Why a leading midwife’s views on home birthing are so worrying
Clinical negligence solicitor Richard Kayser, from our London office, expresses his concerns that expectant parents are not getting the full story…
Reading the national newspapers this evening sent shivers down my spine.
A leading midwife, quoted as being ‘Britain’s most famous midwife’, is encouraging expectant mothers to give birth at home. The article focuses of how beneficial it is to give birth at home, going as far as stating ‘think of every genius you have ever heard of and the likelihood is that they will have been born at home’.
However the article fails to consider the great risk that both a mother and a child faces if things don’t go right…
I previously blogged about the dangers posed with giving birth outside a hospital. What worries me is that expectant mothers and fathers are not given sufficient information to be able to make an informed choice.
Like being advised that even if the pregnancy appears straightforward there is still a risk that something could go wrong. Or not fully understanding the time it will take to actually transfer the patient from home to hospital and, if necessary, the mother to theatre or the child to the special baby unit.
Minutes can make a difference between life, severe brain damage and even death.
Although, I do believe every person has a right to choose, surely this should be a fully informed choice!