Celebrity Midwife Cara Muhlhahn Sued for Negligence Resulting in Stillbirth
posted by: Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux 31 days ago
Midwife Cara Muhlhahn, the star of The Business of Being Born, Ricki Lake's documentary about home births, is being sued by a Manhattan couple who are claiming that it's her fault that their baby was stillborn. The couple, Catherine and Ricardo McKenzie, decided to have Muhlhahn deliver their child after seeing the documentary. "Initially, they considered using a physician and they went to a different midwife for home birth," said Richard Reich, a lawyer for the couple. "When they heard about Cara Muhlhahn and all of her expertise and they saw the movie, they decided to have her deliver their baby at home."
But now Muhlhahn and her aides are being accused of "gross negligence" for failing to refer Catherine McKenzie to a doctor during her three days of labor, despite the fact that the McKenzies' apartment was less than two blocks from a hospital. Reich claims that Muhlhahn violated state law by "failing to have a written practice agreement with a hospital where a licensed doctor could provide care."
This is not the first time that Muhlhahn, a self-described "outlaw" midwife, has been accused of negligence, incompetence, or disregard for the health of the mother and child. A New York Magazine profile of Muhlhahn by Andrew Goldman, published last March, showcased Muhlhahn's disturbing, daredevil tendencies. And although The Business of Being Born, which has done much to legitimize and glamorize the home birth movement, makes Muhlhahn's care seem infinitely preferable to a sanitized, impersonal, drug-filled hospital birth, Goldman's profile is much darker.
He recounts the horror stories that didn't quite make it into the movie's final cut - like the time Muhlhahn left a woman in labor for 72 hours while she went off to deliver another baby. When Muhlhahn returned, the father (understandably worried about his wife's health) asked, "How long is too long for a woman to be in labor?” “Never,” Muhlhahn replied. The woman was taken to the hospital and the baby was delivered by C-section. She remembers her reaction to entering the hospital, which surprised her - "It was a feeling of, ‘Oh my God. Here are people in their white lab coats who know what they’re doing, and there’s equipment and medicine here.’ Then I looked over at Cara with her crazy hair and ragtag clothes and I said to myself, ‘What was I thinking?’"
From the limited information available right now (Muhlhahn did not return calls to her office, and so was not quoted in the article), it sounds like Muhlhahn made a serious mistake. And indeed, the NY Mag profile pointed out that in 2003, settled a $950,000 lawsuit over a home birth that left a baby partially paralyzed. Although Muhlhahn's glamorous "outlaw" midwifery has helped to make the home birth movement more mainstream, something that I think is ultimately very good for birthing generally, she is careless too often, and unwilling to admit that sometimes a hospital is necessary. Her stated goal, to "render birth more poetic than clinical," sometimes blinds her to the necessity of medical care that she is personally unqualified to provide. And this blindness has resulted several times in tragedy.
It's important to remember that nightmarish experiences can happen in hospitals too, and that birthing sometimes is a dangerous process - but many hospitals and birthing centers are helping to bridge the divide. Some midwives (Muhlhahn is not one of them) have hospital privileges, allowing them to move their patients to hospitals if the birth is not going smoothly. Muhlhahn also does not have a protocol under which women "risk out" of home birth because of complications like vaginal birth after cesarean section, breech births, diabetes, and twins.
Obstetrician Jacques Moritz, who is an unabashed proponent of the home birth movement, still has reservations about some of Muhlhahn's practices. “I like her, but there’s some protocols that she has that I just can’t sign off on,” he says. Like the breech babies and vaginal births after Cesarean (VBACs) she says she’s performed at home? “That’s like bragging,” he says. “There’s a lot of stuff I’ve done, too, and said afterward, ‘Wow, I didn’t know I could do that.’ But I wouldn’t want to do it again.”
This particular case was highlighted on a Today show segment last month titled "The Perils of Midwifery", which resulted in outcry from the home birth movement. The petition against the segment, which you can see (or sign) here, claimed that the show presented a "gross misrepresentation" of midwife-attended home birth. Citing the United States' high infant mortality rates, the sponsoring organization, Choices in Childbirth, chastisted NBC producers for failing to recognize "an opportunity to discuss the reasons why highly educated, thoughtful and responsible women are choosing a home birth with a qualified midwife as an alternative to a hospital birth- an option that other countries have proven again and again costs less money, necessitates fewer c-sections, and provides better outcomes for mothers and babies than our system."
So where does this leave us? Certainly one thing we can take away from this is that even though Cara Muhlhahn has made some questionable, and even dangerous decisions, she is not representative of all midwives, and although her presence as a "celebrity midwife" has popularized home birth, her apparent daredevil qualities are now making her something of a liability for less radical home birth proponents. Muhlhahn has had dramatic victories, and tragic defeats. But the spectacle that she has created is distracting from the most central tenets of the home birth movement: that women have a right to give birth how they choose, without drugs if they don't want them, without a cesarean section if it's not necessary, and, if it's safe, in their own homes. There are many other midwives who are trying to provide this, in much safer and less dramatic ways, and they are being hurt by hyperbolic media characterizations, in part brought on by cases like Muhlhahn's.
What are your birth stories? Have you had experiences with home births or hospital births? And if you haven't yet had children, how do you want them to be born?
But now Muhlhahn and her aides are being accused of "gross negligence" for failing to refer Catherine McKenzie to a doctor during her three days of labor, despite the fact that the McKenzies' apartment was less than two blocks from a hospital. Reich claims that Muhlhahn violated state law by "failing to have a written practice agreement with a hospital where a licensed doctor could provide care."
This is not the first time that Muhlhahn, a self-described "outlaw" midwife, has been accused of negligence, incompetence, or disregard for the health of the mother and child. A New York Magazine profile of Muhlhahn by Andrew Goldman, published last March, showcased Muhlhahn's disturbing, daredevil tendencies. And although The Business of Being Born, which has done much to legitimize and glamorize the home birth movement, makes Muhlhahn's care seem infinitely preferable to a sanitized, impersonal, drug-filled hospital birth, Goldman's profile is much darker.
He recounts the horror stories that didn't quite make it into the movie's final cut - like the time Muhlhahn left a woman in labor for 72 hours while she went off to deliver another baby. When Muhlhahn returned, the father (understandably worried about his wife's health) asked, "How long is too long for a woman to be in labor?” “Never,” Muhlhahn replied. The woman was taken to the hospital and the baby was delivered by C-section. She remembers her reaction to entering the hospital, which surprised her - "It was a feeling of, ‘Oh my God. Here are people in their white lab coats who know what they’re doing, and there’s equipment and medicine here.’ Then I looked over at Cara with her crazy hair and ragtag clothes and I said to myself, ‘What was I thinking?’"
From the limited information available right now (Muhlhahn did not return calls to her office, and so was not quoted in the article), it sounds like Muhlhahn made a serious mistake. And indeed, the NY Mag profile pointed out that in 2003, settled a $950,000 lawsuit over a home birth that left a baby partially paralyzed. Although Muhlhahn's glamorous "outlaw" midwifery has helped to make the home birth movement more mainstream, something that I think is ultimately very good for birthing generally, she is careless too often, and unwilling to admit that sometimes a hospital is necessary. Her stated goal, to "render birth more poetic than clinical," sometimes blinds her to the necessity of medical care that she is personally unqualified to provide. And this blindness has resulted several times in tragedy.
It's important to remember that nightmarish experiences can happen in hospitals too, and that birthing sometimes is a dangerous process - but many hospitals and birthing centers are helping to bridge the divide. Some midwives (Muhlhahn is not one of them) have hospital privileges, allowing them to move their patients to hospitals if the birth is not going smoothly. Muhlhahn also does not have a protocol under which women "risk out" of home birth because of complications like vaginal birth after cesarean section, breech births, diabetes, and twins.
Obstetrician Jacques Moritz, who is an unabashed proponent of the home birth movement, still has reservations about some of Muhlhahn's practices. “I like her, but there’s some protocols that she has that I just can’t sign off on,” he says. Like the breech babies and vaginal births after Cesarean (VBACs) she says she’s performed at home? “That’s like bragging,” he says. “There’s a lot of stuff I’ve done, too, and said afterward, ‘Wow, I didn’t know I could do that.’ But I wouldn’t want to do it again.”
This particular case was highlighted on a Today show segment last month titled "The Perils of Midwifery", which resulted in outcry from the home birth movement. The petition against the segment, which you can see (or sign) here, claimed that the show presented a "gross misrepresentation" of midwife-attended home birth. Citing the United States' high infant mortality rates, the sponsoring organization, Choices in Childbirth, chastisted NBC producers for failing to recognize "an opportunity to discuss the reasons why highly educated, thoughtful and responsible women are choosing a home birth with a qualified midwife as an alternative to a hospital birth- an option that other countries have proven again and again costs less money, necessitates fewer c-sections, and provides better outcomes for mothers and babies than our system."
So where does this leave us? Certainly one thing we can take away from this is that even though Cara Muhlhahn has made some questionable, and even dangerous decisions, she is not representative of all midwives, and although her presence as a "celebrity midwife" has popularized home birth, her apparent daredevil qualities are now making her something of a liability for less radical home birth proponents. Muhlhahn has had dramatic victories, and tragic defeats. But the spectacle that she has created is distracting from the most central tenets of the home birth movement: that women have a right to give birth how they choose, without drugs if they don't want them, without a cesarean section if it's not necessary, and, if it's safe, in their own homes. There are many other midwives who are trying to provide this, in much safer and less dramatic ways, and they are being hurt by hyperbolic media characterizations, in part brought on by cases like Muhlhahn's.
What are your birth stories? Have you had experiences with home births or hospital births? And if you haven't yet had children, how do you want them to be born?
Read more: womens rights, stillbirth, cara muhlhahn, home birth movement
comments
I had a stillbirth in a hospital after having state of the art care at a teaching hospital with obstetricians and nurses and technology and I nearly died from infection following it. I chose to have my babies at home because, for me, it was safer and more humane. Babies die in hospitals everyday. Technology can't save everyone.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Significant research supports the safety of home birth. As a labor nurse with nearly 40 years of experience in a hospital setting only I have no reservations about recommending home birth with a midwife. In the current health care environment, home birth is likely to be safer actually. To those who want to know why midwives don't have hospital privileges, please be aware that physicians control who is permitted to admit / attend births in hospitals and they have refused in many places to even consider allowing midwives into the "club". Women have been cheated out of a safe, spiritual birth by a system that is driven by greed and control.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
For a beautiful and powerful midwife's memoir, please read LADY'S HANDS, LION'S HEART, A MIDWIFE'S SAGA by Carol Leonard, Bad Beaver Publishing, 2008.
Ina May Gaskin,author of Spiritual Midwifery, calls it, "Inspiring, often hilarious, always touching and full of beans, Carol Leonard's memoir overflows with her gifts as a storyteller as well as intuitive midwife. This is a story of love, loss and deep dedication to birthing women."
Available from Amazon as well as www.badbeaverpublishing.com
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Why would any woman risk herself and child by having a homebirth is beyond me. Do people not remember the death rate in pre hospital days. I like to think that we have progressed to an age where we have experts and qualified doctors and nurses to moniter and rectify any problems that may arise. and that is something NO ONE is able to determine - because a birth can go wrong at any time. Not to say a hospital birth is guarranteed to go smoothly without any problems, but I think the risk is lessened and why would you not take advantage of that.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
No, though I won't use her for sure!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I have had a baby and was lucky I was in the hospital...I wanted the drugs to help with the pain I was having and I had to have an emergency c - section. It saved my daughters life. Births go both ways & to those women who gave birth without drugs and at home - I give praise and hugs to you...Its not for me.
I dont know all the facts in this case to really say if Cara murdered this baby and would have to see more facts about the case before making that decision but I am sure Law & Order will do an episode based off this in the upcoming year.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Both my children were delivered by midwives, and both were hospital births. The first one was supposed to be delivered in the CNM's freestanding birth center, but she was on vacation the week I went into labor. The backup midwife who was on call was from a different state (we're in the section of Maryland between West Virginia and Pennsylvania-birth center was in PA, the backup midwife was in WV) and was not licensed to work in the state where the birth center was, so we found out at that point that we'd have to go to the hospital (which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place because the hospital here has very little in the way of amenities for natural birth!). My daughter arrived less than an hour after we got to the hospital (including an ambulance ride due to a fast labor).
My second daughter was also born at the same hospital nearly five years later. The CNM I'd gone to had closed down her practice due to the skyrocketing malpractice rates, but there was another group of CNMs in practice here. Unfortunately, they only do hospital births, so once again my hopes for an out-of-hospital birth were dashed. At least this time we knew what to expect at the hospital and they knew we wanted the birth to be as free of interference as possible! It'll still never be my idea of an ideal place for a homelike delivery, though. Women should have all birthing options available to them if they desire!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I had both of my sons in the hospital. 26 and 24 years ago, our insurance didn't cover and we couldn't afford out-of-pocket to pay for at-home birthing. I had absolutely No medications, Only IV fluids. In my eyes, I had two completely "Natural" childbirths. I simply was not at Home when I gave birth. It would have been nice, but as it turned out... with my first son, I hemorrhaged (I have a bleeding disorder). So, for my sake, it was a Good thing to be in the hospital. They immediately handed me my son so he could begin breastfeeding - this helps the uterus begin contracting and helped to get the bleeding under control. I had no problems with my second son except that he was in a hurry and was born 15 minutes after we got there! My children are precious to me. I'm simply content that they are Here and Healthy!
God bless All mothers - Wherever they give birth - and especially those who don't get to see those precious ones grow older......
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Nidhtcat,You are asking the adults who happened to be parents to take responsibility for something when they put their entire faith, and their baby's life, in the hands of a celebrity midwife they had not been consulting with the entire pregnancy. Therefore they feel they can sue and they won't have to face the fact it was as much their fault as hers.
I had my children at home with midwives from San Bernardino and they were excellant. They prepared you medically, they required you take the Bradley method classes, and would call or take you to a hospital if need be.
I had mine at home, as an " educated, thoughtful and responsible woman" because I was scared to death of the hospital. If we were given choices of where, how, and who in delivery maybe we would choose different.
My daughters went to school with dozens of homeborn children who are now adults and doing fine. Can't say the same for others who had theirs in the hospital at the same time. Medical and mental problems resulted from the hospital births.
I would do it again.
And the homebirth movement started thirty years ago.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Our baby was stillborn in utero in 2002, because both doctors and a private midwife we hired to assist at the birth were totally clueless. I was using prednisone;steroids cause gestational diabetes which can lead to fetal heart failure. Women must be taught to count fetal heart beats.
In this case, this "midwife" committed manslaughter. 3 days of labor?!!!! After 24 hours, a woman must go to a hospital.
My deepest condolences to this couple. If they see this they may contact me.
Lauren Adilev, Efrat, Israel
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account:
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
1283524