There is a perspective on birth that seems to be missing from articles in The Bulletin. I’ve read about choosing c-sections for convenience, doctors and hospitals not allowing VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), and negativity toward midwives. I would like to read more about positive birth experiences and alternative options for women. It’s no wonder women rush to the hospital when the message is: Your body can’t do this without the help of many interventions and/or major surgery. How sad to lose faith in a woman’s ability to bring a life into this world.

What if women were supported with confidence and pregnancies weren’t treated like complications waiting to happen? There is indisputable research from sources such as the British Medical Journal that show that home birth is a safe option for most women. Healthy pregnant women giving birth at home can expect decreased use of medical interventions, fewer side effects, no statistical difference of mortality/morbidity rates, as well as higher apgar scores for babies. Additionally, midwife-attended births rarely end in a c-section.

My own experience supports this after having had both a hospital birth and a home birth. My midwife, licensed and experienced in attending over 350 births, informed me about topics ranging from normal birth to what conditions might indicate the need for intervention or transfer to a hospital. In short, I had exceptional care culminating in a phenomenal birth experience.

Kathy Shean-Jones

Bend