It surprised me to see a DVD copy of the documentary “The Business of Being Born” available at one of my local county libraries. I put it on hold for 25 cents (have I mentioned how I think the public library is one of the best inventions ever?!), picked it up a few days later, and finally got to watch it with my husband the other night. The movie completely spoke to my disappointing experiences with hospital births and my very satisfying home birth. I wish everyone — pregnant or not, male or female — would watch the movie! The …read more

When a book requires a page of the family tree to illustrate the relationships of all the characters, that raises a red flag that it might be a little complicated for me right now! However, the community of women described in The Red Tent by Anita Diamant fascinates and inspires me. The novel is a re-telling of the biblical story of Jacob and his sons through the female perspective.

It’s a complex and somewhat disturbing book that is more like four books in one. The thing that keeps me reading though is the relationship of the women. In the red tent …read more

One study published in the Journal of Nurse Midwifery found:
The average uncomplicated vaginal birth costs 68% less in a home than in a hospital, and births initiated in the home offer a lower combined rate of intrapartum and neonatal mortality and a lower incidence of cesarean delivery.
“The Cost-Effectiveness of Home Birth.” J Nurse Midwifery. 1999 Jan-Feb;44(1):30-5. Gee, what a novel concept — care that costs less but has a better outcome!
I did an informal survey of sources online to determine that the average hospital birth costs around $8,000 in the United States, depending on exactly where the mother lives. That …read more

My three-year-old and I recently spent an entire morning playing the “midwife” game. This involves variations of going for a check up (she calls it a “check out”), having the baby (laundry basket as birth tub, naked child, teddy bear as newborn) and getting married. She insists on getting married before having the baby, but I’m pretty sure the baby was conceived out of wedlock.