This is a video excerpt from the homemade film called "The Journey to Homebirth," made by Alexandra Orchard. We watched this film at the VBAC workshop I attended recently and I found it to be a really poignant story. She ends the film with a powerful letter that she wrote to her doctor, explaining why she is choosing to leave his care and have her third baby at home.
Cesarean vs. VBAC: A Dramatic Difference from Alexandra Orchard on Vimeo.
Alexandra Orchard also started a support network called www.empoweredmomma.net.
"Our country has the best medical technology available in the world, yet we are 20th in the world for infant mortality. I am all for women’s choice in childbirth, however it is incredibly one-sided. Women can choose a cesarean for no medical reason, but I could not find one doctor in my area willing to give me the chance of a natural childbirth after two cesareans. One nurse laid it out perfectly for me: "no doctor is willing to risk their career on you", she said, and I knew she was right. But my baby and I deserved more. I knew I would be in better hands with my midwife who knew my baby so well and wouldn’t be pushing my body or my mind with time limits, instruments, or any other stresses. I felt very strongly that my chance of having a successful vaginal birth would be significantly compromised in a hospital setting. I gave birth to my daughter at home because it was right for us... We were made to do this. We don’t need to be “rescued” from this important, though sometimes difficult journey. We need to be in control and we need to be given the freedom and time to let our bodies and our babies do what needs to be done in peace. We need to be surrounded by people who will be patient with our bodies, our babies, and our progress in a natural labor. More importantly, we need to be surrounded by people who believe in us."
