Over the years I’ve received pleas from women who have lost their babies at homebirth. Each woman has suffered unimaginable tragedy and she wants to know that her baby’s death will not be ignored.
She cannot change the choices that she made, cannot bring her baby back, but perhaps the story of her baby’s death can open the eyes of other women to the dangers of homebirth. Each woman is different and the details of her story is different, but one refrain is common to them all: “if only I had known the truth about homebirth, I would not have chosen it.” The irony of homebirth is not lost on them; they thought they were making a loving choice and instead they were taking a terrible risk.
Unfortunately, women contemplating homebirth don’t know the risks and homebirth advocates aren’t about to tell them. In fact, adding insult to injury, when a bereaved mother attempts to share her baby’s story with other homebirth advocates, the baby is figuratively erased out of existence. Homebirth websites delete homebirth tragedies. They don’t want women to know the truth.
Enough is enough. Hurt by Homebirth has been created as a safe place where women can tell the stories of the babies who died or who were left injured by homebirth.
The babies who have died at homebirth will be hidden no more.
