Not sure what kind of prenatal care was done, but gestational diabetes was missed, leading to the birth complication:
Birmingham’s High Court heard Daniel’s family GP and community midwives had failed to spot his mother, Ingrid, had developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy.She was encouraged to have a home birth, but because of her condition, Daniel was born weighing 11lb 8oz and his shoulders became stuck during labour.
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- Asian-white couples and pregnancy
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- A mother gives birth in the burn unit
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I’m not encouraging diabetic mothers to have a home birth; but we do experience impacted shoulders at the hospital too, you know; with all kinds of consequences. The question the judges never adress is “would this baby have fared any better in a hospital, if so how, and can you prove it?”
What doctor ever encourages anyone to have a home birth?
None in this country, I’d wager.
Well I practice in another country, and I do encourage women to have home birth, although I never attend them myself. I actually did a checkup this last Friday on a perfectly healthy woman, para II, ultrasound weight estimated her baby to 3700 g, cephalic presentation – and wished her (and the midwife who was going to attend) all the best.
That’s a totally different situation than in the US – in the UK, doctors and midwives are both part of the NHS, not independant practioners, as in the US. The system was at fault in this case, not a transfer of liability to the deeper pockets, like you’d have here if a homebirth midwife missed the diabetes and the doctor got sued.
Also, I believe homebirth is a guarenteed right there.
I have seen several “home birth” patients present to the ER for a “well child” check several days after birth… it always befuddles me; persons unwilling to have hospital care when it could make a difference, but then they bring an immunocompromised neonate to the one of the dirtiest places on the planet 48 hours later.
trenchdoc: Because they are scared that CPS will show up at their door alleging “medical neglect” if they do not. They must not have insurance, or a PCP.
Although in my jursidicion, LMs are licenced to provide newborn care through 6 weeks.
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