“The Montfort Hospital completely supports midwives working within their full scope of practice, as midwives are regulated by their own College,” says Ann Salvador, the administrative director of the Family Birthing Centre at the hospital. “The College of Midwives of Ontario standards recommend a consultation in labour, not a transfer. Midwifery clients appreciate having their primary care provider retain care.”
Read the rest of the article here.
And now for lots of breech birth stories...
Breech babies are born in hospitals!
Hospital breech birth plan: A UK woman originally planning a home birth shares her hospital birth plan for her vaginal breech birth.
Midwife-assisted footling breech birth: A UK mom plans a hospital birth for her frank breech baby, but everyone is surprised when feet emerge first.
I owned my birth: A mom has to change her home birth plans when her baby is breech. She faces a lot of negativity from friends, family, and the L&D nurses, but she gets through it with support from her midwives, husband, and OB.
Take note, America: A vaginal breech birth with yoga, meditation, and visualization. The mom chose the NHS over the American military hospital.
The next hour was a little less zen than the four hours that preceded it, but no less miraculous: Matilda Jane, 5lbs 12 oz and who knows how long because they don’t measure them in England.
The secondary miracle is that an OB caught my breech baby. In a hospital. On purpose. As an American, I still can hardly believe it. He cried when I explained how it is in the States and how blessed I felt to have the team of providers that we had with us in that room.
This was the mainstream medicine approach. We didn’t do anything sneaky or even unconventional. I walked into the emergency room with preterm labor and walked out of the hospital a few days later without so much as a single stitch, carrying a perfectly healthy baby girl. Take note, America.
Breech babies are born at home!
Breech/breech twins: Mallie's birth story and photos of breech/breech twins born at home attended by a doctor and a midwife. Look at this amazing picture by My Story Birth Photography of the first baby on the mom's belly and the second baby emerging:
Breech twins: In this (archived) podcast, Mallie Shirk tells of her twins' birth. If you'd like to listen to this episode, email maternallyyoursradio at gmail dot com. Her story starts around 8:00 of the podcast and goes through most of the hour.
My healing birth: A breech home VBAC
Miriam's breech homebirth: Lovely redheaded mama and an amazing photo of mama on H&K with the baby's body emerging.
Kolton Elias' special delivery: A powerful story and great pictures of the baby emerging.
Jemma's breech homebirth: professional photographer + home birth = lovely!
Taylor's Natural Breech Birth:
And the mom tells the story of Taylor's birth in this video:
Breech babies are born in strange locations and at bad times!
At the side of the highway: This mom had planned a cesarean, but her baby had other plans and was born en route to the hospital.
On Utah's barren salt flats: premature breech twins born 100 miles from a hospital...that would give me some gray hairs.
Premature unplanned breech birth at home: Mom has a history of fast labors, and this baby followed the trend, coming breech and 9 weeks early.
People love to talk about breech birth!
Shawn Walker, Breech Specialist midwife at James Paget University NHS Trust, talks about the breech education days last April.
Dr. Dennis Hartung, an OB/GYN in the Twin Cities area who attends vaginal breech births, weighs in on the noble lie of childbirth.
I believe that women need “saving” from childbirth only rarely. Cesarean birth can be good – sometimes. Epidurals can be helpful – sometimes, as can pitocin, etc. But, I believe we trivialize the experience of childbirth for each woman, her partner, her growing family, society and the global community when we disempower her from the most powerful and difficult thing she will ever do. Too much unnecessary intervention not only affects her, it affects our community adversely. Once a woman has given birth, she knows what she is made of. Let’s not let the “Lie” lead us away from the real truth of childbirth. Most of time she CAN DO IT. As a mother, she can then help others through it. She can lead our community and her family better. She can withstand practically anything. She is empowered. She can change the world.
And just because it's awesome...
A vaginal birth of (head-down) triplets!
Thanks for sharing these, Rixa. I always thought that if I were to be in this position I would try to have a vaginal birth as well. Hopefully the US will get on board so it won't be so hard to find practitioners experienced in breech birth.
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Amazing stories. I never had a breech birth but I so love and agree with Dr. Hartung's quote. I had pitocin and an epidural the first time around because I hadn't done enough research and didn't know what to expect. The after effects were horrendous. The subsequent four births were all accomplished without an drugs. And the last one at age 40 was with a mid-wife, in a squatting position. I could have had five more like that one. So easy! Childbirth is an empowering act. Thanks so much for spreading the good word.
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