On the subject of safety in homebirths/alternative birthing centers and
safer hospital births please read at least one of the following:

A Good Birth, A Safe Birth, Korte & Scaer (now in it's 3rd updated edition
in 1995)

Women, Power and Childbirth, Kathleen Doherty Turkel

Homebirth, Sheila Kitzinger (a practical flow chart of how one birth would
be handled hospital vs home each step of the way shows clearly and concisely
the HUGE difference and why homebirth is a very appropriate alternative)

Gentle Birth Choices, Barbara Harper (A video by the same title/author is
very powerful as well)

Obstetric Myths versus Research Realities, Henci Goer (1995 even has a
primer on how to interpret medical research, basics of statistics, etc)

Safe Alternatives in Childbirth, David and Lee Stewart

Toward A Safer Birth, Margaret Tewes (so full of well documented researh
it's a must! the stats on mortality in childbirth home vs hospital are
impeccably well done)

All have very powerful, well done research to back up what they say.  Many
also make the point that methods of delivery that empower the woman have
dramatic impact on her mothering later -- from breastfeeding to attachment
and beyond.

The forward to Henci Goer's book has a quote by Don Creevy, MD, to the
question of whether birth is an art or a science, "Obstetrics should be both
art and science. The science lies in what we know to be true, the art in how
that infomation is used for greatest benefit to mothers and babies."  I
think the same is true for the field of lactation!

I must say I am truly enjoying the range of discussions on this list as well
as the tremendousl learnig potential from the cases brought here --

whetting her appetite for more in this field,
Anne E. Robb, MAT, LLL

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Off on a Tangent in Oregon

<< disclaimer>> views expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect
LLL policy or practice