Home Births

Megan Levy reports at Stuff:

    A mother who died while giving birth to her daughter at her Melbourne home was a strong advocate for home-births, declaring in a government submission that she would be have no choice but to have an unassisted birth at home if midwives were not legally protected.

    Online tributes have been pouring in for Caroline Lovell, who died after giving birth to her second daughter Zahra at her home in Watsonia on Monday last week.

    The 36-year-old was rushed to The Austin Hospital in cardiac arrest at 10.30am, but died in hospital the following day, a report in this morning’s Herald Sun revealed. A private midwife is believed to have been assisting her during the home-birth.

Some may see me having an opinion on homebirths is like me having an opinion on hair styles!

I do tend to agree with the saying that if men had to give birth, everyone would be an only child.

Having said that, my gut reaction is that is I had to give birth, I’d want to be in a place where if things don’t go according to plan, you immediately have nearby the resources needed to ensure a safe delivery.

The death of Ms Lovell is a reminder that while giving birth is a natural process, and is not a sickness or an illness (which is why some argue should not be done in hospital), it is a process where complications can arise very quickly. While I respect those who disagree, I place more of a premium on safety over ideology.

Of course at the end of the day, I’m never going to be the person deciding.