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Very important update! New York midwives are back business and homebirth is again available for interested mamas. Check out this post for all of the details.
These are very strange times for birth in NYC. In a city that has been as inspired as any other by the wisdom of films like The Business of Being Born and Orgasmic Birth, women’s choices for their own best births have diminished exponentially virtually overnight. If you believe in a woman’s right to choice in every sense of the word, you owe it to yourself to get up to speed on the latest threats to choice in pregnancy and birth.
Despite this development you do still have options besides delivering in the hospital with an Ob/Gyn. Some homebirth midwives will continue to practice and feel it is their moral, ethical, and professional duty to do so. Do your research and find someone you trust if you go this route–NY politics aside, the research stays the same, and it tells us that homebirth is a safe option for low-risk women. Another option is to deliver at the Brooklyn Birthing Center. Finally, you can also seek out the care of a hospital based midwife.
Here’s the bottom line: become informed and take action if you feel the latest developments in NY birth options are not in the best interest of mothers, babies and families, but don’t give up on using a midwife for your birth if it is your desire. There are plenty of wise, skilled, educated midwives in this town available to support your birth in the midwifery tradition!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I gave birth to my first child 6 months ago in a hospital. I must admit months later I started doing research on my options on giving birth because I was so unsatisfied in the hospital. Bringing a child is not an illness and we should be able to choose where we want to give birth. I am so frustrated with the Medical field trying to make millions of dollars for their own benefit and do not benefit mother and baby. If I decide to have another child and I must do it against the law and give birth at home….I will. And I know I will not be alone!
Mitzi,
Thank you so much for weighing in on this important topic, and I wish for you (and all women) the birth you want the next time around!
Be well,
Andrea