Home birth in Holland
During our _ENCA-meeting in May 2008 we heard again the same stories as we have heard before about Dutch homebirth. These stories are completely nonsense. They are spread around in several European countries to convince women that homebirth is something special, that only can exist in Holland because of the perfect Dutch pelvis of Dutch women and our ambulance service.
If doctors say that Dutch women has these perfect pelvis for giving birth at home without complications, they lie. The pelvis of Dutch women is no different from all other women in European countries. The reason why our pelvis would be so great for giving birth, they say, is because we bike a lot. But that is not true either. Of course many Dutch women do bike, but that does not change her pelvis.
Another story is about our ambulance service. When a woman gives birth at home, they say that there is an ambulance waiting in front of her door. So if there is a problem they can act immediately. We heard the story of doctors who come in and sprayed around so the house will be sterile and so they can do a caesarean section at home. Of course this is a fairy tale! If a woman gives birth at home there is NO ambulance! Her midwife visits her frequently to check the progress of the birth proces. If needed the midwife stays with her and a home nurse comes to assist her. So they both attend a homebirth.
When there is a problem during labour the midwife will advise the couple to go to the hospital and she will come with them to hand over the woman to the gynaecologist's care. When the problem arises during second stage the midwife will bring the woman to the hospital in her own car and the partner follows in his. But if it is better that she will be transported in an ambulance, the midwife will call and ask the ambulance to come. In the third stage women will mostly be transported by ambulance.
The transport to the hospital is something you take in consideration. You never know how the birth process develops and you might end up in hospital. Every woman who gives birth at home knows that and she trust the midwife who will anticipate on problems and handle correctly if a problem is there.
The reason why doctors and the press tell these stories is because they fear homebirth and they want women to believe that this fear is right. But in a homebirth there will be no intervention. The only intervention a midwife can do is an episiotomy. There is quietness and peace in the own bedroom or bathroom. It is totally safe because there are no strange and hostile micro-organisms like in hospital. The perinatal death rate in home birth is very, very low. Babies die in hospital and only sometimes during a homebirth. So all this fear is so unnecessary.
But don't forget that women who are allowed to give birth at home, are only healthy pregnant women. If there is any problem during pregnancy she will be sent to the hospital, to give birth there.
In Holland we have homebirth because of:
- the selection of healthy pregnant women
- the distance to the hospitals is not far because our country is small
- an ambulance can reach every emergency within 15 minutes
- the midwife who attends a homebirth will always be accompagnied by a homenurse (kraamverzorgster)
- and it all started from a tradition so most women are convinced it is normal to give birth at home, because it is not an illness but a natural event.
We hope that many women, doctors, nurses, midwives etc. read this explanation, so they change their mind about home birth.
ENCA Nederland
Thea van Tuyl
June 2008