The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

Homebirth Transport for Section - Felt Betrayed by Midwife

I've thought so much about my c-section, wondering what I could have done differently. We had planned on a homebirth. I had total faith in my ability to birth my baby, but I allowed our midwife to intervene, and this started the domino effect of interventions which led to the section. In hindsight, I wish I was stronger then, thinking more rationally at 9cms after 16 hours of labour... I wish I had realized that there are other ways to get a posterior labour to progress, like a simple change of position. I put my faith in this midwife, but wasn't really given an option when she broke my waters.

At the hospital when we transported in, nobody even really talked to me as they ran around setting up all the interventions. the epidural, monitor, IV, making me get into bed. I was in transition and wanted to be somewhere where I wasn't scared, and I was in an altered state, really, I was focusing all my energy on trying to deal with my contractions and birthing my baby. I know I had the right to question what they were doing, but did I have the right to refuse the interventions? What I mean is, I didn't know how to refuse everything they were doing. I wanted to say no, but I was so confused!I feel like I was raped, in a sense, like all the medical professionals involved took advantage of me while I was at my most vulnerable. Even the midwife kept saying, it's for the baby's sake. Don't get yourself all worked up by arguing with them. Thinking about it now, I wonder how this woman still practices as a midwife, given that her attitude towards us changed so radically for the worse in labour. We felt betrayed by her. Has anyone had experiences similar to this? Has anyone been able to refuse interventions even when everyone else there insists you must have them? Has anyone else felt that horrific sense of powerlessness and intrusion?