First-time mum gives birth in bath at home with her dog – and people are upset
First-time mum Jessie Goetze’s birth is going viral and sparking a lot of chatter about bloggers promoting what some see as unsafe practices.
“It was easy and pain-free”
Jessie gave birth to her daughter Mahli at home, in the bath, assisted by a doula. She used hypno-birthing techniques through her labour and her husband helped deliver their baby, as the family dog watched on.
The amazing video of this peaceful birth makes it look so easy, and Jessie says … it really was!
Speaking about the birth later, Jessie told birth activist Julie Bell, “Wanting to be in control of my body and birth is the reason I decided to have Mahli at home. I knew that if I felt safe and supported in a loving environment, that the birth would be easy. And it was – easy and pain-free.”
Best case scenario?
Jessie’s experience sounds idyllic and she was obviously brilliantly prepared for what lay ahead – and any contingencies. But concerns have been raised over the promotion of home births online, and some experts are worried that women may be keen to have their babies at home without being fully aware of potential risks.
Media outlets are reporting there was “no midwife” at Jessie’s birth (she had a doula), that the family dog was in the bath (it wasn’t!) and that babies might drown during water births (doctors and midwives are still debating if this is true and say more research is needed.)
Jessie told The Daily Telegraph that she wanted to give birth away from the monitored and medicalised environment of a hospital, and felt that at home in the bath was the best option.
“It was very important to me to have an intervention-free birth including cervical checks but due to [hospital] policies and regulations this could not be promised.”
“Obstetrician Dr Michael Gannon, a former president of the Australian Medical Association, said it ‘beggared belief’ that someone would promote giving birth in the bathtub next to a family pet,” the Daily Telegraph reports.
Read more about home birth:
- How hiring a midwife helped me have three incredible home births
- James Van Der Beek shares placenta photo, startling some fans
- I gave birth by myself at home while my husband and toddler were sleeping
Is this safe?
The safety of home birth is still being hotly debated in Australia. A recent study which found that home birth was as safe as hospital birth was labelled as misleading by some doctors.
“We are keen to make sure people making the choice have the right information and not given information that is falsely reassuring,” Professor Steve Robson of The Royal Australian New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) told The Daily Telegraph.
The study author Professor Caroline Homer, Director for the Centre for Midwifery at the University of Technology argued that women wanting home birth should be supported by and better included in our health system. She also said we need to look more closely at home birth in Australia and more research is vital.
“In the right circumstance”
The study findings provide “more evidence that homebirth can be safe given the right circumstances,” Professor Homer told The Daily Telegraph, asserting that the RANZCOG’s rejection of her study’s findings was indicative of the “turf war” between some doctors and midwives over birth.
“What [the study] shows that homebirth can be safe and more research on the whole country is needed. We are doing such a study and will be published later this year,” she said.
“This study is showing women that in the right circumstance, homebirth is a safe option and we should be saying to our health system, why aren’t you providing this option?”
Why indeed?
