Okay, I'm going to stick my neck out but here goes. All the recent talk
about baby snatching and hospital security makes me wonder yet again why
more people haven't taken advantage of the easiest way to prevent all this
--- have the 90-95% of  deliveries that are normal, uncomplicated in the
baby's home... you don't have to worry about people dragging your baby off
for "tests," you don't have to worry about fighting with nursery nurses
about who's baby it is,  where the baby sleeps, how often it feeds, and
certainly no one (save a really interfering Mother in Law) will give the
baby bottles or pacifiers without your permission (especially when there are
no bottles or pacifiers in the house), no one will walk out with the baby,
no one can switch babies at birth, do circumcision while you're alseep
(happened at our local hospital), etc. etc. Not to mention that the argument
about insurance companies' dictating lenghts of stay becomes moot.

The whole balance of power is shifted in the home. The 'patient' (a
subordinate position) is now the head of household (a dominant position) and
the medical staff are the invited guests performing services for fees.
Behavior and expectations change on all sides, ultimately, IMNSVHO, to the
empowerment of the mother.  I don't have any stats on hand, but I would
venture a guess that all things being equalized, home birth mother's have
fewer breastfeeding difficulties.

Which is not to say that bfing problems don't arise, they do (I am an
example myself), but with well trained home visiting nurses asking the
appropriate questions, home birth is a much safer and less interventionalist
option for the majority of mothers and babies.

If we are going to shift exclusive and long term (by long term I'm looking
for a year which would be amazing in US terms) breastfeeding back into a
cultural norm, let's shift birth out of the disease/medical model as well;
to my mind the two are inseperable.

resectfully,
Anne E. Robb, MAT, LLL
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Off on a Tangent in Oregon