New Beginnings Doula Training

New Beginnings Doula Training
Courses for doulas and online childbirth education

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

maternal mortality vs injury related mortality...an interesting contrast


"Over the years, researchers and clinicians have made great strides in reducing the number of maternal deaths associated with cardiac disease, infection, and hemorrhage. However, the rate of maternal morbidity from injury has not changed, and researchers now suspect injury is a leading cause of maternal mortality as well as an important, preventable cause of death among pregnant women."-http://hcp.obgyn.net/pregnancy-and-birth/content/article/1760982/1981701

This is just I thought I had...first off, I'm not not really for or against homebirth...I'm for creating safer, more woman centered birth, where ever that may be.  But this quote made me think about how we look at birth.  We go to the hospital during birth because birth carries some risk.  From this article, though, it is talking about how more women die from injury than in childbirth...so my question is, if we believe we have to be in the hospital to give birth and yet more women are dying from other causes, why do we not believe that we should just always be in the hospital?

It's a tricky maze of research and logic when we talk about homebirth.  This just made me think a little bit more about our reasons for birthing in the hospital and why we feel more comfortable with it.

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Birth is a Journey: Does it have to be life changing?


  • One woman might have to climb on an overfilled boat, risking her life and nearly dying as she escapes over the ocean to come to this land. This experience could certainly be life altering. It may very well color the rest of her life, positively or negatively. (I overcame this amazing struggle and here I am triumphant! OR Holy crap, that was SO hard I don’t know if I can go on! By the way, neither response is “right”. No one would judge the woman with the 2nd response.)
  • One woman may buy an airplane ticket, sit on a comfortable 747 and fly to America with a nice smooth flight and landing. She is happy to be in America. Those welcoming her are glad she is here safe and sound. She may only travel by plane 2-4 times in her life, so it is pretty memorable. But the journey itself probably wouldn’t be life changing; it would simply be a journey.
  • One woman may learn to fly an ultra-light plane to lead a flock of geese into America teaching them to migrate. This experience could certainly be empowering and life altering.