By Susana Fierro-Baig
(Originally published in the Broomfield Enterprise, Jan. 7, 1999, guest columnist section)
On her television show recently, Oprah Winfrey distinguished herself from all but a few of her audience members when she revealed that she had been born at home.
This revelation came during a segment of the show, “The Book of the Month Club,” in which a fictional novel about a lay midwife was being discussed. (Lay midwives attend home births, whereas certified nurse midwives attend hospital births.)
A midwife had just finished citing two statistics supporting home birth: 1) over 90 percent of all the people ever born were born at home, and 2) the United States ranks 25th in infant mortality rates, meaning there are 25 countries in which it is safer for a baby to be born, and in those countries women predominantly give birth at home.
It was then that Oprah set herself apart from the crowd by saying, “I was born at home. How many of you were born at home?” It wasn’t surprising that only two or three people raised their hands, out of at least 200 audience members.
By this show of hands, or the lack thereof, it is obvious that home birth is not the norm in this country. Many Americans do not realize that home birth is an option, a viable alternative to hospital birthing.
On Christmas Day, the Daily Camera published a report about a Littleton woman who delivered her baby in the back seat of a car, while being rushed to the hospital, through traffic by her husband.
The father, Jason Middleton, was quoted as saying, “It was rush hour and road conditions weren’t too great. I was going crazy at that point and wanting to do anything I could to get there faster.”
In a country where few women give birth at home, giving birth in transit to the hospital is terrifying and newsworthy, because people assume that out-of-hospital births are dangerous.
Of course, statistics show that unplanned home births have less favorable outcomes than planned home births do. Of planned home births, there are studies that have found home birth to be safe, if not safer, than hospital births. If delivery were imminent, I believe staying at home would be more favorable (and less dangerous) than being rushed through traffic in a cramped back seat.
Although the Littleton couple most likely did not consider, for even a second, the idea of giving birth at home without medical assistance, there are couples who have considered and chosen to do this.
On Dec. 29, seven Front Range couples got together in Longmont to share and celebrate their medically unassisted childbirth experiences.
One of the attendants at this informal gathering was Laura Kaplan Shanley, a Boulder resident and author of “Unassisted Childbirth.” Shanley has had five unassisted births.
Although just 2 percent of births in the United States occur at home, a home birth movement is gradually spreading across the country. The numbers of both midwife-assisted and unassisted home births will most likely increase in the near future.
More Americans will begin to embrace home birth because home birth, and especially unassisted birth, is about trusting God, remembering your spirit, and becoming empowered.
If the Middletons were to read “Unassisted Childbirth,” I wonder whether they would consider giving birth at home next time. After all, despite having an unplanned medically unassisted birth, “both the mother and baby Jennifer Leigh Middleton were reportedly doing fine.”