Saturday 28 June 2008

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IN Bermuda, homebirths are so strongly frowned upon that many would be surprised to find that they are not actually illegal. Yes, giving birth at home is no crime but restrictions in the medical system make it difficult, if not nearly impossible, to do so. It is common for doctors in Bermuda to dissuade women who express interest in home births and they may also refuse outright to assist these women in that direction. Laws and ultra-rigid guidelines restrict midwives from practicing to the full extent of their training. Midwives are not permitted to administer pregnancies or perform deliveries on their own in the hospital.

Since the 1970s, clinical hospital births have become the norm in Bermuda, in keeping with the perspective of childbirth as an emergency waiting to happen. Recent events, however, have fueled the movement for the rights of childbearing women to birth alternatives and a woman-centered model of care.

Case in point: In September 2004, Sophie Cannonier and her partner Michael Watson rocked the medical “establishment” to the core when they undertook the birth of their son, Ravi, at home, without medical intervention. “I looked at options for home birth because birth is natural and normal,” said Sophie in the Bermuda Sun newspaper. Ravi’s birth resulted in a flurry of different reactions, including strong disapproval from the Health Department.

Later that same year, Cherise Carey took her quest for a natural and comfortable birth overseas to Toronto. As her partner Colwyn Burchall told the Royal Gazette, “There are not many options in Bermuda.” Cherise and Colwyn brought their son Amari into the world with the assistance of two midwives. “It was absolutely beautiful -- nothing compares to it. It was important to me to experience it as a normal part of life and not something that needs to be fixed,” says Cherise.

In response to these developments, Chief Medical Officer John Cann reported that there possibly has not been a planned home birth in Bermuda in over ten years. Obstretrician-Gynecologist (OBGYN) Ian Fulton believes that Bermuda does not have the infrastructure at the moment to allow for births outside of a hospital setting. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for women to be delivering at home at the moment.”

In April 2005, Laura Dowling, with support from her husband, family practitioner Dr. Henry Dowling, gave birth to a son at home in Bermuda’s Hamilton Parish. The couple’s two daughters, Nalani and Kayla, were also delivered at home by midwives when the family was living in Atlanta, Georgia. “OBGYN’s remember every bad scenario that could happen,” says Henry. “Midwives look at birth in a different light -- they view it as a natural process, it happens hundreds of times a day and it’s not a bad outcome.”

Ngadi Kamara, a member of Citizens for Better Birth, is leading a petition that advocates for women to have the choice of hospital, home or birth centre with equal coverage by health insurance. The petition also calls for Government to approve greater access to midwifery-led pregnancy and delivery services as well as the expansion of current hospital facilities. Upgrades would include bath tubs and sleeping facilities for birth partners. “There’s a sizeable population who really want an alternative,” says Ngadi. “with birth treated as a normal condition.”

-– Nicole Osbourne James

Sources:
Royal Gazette: “Couple chooses to have baby at home” (27 September 2004)
Royal Gazette: “Doctors plan meeting on home births” (2 October 2004)
Royal Gazette: “Editorials: Home Births” (4 October 2004)
Royal Gazette: “Women petition for the right to give birth at home” (25 October 2004)
Bermuda Sun: “Petition started for home births” (3 November 2004)
Bermuda Sun: “Doc’s wife gives birth at home” (22 April 2005)
Bermuda Sun: “Expecting? What you need to know about home births” (22 April 2005)
Royal Gazette: “Fathers add their voices to home birth debate” (3 May 2005)

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"My question to you is: Have you been involved in the family court system for child-support or custody issues? If yes, why did it come to that? If no, is it something that you would do if you had to?"