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Mystery OB/British homebirth (Oregon, too)
Question:
>Todd, >I’ve already asked you questions and you haven’t answered them yet. Several >ladies from MHA have also posted about their births, including their >positions during labor and delivery and not one of us have had any problems >with our children. I’m really wondering about statitics with the fetal skull >squashing. We’ve given information on over 600 births and no squashed >skulls. We’re really beginning to think this is more hype than anything and >you are losing your credibility. Where are these women who had babies with >squished melons?? >As far as homebirth verses hospital birth, I don’t have any comments because >I have home births anyway.
Oooh you’re for it now Questions, questions "Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." Donne
Response:
Todd, I’ve already asked you questions and you haven’t answered them yet. Several ladies from MHA have also posted about their births, including their positions during labor and delivery and not one of us have had any problems with our children. I’m really wondering about statitics with the fetal skull squashing. We’ve given information on over 600 births and no squashed skulls. We’re really beginning to think this is more hype than anything and you are losing your credibility. Where are these women who had babies with squished melons?? As far as homebirth verses hospital birth, I don’t have any comments because I have home births anyway. — Kay http://www.herbcare.com
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Response:
Should British obstetrician Malcolm Griffiths, MD have told the couple they have an EXCELLENT case? I think so. See the last sentence of this post… Ronnie Falcao Homebirth Midwife Hi Ronnie, You write on your web page: "If you have a reliable reference that contradicts something you read in these pages, by all means please send it along." http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/feedback.html I’m writing because I’ve just now noted that you appended the remarks of "an OB in the UK" (Malcolm Griffiths?)…to my piece on ACNMwifery and homebirth… http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/acnmhome.html The mystery "OB in the UK" writes in pertinent part: >As Todd very well knows (he and I have mailed one another on this matter a
few times before now) the situation in the UK currently is very different to that in UK in 1940’s or in most of the USA currently….<< http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/acnmhome.html Ronnie, I have a COUPLE of reliable references who contradict "OB in the UK"… They are UK midwives Heather Rothwell and Barbara Troutt… I quoted them in my sci.med.midwifery exchange with UK obstetrician Malcolm Griffiths, MD… NOTE: I had my sci.med.midwifery exchange with Dr. Griffiths in 1996 – the year UK midwife Barbara Troutt called for more publicity for Changing Childbirth ("It would be so easy for the Department of Health to spread the word"). 1996 was also the year UK midwife Heather Rothwell publicized her belief that Changing Childbirth only SEEMED midwife/homebirth-friendly – because the Government intentionally left out the Winterton prerequisite (see below)… I mention these points because Dr. Griffiths made reference in 1996 to the "amazing amount of work" done by the "Changing Childbirth Implementation Team" to finally "get the message across"… UK midwife Troutt indicated in 1996 that the message still had not been received, i.e., she was often being asked regarding homebirth, "Oh, is that still allowed, I thought that was stopped years ago." [Midwives 1996;109(1303):235]. I would be MOST interested in CURRENT input from Ms. Troutt and Ms. Rothwell as to the state of homebirth in the UK after three more years of the valiant efforts of the "Changing Childbirth Implementation Team." Perhaps any UK midwives reading this could give Ms. Troutt and Ms. Rothwell my e-mail Even if things have progressed, the BEST thing that could happen would be for obstetricians worldwide to openly admit that they LIBELED homebirth and engaged in massive amounts of anti-scientific, anti-competitive unfair business practices – not to mention routine fetal skull squashing (see end of this post) – thereby decimating the West’s treasure-house of apprentice-trained homebirth midwives. In short, obstetricians abused (and STILL abuse) midwives and mothers and fetuses – and their cultural authority. In this latter regard, Dr. Griffiths (a certified legal expert) pretended he had a hard time understanding what I meant when I used the word libel in regard to what OBs did to homebirth and homebirth practitioners. See below. Here, now (finally), is my 1996 exchange with Dr. Griffiths… >>>>>>>> BEGIN Gastaldo’s 1996 exchange with Griffiths <<<<<<<<<<<
Re: States that allow homebirths Forum: sci.med.midwifery
<<<<I don’t recognise [British midwife Heather Rothwell's] picture of UK maternity care.>>>> Dr. Griffiths’ statement came in response to an excerpt from British midwife Heather Rothwell’s article, "Changing childbirth: changing nothing." [Midwives (Nov)1996;109(1306):291-94] Whereas Dr. Griffiths claims, <<<<British women have always had a right to home birth…>>>> According to the British government, British women have been DENIED the homebirth option. According to the 1992 Winterton Report of the House of Commons Select Health Committee – as quoted by the British Department of Health (emphasis added): "[We] must draw the conclusion that THE POLICY OF ENCOURAGING ALL WOMEN TO GIVE BIRTH IN HOSPITALS CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED ON GROUNDS OF SAFETY…[I]t is no longer acceptable that the pattern of maternity care provision should be driven by presumptions about the applicability of a medical model of care based upon unproven assertions…Hospitals are not the appropriate place to care for healthy women…We recommend that the Department of Health vigorously pursue the establishment of best practice models of team midwifery care…" "[A]