Homebirthing celebrities

by Nicole Teed (Subscribe to Nicole Teed's posts) Mar 5th 2008 11:34AM

Categories: Pregnancy & Birth, Celeb Kids, Celeb Parenting

Former talk show host Ricki Lake has been getting a lot of attention for her new documentary, The Business of Being Born, a project that grew out of her own homebirth experience. However, she's not the only one in Hollywood opting to go natural. While Christina Aguilera may have signed up for an elective Caesarean, plenty of her comrades have chosen midwives and water tubs over spinals and stitches.

Charlotte Church had daughter Ruby at home last fall in the UK, attended by midwives. Lisa Bonet (who now uses the first name Lilakoi) had her second daughter, Lola, at home as well. Eco-conscious actress and model Josie Maran claims that she gave birth to daughter Rumi in her backyard. Other homebirthing celebrity moms include AJ Langer, Joely Fisher, Pamela Anderson, Kelly Preston, Julianne Moore, Cindy Crawford, and Ani Di Franco.

Perhaps the most humorous commentary on the advantages of homebirthing came from singer Dave Matthews, who, with his wife Ashley, welcomed son August Oliver last summer: "We had him at home, which was nice, because I knew where the beer was."

The increased press for homebirthing has not gone unnoticed by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Last month, they reiterated a long-standing opposition to homebirthing. Their statement reads, in part, "Childbirth decisions should not be dictated or influenced by what's fashionable, trendy, or the latest cause célèbre. Despite the rosy picture painted by home birth advocates, a seemingly normal labor and delivery can quickly become life-threatening for both the mother and baby."

What do you think? Has homebirthing become trendy? Do you see the increased attention from celebrity homebirths influencing parents' decisions about birthing options?

Homebirthing Celebrities(click thumbnails to view gallery)

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Comments (20)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Chill 3-05-2008 @ 12:11PM

Trendy? Yes, I guess an argument could be made that homebirth has recently become a "trend." But lets' think back to the not-so-long-ago past - do you think they called it trendy when women started to have babies at a hospital????? Once upon a time, almost all babies were born at home...so why is it such a big deal now?

ivory 3-05-2008 @ 11:56AM

About the OCAG statement, there are a number of very well thought out responses online from both midwives, mothers and those in the medical world.(http://rixarixa.blogspot.com/2008/02/ican-and-big-push-respond-to-acog.html) Something to note is how it differs from the UK OB's recommendations, as well as most Scandinavian countries Japan, and all the other 'Safest places in the world to birth' countries. Note that we are no where near the top of that list.

For us, homebirth had nothing to do with being trendy. I read, I researched, I talked to OB's and midwives and mothers, and in the end we felt like this was the right choice for us. I have no problem if women choose something different, but I do wish there was more respect for mothers and babies all around. All birth deserves to be celebrated, but too often women leave their birth traumatized (and then belittled for admitting they are disappointed about their experience). There's a lot of work to do to make birth safe regardless of the setting, but for many of us, homebirth is our answer (and has been proven in numerous studies to be as safe, with lower interventions than hospital birth). Again, looking at the countries with the best mother and child mortality rates, we have to ask what they are doing different and homebirth is a big part of that.

Carolyn 3-05-2008 @ 12:13PM

I wouldn't say that homebirthing has become "trendy." I suppose if we start hearing a lot about these stars' homebirth experiences then more women might look into it as an option. But I can't see deciding to have a homebirth based on the fact that your favourite celebrity had one.

It seems like it is a very personal decision, whichever route you take. For me, it's important to be in a hospital. Not even Pamela Anderson could change my mind on that one. ;)

Carolyn
http://www.momsontheedge.ca

Christina 3-05-2008 @ 12:29PM

I actually think, and I have ZERO research to back this, but hasn't there been a sharp rise in C-section births versus anything other type of birth these days?

In fact, I read somewhere recently that c-sections occur more often because doctors can monitor heart rates more closely and the minute they see a drop they say 'OH time for a c-section' when actually heart rate drops are fairly normal and happen during contractions. Not sure if there is truth to this but it scared the heck out of me when they kept saying my baby's heart rate was dropping and my doula explained that is normal to just keep pushing and I did and gave birth without the c-section they kept trying to give me. My son was completely unharmed.

I was home last week sick and had a chance to watch The Baby Story on TLC almost every day and with ONE exception (a home birth - only the 2nd I have ever seen on this show!!!) all the rest were C-sections!!

Laura 3-05-2008 @ 12:45PM

I live in Holland now (am American) and am 24 weeks along with our 2nd child. I was so anti homebirth as most Americans are but once I realized that I would have ZERO control over my body in a hospital I opted for a home birth. Sadly I didn't get it as you are NOT allowed to birth at home once you are 2 weeks overdue and I had to go to the hospital and be induced. It was HELL! It was like it was opposite day for my birth plan. You can't even have the midwife deliver you in hospital if you're overdue.

This time around I plan to have at hospital as my son's birth was traumatic and I did like the epidural. Then I hear that without a good reason you aren't allowed to enter a hospital to give birth here until you are 6 cm dilated! The midwife takes care of you at home until you are that far along. Once you give birth you leave in a few hours.

Not surprisingly The Netherlands is THE country with the most home births (well apart from developing countries I assume).

If I should have to stay home until 6cm then I'd prob try and just deliver at home. I fully plan that I'll go overdue again though. Even being induced I was sent home twice to go into labor.

I'm not sure what everyone thinks about what happens but here once you are so far along they call something called Kraamzorg which is the company who does the care after the baby is born. They come to assist the midwife with the delivery and stay with you after. They keep tabs on you and the baby for an entire week. I think you can have up to 8 hours a day if you want. We will likely opt for the minimum care as I don't want them at all yet our midwife requires it... and it's covered by insurance.

Yet government healthcare is made out to be a bad thing.. *eyeroll*

wizzyrea 3-05-2008 @ 12:54PM

After the terrifying hospital birth I experienced last month, I'm all for peaceful, low tech home birth. I don't care if it's "trendy," but I do care if I feel like I'm actually a little bit in control of the situation.

If you could have an intervention free birth in a hospital, then it might be ok to have a kid there. As it stands, it seems the medical community is more interested in making a buck, making it home for dinner, and covering their asses than providing peaceful, safe births for women and babies in hospitals.

mamaloo 3-05-2008 @ 1:12PM

I don't think it's trendy, though I suppose an examination of the stats in a couple of years will show whether the latest batch of documentaries and information exposure has had that effect.

See, while a trend is a statistical movement of support in one way or another, trendy implies that something is fashionable. I think we will see that home birth, currently accounting for about 1% of all births in the US and Canada, will trend ever so slightly upwards. Maybe 2% of all births.

And, while I don't think anyone chooses home birth for reasons of fashion and vanity (or the cool factor) does it really matter how one comes to home birth? It's a healthy birth practice, statistically, despite what ACOG says. Spreading good things through information availability or reasons of vanity is all good with me.

I had a home birth in June 2007. The reason I did it was because I felt strongly that people who are not sick and who do not require emergency intervention do not belong in a hospital. My midwives are trained to know when my pregnancy or labor requires intervention or consultation. Therefore, if I needed to be in the hospital, I would have gone. As it was, I did not.

kirsten 3-05-2008 @ 1:32PM

I think that when it comes to something as serious as birth, talking about a trend is a little bit (or a lot) of a misnomer. I seriously doubt someone would be influenced to have birth at home just because someone in Hollywood is.

The great thing about high profile people having home births is that it brings attention to home birth as a choice.
I didn't hear about home birth until a friend had one a few years ago. I researched like crazy before deciding it was the choice for me, but am so glad that I had a friend who was vocal about her story. But I would never have thought of making such a huge and serious choice because it's what all the cool kids are doing. :)

bremarie03 3-05-2008 @ 1:34PM

What's that saying? "Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not after you."

It's kind of like that. Trendy? Maybe. But that doesn't make it a less valid choice.

Lacy 3-05-2008 @ 2:39PM

I wouldn't give birth at home for the same reason I wouldn't put my sons' sandbox on the kitchen floor.

Why the mess?

mamaloo 3-05-2008 @ 2:57PM

Not only was there little to know mess at home, my midwives cleaned up while I snuggled in my own bed with my family. They also got me something to eat and drink, too.

Lacy 3-05-2008 @ 3:23PM

To each her own! I had three c-sections and I personally wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm actually glad that my first C was medically necessary so that I never had to have any of my babies naturally. I like to plan. I don't like pain. My kids were huge so there was never any fear of taking them too early. They were all born at 39 weeks. I'm not big on letting anyone other than my doctor and husband in on personal things involving my "va-jay-jay" so I would never have gone with a doula or midwife anyway. I'm just not that.....crunchy.

Josefina 3-21-2008 @ 1:50AM

This is fascinating--that a laboring woman feels more comfortable with her (usually male) OB/GYN looking at her privates, than a midwife (usually female). In my country of origin, women, never men perform pap smears, and in most births, midwives attend, not doctors.
I am highly suspicious of any man who has chosen the profession of obstetrics.
Personally, I don't like anyone near my yoni while giving birth, which is why I chose to birth without doctor or midwife. My husband was there, but only at the actual birth, not during labor (I wanted to be alone). I caught my own baby--what a wonderful experience. And to do exactly what my body felt like doing. No talking if I didn't want to, no having to strap on that silly FM myself because the nurse had too long nails (fake);), no vaginal checks, no 'being-on-the-clock', no antibiotics, no "expert"-induced PPH..... but most of all, no having to perform for others. This time I birthed completely by myself. Fear is the biggest threat to a normal birth. Any amount of stress to a laboring woman can cause a myriad of complications--stalled labor being the most common with all its snowball effects.

I don't think the trend to back home to birth is anything like the trend to go to the hospital in the 30's. This time, women are doing it because they believe in themselves. The hospital trend was driven by fear and the naive reliance on male experts to save us.

Judy 3-05-2008 @ 3:29PM

I don't know about the trend factor. I think more women are starting to hear about it as a viable option, are learning more about what could happen at a hospital, and are making the choice that is right for them.

My first child was born 12 years ago in an uneventful (but not pleasant) hospital birth.

8 years later, my first son was born in a freestanding birth center - like a homebirth in someone else's home! Initially, we chose it because of cost - we were uninsured, and this was less expensive than a hospital birth.

2 years ago we had our second son at home. Now, if we have more, I'm terrified that I would have to go back to a hospital, as I haven't found any homebirth midwives where I live.

I'm convinced that doctors would have tried to get me to have a c-section with both of my sons. The first was over 9 pounds, and my labor stalled for a couple hours. I think they would have said "he's too big" and wanted to cut him out.

The second was born with the cord around his neck (which is very very common, and usually not a big deal). I think they would have wanted a c-section for that, just in case.

I might be wrong, but I had beautiful births with my sons, and the youngest child's birth was just perfect, and not what I would have been able to have in a hospital.

Trendy or not, it was the right choice for us.

isis 3-05-2008 @ 5:10PM

I had two of the three at home...the 2nd was @hosp due to emergency. I prefer the home approach because it is less invasive--although I did have an OB/GYN and a midwife for both...My son was premature and would have passed on regardless of home or hosp, I know that now, but at the time I sacrificed my choice for his chance. The home birth of the third was easy, and nothing beats a 7yr old looking down at her sister for the first time and saying..."Daddy, can she have a bath before I hold her?" and then helping dad cut the cord. A hosp wouldn't have allowed that.

ame s 3-05-2008 @ 5:22PM

I'm sorry for your loss, Isis.

isisaquaria 3-05-2008 @ 5:40PM

Thanks for the sympathy...but you know what-he would have had so many health problems and pain which I have been through some myself, that I think that it would have been selfish to try to keep him here...the Earth was too small for his spirit--

ame s 3-05-2008 @ 5:22PM

I considered home birth, but my late husband was against it. Good thing, because I had to have an emergency c-section with my first daughter. She was face down and would return to that position every time the doc turned her over. The cord was tucked under her chin and her heart rate dropped dramatically when I got to the pushing stage. I barely pulled off a vbac with my second daughter.

Michelle 3-06-2008 @ 2:00PM

Homebirth or alternative birth locations (out of hospital birth center) is not "crunchy", during my last pregnancy at every one of my appointments there was such a range of women from corporate ceo-type, earth momma, regular schmo. That's just perpetuating an inappropriate and untrue stereotype. The World Health Organization's stance on homebirth is that it is perfectly safe as long as the pregnancy it low-risk and there is an experienced midwife or obstetrician present and usually has better outcomes for mother and child. In the US the maternal death rate is higher than any other industrialized nation and over 90% of that is due to complications from C-sections.
I had my most recent child at a freestanding birth center. my first child was born in hospital, I had no control, was treated horribly, and was forced to follow the Dr.'s schedule and not my body's. The birth center was chosen because I wanted the security of a facility prior to attempting a birth at home. My birth lasted 2 times as long as my first (48 hours), was exhausting but beautiful, and if I had been transfered to the hospital they would have cut me up for absolutely no reason whatsoever other than I was 'taking too long'. Both my boys were also face to my back, no cord wrapping though. Next child will be born at home simply because I know I can do it and I will be even more comfortable there. Oh...and I work in Education Research, so I'm definitely not a 'hippy', but I try to be earth friendly. =-)

Angela 4-10-2008 @ 11:30PM

If anything has become trendy it is the elective C-section. It was once used mainly for emergency deliveries. Now it is provided on demand as a birthing choice. It's major abdominal surgery. If a woman really wants one then the doctor can't interfere, but he/she should give his patient all the information she deserves about the health disadvantages. From what I have read doctors are now preferring to do C-sections for monetary reasons. They cost more and lower their risk for malpractice. I'm 8 months pregnant and I plan on having this baby without drugs in the hospital as I did my other four. I don't want to come down on women who choose C-sections because I'm sure they love their babies just as much as other women. I'm just concerned that our culture will lose natural childbirth all together. I just don't see labour and birth as an illness to run from.

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