Hi Everybody, and Dr. Nancy Wright:
   This is in response to Dr. Wright's comment about "picking up the pieces"
as a neonatologist after an unanticipated homebirth. The wonderful thing about
birth in the USA is that women do have a choice about their birth place.
   Of course, "picking up the pieces" after planned hospital birth is not even
considered a risk, but rather something that we are all  used to. One of the
founding mothers of the childbirth eduation movement, I think it was either
Lester Hazell or Doris Haire, made a comment about the safety of birth in
hospitals....that the existence of intensive care nurseries was a reflection
of the risks of hospital birth.
  That comment was made before HIV and crack and other situations so it isn't
as representative as it was when it was made back in the 60s. But it still has
meaning.
   The worldwide statistics support the use of midwives and birth at home or
birth in a free standing birth center; this also optimizes breastfeeding.
While this topic leads off the purpose of LACTNET, I feel that it deserves
comment because women and babies are losing with mainstream birth practices,
both with birthing and with breastfeeding and it is difficult, if not
impossible, to separate the two.
   We all know how difficult it is for a mother and baby to recover from the
routine use of technology. Many of us earn money because we are working to fix
things after the hospital experience. I would love not to have to work with
babies damaged by vacuums and being pulled out by their heads. I would love if
mothers came home from their births feeling strong and confident in their
breastfeeding.  But it isn't happening. Warmly, Nikki