes the unnecessary harm caused by their actions. The end of a pregnancy is a sacred time for a family, a time when peace and quiet is of the utmost importance, the last thing a heavily pregnant mother needs is the stress of the state interfearing in her birth space.
This is just one home grown story that gives me all the reason I need to be reluctant to support hospital run homebirth programs. When hospitals get a whiff of even a slight variation on a textbook pregnancy or birth they swoop in to label the mother "high risk" and take away her right to homebirth. My prediction is that an increase in hospital run homebirth programs will result in a decreased number of babies born at home or an increase in last-minute freebirths (where mothers are left to "choose" between giving birth in hospital or going it alone at home). This is why it is so important that independent midwives are able to practice autonomously, not just when Obstetricians or The State give them their blessing.
Me: Homebirth Makes It To Question Time
Gloria Lemay: Lisencing, Registering and Certifying Midwives - At What Cost?
Janet Fraser: Consumers Are Not Stakeholders It Would Seem, When Birth Is Discussed
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