Sigh...

Why is it that when people hear I've had a homebirth, do their eyes get so big, and they say in a stage whisper, "But--what if something goes WRONG?!"

I certainly do not suggest that all women should birth at home. Just those low-risk that remain so the entire pregnancy, and that want to. Women who homebirth are *usually* extremely well-educated on how birth works and what normal is. Based on some of the attitudes and questions I've been faced with IRL, they've implied that the thought is that if something does go wrong, the baby and mother are SOL. We're not. The overwhelming majority of labor complications are going to have warning signs (thick meconium for example, as an indicator of fetal distress), and midwives are trained to know and interpet those signs. Women who homebirth are very active participants in their own care. At every visit, mother and baby are carefully monitored. Any signs of potential problems-blood pressure that creeps up, headaches, sugar or protein in urine, measuring very large or very small for dates, excessive contractions, etc- are all red flags, and looked at in context and decisions are made from there about how prenatal care is continued. I had blood labs drawn when I discovered I was pregnant, my weight was carefully checked (41lbs-whee!), and my health, both general and related to the pregnancy, was kept under control. My prenatal exams took 30 minutes apiece, and time was spent examining all aspects of my health and wellbeing. I didn't just pick a midwife, tell her I wanted to have a homebirth and say, 'Ok, see you at my house when it's time.' It was very involved, and this may not be a popular assertion, but with the exception of a few very high risk cases, I'm willing to bet that my midwives spent more time with me than your (general) OBs did with you (again, general). And for the record, I'm extremely glad that there are hospitals and doctors available for when things do go wrong. :)