Posted Comment from "Anonymous 3"

This is a comment on the last post...

Anonymous said...
I agree with this grandfather in that there MUST be a way to be allowed to research more effectively when planning a birth at home. As one who has worked in childbirth for many years, I can attest to the fact that when a bad outcome happens to YOU, statistics mean NOTHING. I know that with the right support team you can have a perfectly safe and lovely birth at home...or at the hospital. But how can families know what they are getting? I have seen some horrible things happen in a hospital - you aren't always safe there either.It's time to get the word out and work to make things better!!What I hope comes of this is:1. Licensing for midwives becomes more comprehensive and harder to attain than the current status.2. There is a public forum, perhaps on the internet, allowing families to research hard data such as outcomes, transports, and so on.3. The process for complaints becomes more streamlined and works faster.For now, there is the Birth Survey - link posted elsewhere on this blog - for individuals to rate their care provider.And as a childbirth professional, I will no longer keep my mouth shut about what I know. There is a fear of being charged with libel and/or being blacklisted when one speaks out about doctors or midwives, but I will take that chance from now on.
August 28, 2009 3:16 PM

And you are right- there does need to be a way for the public to know about bad outcomes and transports etc. I think that there should be transparency in all health care. Informed consent to someone being your provider (at a home birth or hospital birth) includes knowing the positive things about them but also the bad outcomes and transport rates.