Blogs Dec 16, 2010 at 9:30 am

Comments

1
I have yet to hear of this trend of which you speak.
2
Since when is one occurrence a "trend?"
3
Why would it only be an American thing? And by "American" would you also include Canada, or is this only a "United States" thing (and again, why only this country?)

And a sample size of 1 isn't a trend, btw.
4
Good Morning Charles,
"Autobirth" in an automobile. Awesome. Good on the parents. Welcome to the world little one.
5
The price that humans paid for walking upright is a narrow pelvis and extreme difficulty in giving birth unassisted. Chimps, who use their arms as legs for walking and running, don't have this problem.
6
Strangely, I am actually writing about this topic. Some other examples for the nay sayers.
May 28, 2010 Wheels Section of the NYTimes, Mom Says Giving Birth No Big Deal: "“We were doing 70 on Highway 2 when Amanda’s water broke,” said Joseph Phillips, 33, of Bagley, Minn. “That wouldn’t have been a big deal if she hadn’t been driving.”
In Canada the numbers are higher than the US, according to a survey, conducted by Ipsos-Reid for Jiffy Lube International. That survey "found that approximately one in every 55 women in Canada has given birth en route to the hospital or clinic. The Jiffy Lube survey found that 16 percent of the mothers polled actually drove themselves to the hospital or clinic to give birth." Drivers.com article from May 23, 2004. (Did you know Jiffy Lube has a women's channel at jiffylube.com that teaches women about preparing for an emergency birth in a car?) I could go on.

7
Strangely, I am actually writing an essay on this.

Its not a purely american trend though. In 2005, a survey was conducted and Canada ranked highly. "The survey, conducted by Ipsos-Reid for Jiffy Lube International, found that approximately one in every 55 women in Canada has given birth en route to the hospital or clinic. The Jiffy Lube survey found that 16 percent of the mothers polled actually drove themselves to the hospital or clinic to give birth." Did you know that there is aactually a Jiffy Lube channel online for women that provide tips on driving yourself to the hospital while giving birth? See also, Mom Says Giving Birth While Driving Was ‘No Big Deal’ NY Times, May 28, 2010: “We were doing 70 on Highway 2 when Amanda’s water broke,” said Joseph Phillips, 33, of Bagley, Minn. “That wouldn’t have been a big deal if she hadn’t been driving.”
8
Sorry for the double comment. Some days technology just gets you down.
9
@The Law Won -- Why higher rates in Canada? Longer drives to the hospital? Expecting mothers encouraged to stay home until later in labor?
10
In natural childbirth, a woman always "delivers her own baby." The doctors/nurses/midwives are just spectators and coaches.
11
could have been me - i didn't know i was in labor when i went to a scheduled appointment. the midwife didn't want me to leave because the baby "could come at any time." but - jackass that i am - i said, "no! we'll be right back! i just need to run get my camera!" but then we got stuck in traffic. we barely made it.

benefit from the wisdom of my experience, and trust your midwife or doctor when s/he says no, you really need to stay where you are.
12
@5, Clearly this mother (and the many other mothers who have given birth on their own) was perfectly capable of an unassisted childbirth, so that argument is silly. She and her child would have been safer staying in one spot and having an ambulance come to them instead of trying to drive to the hospital when she was that close to birth.
13
@12 - I mentioned it because Charles alluded to chimp mothers. Yes, many human mothers give birth on their own, but my point is the evolution of our anatomy (i.e. the ability to walk upright) makes it much more difficult.

If human fetuses developed more in utero, like every other animal on the planet, then their heads would never get through the birth canal. It's why human babies are so helpless for so long after being born.
14
@ 11, or maybe she could have had an assisted *planned* homebirth with midwives instead:)
15
@14 Midwives represent. Absolutely. :)

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