Jill from Keyboard Revolutionary writes in response to "hospital room spas" and a recent Today show's shoddy reporting of a stillborn, homebirth.
"That's it. (Jill writing about her HBAC) Just the basics, simple and to the point. Virtually the same setup you'd see in just about any homebirth. No whirlpool jets, no wi-fi or iridescent tile. How sumptuous! How hedonistic! By golly, there wasn't even any Enya or candles (although I did have Bjork on my CD, and there were some tealights, but I wound up not using them cuz I was just so gosh-darned busy giving birth)! Why?
BECAUSE WOMEN DON'T NEED THOSE THINGS.
Offering women spa treatments and fancy decor is deceptive and insulting. It encourages women to disassociate themselves from their labors. Don't focus on getting through your contractions, just enjoy this nice hot stone therapy....while we slip a little sumpin'-sumpin' in your IV, since you won't notice or care. It tells women that being an active participant in the birth of their child is not important - what's important is how many channels you can surf through on that HD TV on the wall over there. It perpetuates the age-old role women have been pigeonholed into: sit down, shut up, be passive, and let the big strong men take care of everything. Don't you worry your pretty little head. Here, have a nice watercolor painting to look at.
And above all else, IT MISSES THE POINT."
-Jill