Ricki Lake Inspires Laila Ali to Have Home Birth
Add Laila Ali to the growing list of celebrity moms who either intend to pursue a home birth, or who have already successfully delivered their babies at home. In a new blog entry to her official site, the 30-year-old boxer and American Gladiators host delves deeper into her earlier remarks on the topic, admitting that she "didn’t know that there were so many different birthing options" available to pregnant women. One viewing of Ricki Lake’s The Business of Being Born later, however, and Laila says she "knew home birth was for me."
I was so thankful that I learned that it was an option before it was too late. I want to be in full control of my body and give birth to my son the same way women have been doing for thousands of years. Our bodies were made to birth and I trust the process.
Laila expects her little boy — to be named Curtis Muhammad — in early September, and says that she intends to deliver without pain medication, assisted by a midwife. With nursery furniture scheduled to arrive this week, Laila said she’s excited to begin decorating but will not be "going with a theme." She adds,
I think I will take it slow and build a unique look as I come across items I like. It’s gonna be so much fun!
Little Curtis will be the first child together for Laila and her husband Curtis Conway; he will join Curtis’ three children from his previous marriage — 13-year-old twin sons Cameron and Kelton and 9-year-old daughter Leilani.
Source: LailaAli.com; Photo by Bennett Raglin for Wireimage.
- Posted on Jul 21, 08 at 3:00PM
- Permalink
- 40 Comments
July 21st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I like her. She seems really down to earth and I’m sure will have such a beautiful baby. I’m just waiting though for everyone to get offended and say “there’s nothing wrong with medication! I had it! I’m not a bad mother!” I hope everyone just chills out and allows that she’s a first-time mom, and she’s just expressing her ideal situation….for her. Not you. For her.
July 21st, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I just want to get this in before the craziness begins. These are comments that I would have made before having my daughter – not because I looked down on women who saw the process differently but because I was just so excited and inspired and yes, nervous. Now that I’ve read the extensive battle that wages on CBB whenever a celebrity mentions “trusting the process” or “empowerment,” I know to bite my tongue because it is a contentious issue that makes women feel bad about their choices or their situations. I can definitely see why some people would not take to statements like this kindly. But I really do wish that there was a way we could express our excitement, which is all it is, without offending women who had different but equally special births. I think Melora Hardin was able to talk about her non-medicated birth without invoking an onslaught of name calling (on both sides, of course). But I must admit that I feel like this is a topic that we just cannot discuss – even though discussions like this are actually healthy and helpful.
July 21st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I’ve yet to become preggers (I’ll be 27 in Sept), but when I watched that same documentary, I had a strong feeling that I’d like to do home birth when the time comes. My mamma did that with me back in (cough-cough) 1981 and I came out a-ok, so I’m confident that when my “birth day” comes, Baby and I will be just fine. I am well aware of the complications that come along with home births, but I also know of the complications with hospital deliveries. I think that documentary did a very good and fair job of showing both sides of the birthing spectrum and provided viewers with enough information to make a personal and intelligent decision about what’s best for the mom and baby. I’m happy for Laila and her new family and hope all goes well for them!
July 21st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
To each their own, I will not judge. All I know is that I was so thankful for my hospital birth. I would have died and left my baby motherless — how irresponsible of me! What was wrong was EASILY treated and I had a beautiful healthy baby girl. One of my good friends lost her baby in a home birth in 2004 and it was 100% avoidable. She is haunted by that fact. Yes, it’s true that women have been having babies for thousands of years at home, but up until about 100 years ago, childbirth was the number one cause of death among women. Just something to say for the other side of the argument.
July 21st, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Ricki Lake’s story was exactly how I ended up having a home birth. Thanks to her, I had the most wonderful experience of my life. It was truly unforgettable and I’m glad I was able to do it.
July 21st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Good for her, thinking positively.
My only regret about my daughters birth is that it was in a hospital!
I thought, for some strange reason, that it would be best to it that way — I was wrong!
They did not want me to stick to my birth plan, I too insisted on NO medication, NO gas and air, nothing — and they treated me like I was crazy!
My next will most certainly be fully natual again, and at HOME! lol.
(Oh and first commenter — alot of people I know said “Oh but I had the Epi– it was so great, I didn’t feel a thing!” — haha! Yeah lady, that’s not labor, having a baby should involve some work!
July 21st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Kudos to Laila Ali for becoming empowered and expressing what kind of birth she’d like to have, as well as sharing that birth plan with the rest of the world. Such a personal decision, it always amazes me that celebrities don’t say “It’s none of your business!” when asked!
Best of luck to her and her family.
July 21st, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Good for her, I’m glad she’s chosen to become educated and is significantly reducing her chances of needing a C-section by birthing at home. (35% of women with OB-attended hospital births have C-sections vs. around 5% for midwife attended homebirths.) Women who give birth at home are also less likely to die, get infections, and their babies are statistically safer as well.
Obviously, hospitals and C-sections are very necessary and life-saving, but only for the small percentage of women who truly need them. 1/3 of women do not have defective bodies — that number is completely driven by malpractice insurance rates and the doctor’s need to practice defensive, “What is least likely to get me sued” perspective.
More power to her!
July 21st, 2008 at 4:54 pm
**sigh**
And the onslaught begins.
Seriously, Emily. She’s expressing her excitement. Alexandra said it very well, she’s excited, it’s her first child, she is not talking or judging you. Your sarcastic comments are ridiculous.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I think respect needs to be given to everyone, regardless of their birthing location/process choice. It is, after all, their body, their baby, and their choice to experience the birth as they wish and to do what they believe is best for their child…and I’m sure no one would argue with that!
But I have some trouble with Nancy calling out people who may have opted for an epidural…not as respectful as I think we all should be on here. Let’s keep this great discussion positive, or at the very least about our own personal experiences.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Emily, you say you are not judging but your comments afterwards seem insensitive to women who have had successful home births. You make it sound like women who do home births are naive or irresponsible. Women have died from childbirth at hospitals too.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Carie, I don’t see how Emily was being “sarcastic” in pointing out that, 100 years ago, death during childbirth was not uncommon for either women or their babies. Because we rarely suffer those consequences anymore, it’s a fact that’s so easy to take for granted.
To Nancy, who scoffs at women who don’t “work hard enough”; i.e., have an epidural or other procedure during birth, I must remind her that childbirth is not a contest, and if you’re lucky enough to end up with a healthy baby in the end, you’ve done the right thing, no matter what.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I don’t care how anyone gives birth, so long as they don’t take any unnecessary risks to the baby. I had hospital births and wouldn’t have my oldest son if I had him somewhere else. Within 1 minute of him being delivered, there was an entire team of NICU specialists working on him. Without them, he would have passed. So I really love hospitals for all that they can prevent.
My sister is a former midwife with her master’s degree in midwifery and a lot of hands on training, and she stopped after a home birth where the baby died because the mother refused to go to the hospital when she was recommending it.
However, I fully understand and appreciate home births too. Whatever you want to do is fine with me. I won’t try to change your mind and I can still keep my own opinion. Today we are blessed with choices and far more advances in the medical field. Years ago, there were no choices and many women died in childbirth even when they weren’t high risk pregnancies. Thankfully, we live in a time where the majority of births either at home or in a hospital turn out with safe and healthy mommies and babies.
I hope Laila has a healthy baby, whether it comes at home or in a hospital.
July 21st, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I am glad I had my first child in a birthing center with a midwife. I had my 2nd child in the hospital b/c I developed gestational diabetes. What a day and night experience. To each its own and its everybody’s personal decision, but i am so glad I had my first at the birthing center and wished I could of had my 2nd there also.
steph
July 21st, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Nancy, I also had an unmedicated birth and would do it again in a heart beat. For me, the risks of an epidural were not worth the pain relief. But that was a decision I made based on my own values and preferences, which are in no way superior to those of anyone else. I do not think it is fair to criticize women who choose to accept pain medication on the basis that labor SHOULD be painful. That suggests that women who get epidurals are lesser women because they could not or would not accept labor as it was “meant to be.” I know that you are proud of your own unmedicated experience – as am I – but statements like that are unnecessary and prevent a healthy discussion of the risks and benefits of epidurals.
July 21st, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Happy & healthing birthing to her. I hope she has a wonderful and uneventful birth!
July 21st, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Good for her!! She will not regret it! My home birth was the best and most empowering experience in my life, I wish her the same.
As for ‘complications’, most complications are dealt with fine at home (midwives are very well equipped!), if not, a quick hospital transfer can solve the problem.
Please spare your homebirth horror stories when someone is expressing excitement about a homebirth, there are plenty of hospital horror stories as well (I have 2 of my own).
July 21st, 2008 at 7:26 pm
You know hats off to the women who opt and end up having a natural pain medication free birth. I was hoping to test my pain endurance 5 months ago when I had my little boy, but he was breech and the cord was wrapped around his neck twice making it difficult to spin himself back to the head first position. So I guess whatever is safe for both mom and baby is the right decision.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I can definitely see both sides to this argument. I hate hospitals and I would MUCH rather do a home birth than be in a hospital. But hospitals have the ability to help your baby at a faster rate if need be than a home birth, which could be a matter of life and death.
I’m only 20 and I’m definitely waiting a while to start my family but when I do, I know I’ll research this issue fully. I hear a ton of good things about both sides so I guess the decision will be up to my family and I…just as it is for Laila and her family.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I get so excited when i see parents in the public eye choose a homebirth!!I have had 4 beautiful homebirths and cannot imagine going to a hospital to birth my children.Being in the comfort of my home,with my family around me is so peaceful and nurturing.If you are educated and have skilled midwives attending,there is absolutely NOTHING irresponsible about it!I highly recommend choosing a homebirth!
July 21st, 2008 at 7:49 pm
**sigh** Midwives ARE trained for emergencies as well as carry equipment for almost anything that MAY come up.
Childbirth death rates declined when people (doctors, nurses and midwives)started washing their hands. As women were pushed into hospitals to give birth the death rate actually climbed at first because doctors would go from someone sick/dead and then come pull out a baby without washing up. Even today infection/communicable disease is a serious issue in hospitals.
Anyway, congrats to Laila and I hope she has an amazing birth.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
“Your sarcastic comments are ridiculous.”
What’s ridiculous is your inability to distinguish a sarcastic comment from a serious one. Next time you advise everyone to “chill out,” it might be nice to take your own advice before whining over one comment that disagrees with your own.
“alot of people I know said “Oh but I had the Epi– it was so great, I didn’t feel a thing!” — haha! Yeah lady, that’s not labor, having a baby should involve some work!”
This comment is so blatantly self-congratulatory it’s embarassing. Women like you who turn everything about motherhood into a competition are exactly why I sometimes wish there weren’t so many mothers on this site.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I think it’s great that she’s doing a home birth! I wish that I could do that.
Nancy, I have to say though, I was kind of offended by your comment. ALL mothers go through labor! It’s hard work carrying a child for 9 (10) months! It’s hard work going through the adoption process, waiting for your child to come. Everyone should be allowed to choose how they will best enjoy the delivery process. For some women, that is feeling every moment of the delivery. Other women do better with pain meds. And some women HAVE to have an epidural to deliver the baby safely. Please think about these things before making flippant comments.
Also, does anyone know how I could see Rickie’s documentary? Is it something I could just rent at Blockbuster?
July 21st, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Go Laila!
I loved my midwife and my homebirth. I have had both types of births (hospital first, homebirth second.) It was night and day difference, especially with recovery. At home I made cookies the same day I had a baby! LOL!!
My midwife is also trained to handle emergencies. The prenatal care I got from her was far more involved than any care I have ever gotten from any OB. For one, she knew my name! Two, she cared what I ate and how I took care of myself, and three, she was like visiting a friend. My appts were an hour long, my oldest came and played toys and helped listen the heartbeat. It was just a great overall experience throughout my whole pregnancy.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:03 pm
MB – Yes, it is available everywhere. It is at Blockbuster or I watched it on Netflix and it happened to be one of the movies you can watch online with Netflix so I got to watch it then and there!
Great movie! Highly recommended. The Business of Being Born.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I saw The Business of Being Born and it has opened my eyes to the different options and choices available to women. Although it is obviously a pro-homebirth film, it also shows (with the ending) how important hospitals are in protecting the health and safety of moms and babies. The midwife featured was very experienced and knew when it was time for the director to be transferred to the hospital, so I think it shows how midwifery and hospitals can work hand in hand.
I’m due September 4th and will deliver in a hospital. BUT, I will be staying at home until the last possible minute before transferring. My Ob-gyns are all women and are very supportive and don’t even encourage their first time moms to go the hospital until contractions are 2-3 minutes apart! So, I am trying to incorporate the best of both worlds in my mind. I will try to have zero interventions and labor for the most part at home with my husband practicing lamaze breathing and hypnobirth techniques. Then make my way to the hospital for the grande finale.
Maybe the answer is if more women learned more about the entire process, and how much control they can exert, then everyone could feel satisfied with their experience.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:18 pm
MB: The docu is also on Google video, I watched it the other week.
Where I’m from you can’t even have a hospital birth if there is no medical need for it. Insurance doesn’t cover it either if it’s not needed.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:30 am
CBB – why did you publish Nancy’s comment? I clicked on the comments because I was interested in hearing people’s take on Laila’s decision, not to read a blatant insult to women who choose or need pain relief during labor. I am disappointed.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 am
Emily, I too had a birth experience that never could have been completed at home. I had dreamed of a natural childbirth, but after 4 days of labor, I couldn’t dilate and was so exhausted that I needed an epidural. My baby was in distress and I never dilated more than 5 cm. After my c-section, I felt like I had failed.
In the end, I realized that 100 years ago I would have been one of those childbirth death statistics. My baby is healthy because I was able to receive emergency surgery.
I know that I am in the minority of women. I had to have my children in the hospital. And I’m jealous of those who can experience home births. If you can do it, please do it. But if you can’t, please choose whatever method of pain management and birth that you feel comfortable with. And don’t feel like you’ve failed like I did. What’s most important is not the birth, but the BABY.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:57 am
I have had 2 births in hospital. The first resulted in an emergency C-section because of the baby’s presentation. The second was a natural delivery using gas and air for pain relief. However despite my experience with the second birth, I would never consider a home birth and feel happier in hospital. The reassurance that excellent medical care was there on hand if I needed it in the event of an emergency was a huge comfort to me.That is my personal preference. I have to agree with the mothers on this site that rightly point out having your child is not a competition and basically there is no right or better way to have your child.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:02 am
I have been a perinatal nurse for 20 years and am so happy to see the truth about homebirth finally making it to headline news. Bad things can happen during the birth process but a skilled, experienced midwife not only recogznies the subtle signs of danger but also knows how to handle them. Hospitals are great for those who have medical conditions requiring medical attention. Birth is not a medical event.
My 9 lb. grandaughter was born at home, in water to a 4′11″ mother with the assistance of a highly experienced lay midwife.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:03 am
Amaizing stuff!! There is no place like home. I’m gonna have my next baby at home too.
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:53 am
It’s great to hear of someone doing a home birth, even better when it’s someone who can bring positivity to it, like Laila.
I would recommend two books: Baby Catcher and Pushed. Very inspiring and very eye opening!
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
All this holier-than-thou talk from both sides really hurts the importance of what natural birth advocates are trying to get through to people- Birth is natural. Birth is normal. Birth is not an emergency. Yes, it can turn into one but more often than not this is because it is treated like one in the first place and mama isn’t allowed to do what she is meant to do. On occasion something can go wrong on its very own and this is why midwives are trained for emergencies and why there are hospitals available.
For all the horror stories of homebirths gone wrong their are plenty of hospital births gone wrong that leave parents mourning or baby motherless. Why not talk about those? When we abuse nature the natural process is hindered and emergency situations are created. Now does this mean a mother who chooses every birth intervention known to man has failed or is less-than? Nope. Birth is not a contest. But it does mean that natural is safer and homebirth is even safer still.
I had a 45 hour labor- a homebirth turned hospital that probably would have gone better with a better midwife but that’s a whole long frustrating story. However I am thankful for my home laboring because it could very well have saved mine and my child’s life. No hospital would have let me go in active labor for 45 hours. The pitocin bag would have been hung, the epidural suggested, the OR prepped and I could have lost my life and my little girl could have lost hers. I am thankful nature was allowed to take it’s course. There were a lot of factors that helped my birth to go as haywire as it did but my little one was born less than an hour after getting to the hospital. The hospital in no way saved my life and if I would have had a competent midwife I could have stayed home.
Midwives aren’t infallible and homebirths aren’t some blissful fairytale every single time for every single person but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it and aren’t safer. Just know who is attending you (my big mistake) and know your surroundings. And if you chose to birth in a hospital with all sorts of bells and whistles more power to you! If you have weighed the dangers and still feel comfortable than that is all that matters- that goes for both sides.
We can (and NEED) to get the information out there about the safest way to birth for mom and baby without turning it into a contest. A mom is a mom is a mom. Labor is labor is labor. Love is love is love.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I’m a big fan of Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s new doc, The Business of Being Born. I had my own boy at home, and have attended 4 hospital births. Midwives make all the difference. We’re having a great discussion about birth choices on our blog: http://carrieanddanielle.com/propaganda-mother-nature-and-your-right-to-know-whats-right-for-you/
here’s to making best choices for new life – and everyone has the power to make a choice that works for them.
Danielle LaPorte
http://www.carrieanddanielle.com
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Ladies,
Let’s not forget, that it’s not how your child is born, but the fact that in the end, you walk away with a healthy precious child. I was privilaged to have had one child, and sadly I had a miscarriage.It is petty to get hung up on how the birthing process is done. There are many options and it is a personal decision. To each her own.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I will agree in part bdm with your comment, it is important to “walk away with a healthy precious child”, but have to disagree that how they are born does not matter.
How the birthing process “is done” very much effects our children in so many ways. Actually most of those are not physically seen for many years. Neurobiologists have just in the last 6 years have just begun to release the scientific data they have on the babies brain and how birth effects them. So their is very much a difference between a calm natural birth versus a panicked intervention laden birth. Care directly after birth for the first 4 hours is critical to neural pathways, any seperation from mother causes changes in the babies brain and hormonal responses set up stress coping patterns.
There is so much that we are learning about all of this and most of it shows that by listening to nature and trying to follow that plan is usually best for mom and baby.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Maggie, what an eloquent and thoughtful statement! I couldn’t agree more!
August 1st, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I am a nurse midwife, and I was a labor and delivery nurse for 15 years before that. I do not promote epidurals or IV meds, but I certainly would not deny them to women who need them. Lets face it, everyone is different, every baby, every labor is different, even for the same woman. To say what is right for one should be right for all; is dangerous. Everybodys’ rights should be respected. The reason I do not promote medication in labor is simply for the baby. Babies do so much better without it. Especially breastfeeding!!! Most people want to hear about the horror stories, and then they keep passing on the bad news until everybody is afraid of the process. Women need to have faith in their bodies. It does work. It will work. Hospitals need to stop putting women on a timeline, but……… they are businesses. The American College of Nurse-Midwives is the professional body of Nurse midwives. They can recommend someone near you if you would like a midwife. That doesnt mean you have to have a home birth. They work in hospitals and birthing centers. For me, it is all about the woman and what she wants and needs, and educating her about is available, safe and empowering.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:18 am
I really resent the implication that “all that matters is a healthy baby.” What about a healthy mother? My 2 hospital births were incredibly traumatic. It took years to get over my second. Oh sure, my babies were all fine. But I wasn’t a fine mother because I had so much to work through with my birth processes.
Thank god for my next baby, who was born lovingly at home, in the water, into my arms. She had the cord wrapped around her neck, and my water had been broken for 48h. Had I been at the hospital, I certainly would have been hooked up to pit and probably wanted an epi. I definitely would have had a c-s with water broken for 48h! But no, it was a beautiful homebirth.
And btw, my daughter needed suctioning and a little blow-by air. Guess what?– my skilled midwife was able to do that just as well as any hospital team. This was nearly a year ago now. I don’t plan to have any more children, but I will always treasure my homebirth as the happiest, proudest moment of my life.
Go Laila! I wish you the happiest most empowering birth ever! I really respect her for choosing to bring her baby into the world in a loving natural environment.