What Do You Think About Home Births?

I think that home births are a great option for women that are generally low risk and healthy. I think that the model of care for most hospitals is not empowering for a lot of women, which it should be regardless of the kind of birth you hope to have. Birthing moms are not just a number that should be ignored and poked and proded. They should be able to have a drug free birth if they wish and not be scrutinized for it if they chose that route. I have two babies, both born at hospitals, one medicated, one not. I hope to have a third next year and will plan for a home birth.

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This seriously needs to be talked about more and looked at more in a positive light instead of something hippy or new-age that only "Granola" type people do! I had a c-sec with my first and am due anyday with my second and if I could have found a midwife or doctor to do a homebirth I TOTALLY would have.
Ricki Lake recently did a documentary on birthing in the US.... Its something that EVERY woman in my opinion needs to see. Netfliz has it streaming on their website and you can use a free trial to view it over your computer. Its called, "The business of being born". If you really want some talking points on this whole subject, THAT would be the thing to see!

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I just think that it's not worth the risk to have your baby at home. Yes, everything could be okay or it could not... Just seems selfish to me why not play it safe?

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I think the people who are against home births are of the more conservative bent and think "why take an unnecessary risk with something so precious if you don't have to do it?" While I know they screen out the high-risk pregnancies, there is always a small chance that something "bad" will happen. That chance may be very small, say only 1 in a 1000 ... maybe even less, I don't know. But I am sure we all know of at least one woman who had to have a C-section at the last minute, because the placenta ripped or got wrapped around the baby's neck, or whatever. The chances are pretty good that it won't happen to you or your sister, but it does occasionally happen. If you are in the vast majority, the 999 who have uncomplicated births, then you might feel you made the right decision and that the advantages of being at home were worth it. But if you happen to be that one person out of a thousand whose baby dies or was deformed or hurt by not having immediate access to doctors and equipment then it is of little consolation that normally "all you need is a mid-wife."

Most hospitals now have birthing centers, and will allow you to have a mid-wife or birthing coach present. I think that would be the best of both worlds. That way if everything is fine you can do it "more naturally," but still have access to doctors and equipment if you need it.

A.

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I'm pregnant currently and have had two hospital births, but decided to go with a midwife this time around. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I can't believe what I've learned in the process. These midwife/nurses are incredibly educated and have informed me slowly and gently about things I would have never known going through my OB (whom I adored). I think theres a lot of misinformation out there, and I think women are made to think the hospital is the safest thing for a baby. When you look at other countries and realize that midwives are present at about 75% of births, compared to about 5% in the US, yet have much lower infant mortality, let alone C-section rates, you begin to wonder. If you are really curious, rent the documentary, "the business of birth". It's fascinating about the history of childbirth in our country. This pregnancy has been, by far, my least complex, most enjoyable experience I've had. I'm certainly glad we all have choices out there. By the way, I have chosen to go to a birthing center instead of home births, but that's just another personal choice.

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Hello A., I had my two children at home assisted by mid-wives and loved, loved, loved it!!! I got to move how I wanted, make sounds like I wanted, and no one tried to hook me up to anything. I got to be in the safe comfort of my own home, with my food and drink and clothes and fireplace and places to walk. All the comforts of home. I was very relaxed in my own evironment and I was honored in my feelings of how I wanted to be, in every way. That said, my midwives brought their vast knowledge and experience to the experience as well and I was very comforted by this as well. My body did what it did best and I was fully cared for.

The other best part was the environment my babies were born into!!! It was calm and warm and loving. Their safety and well-being was most important. They were on my belly immediately and nursed within 30 minutes. We kept the cord attached even after I birthed the placenta in order to let all of those amazing (and oxygenated) fluids go into their bodies. I felt so peaceful and loved and nourished. I totally trusted everyone present and knew my baby would not be taken out of my sight. They did all the apgar scoring there on the bed with us. The midwives sang a welcoming some, we ate awesome food and we all fell asleep.

My midwife came again the next day and often after that. I never had to leave my comfortable home. Overall, I felt totally empowered and safe.

From the research I have done, I know that home birth is very safe. Many say even safer than a hospital birth because the mother and baby are free to follow their own way of birthing without intervention. At the same time, the amazing proceedures available at the hospital were always a short trip away. Normal, healthy pregnancies and births are very safe in a setting where they are supported and allowed to progress naturally.

I would be happy to tell you about any other part of my experience you are interested in. Mothering.com is also a great resource. ~T.

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A.,
You brought up a good point--most women (in our country) believe women who have homebirths as crazy, foolish, risk-takers. I can see why. We, as a culture, have been brought up with dramatized pictures on the TV,news, etc. of screaming women laying on their backs in desperate pain having babies.(They're in pain because they're on their backs--benefitting those watching, not mommy). We don't realize, first of all, that we're conditioned to picture the "drama". Second of all, we've been told that birth is "dangerous" and that women die. We are not, of course, told "why" women die in birth, or how often, or where they are when they "die"(the larger percentage in the hospital). There are a lot of myths about birth--and most of us believe them. In 1900 95% of women in the US gave birth at home. By 1955 (due to cultural fads and marketing strategies)that had changed to 95% in the hospital. I won't go into it all; it's a rather long story. And a sad one at that. (Research birth history. Dr. Sears "Birth Book" has a good summary; or watch "The Business of Being Born" a recent documentary available on Netflix) What I will tell you is that we, as a nation, have made a horrible mess out of things;and we are suffering in so many ways because of it. We believe the hospital to be the safest place, but that is simply not the case. The U.S. has the 2nd highest death rate of women in the entire industrialized world (we're in 30th place for good outcomes). 50% more women die from planned c-sections than they do from natural vaginal birth. Infant mortality is also extremely high. 90% of women are induced (usually based on a doctor's schedule or around the times of shift changes in the hospital, red flag). Prenatal care in this country is horrendous; doctors are barely taught anything about preventive care or nutrition and we wonder why women have so many problems?! The British Medical Journal did a huge research study on hospital vs. homebirths a couple years ago and found that homebirths are equally "safe" (mortality); and the outcomes of mother and baby are far better as far as health goes "morbidity". The Center for Disease Control admitted that the death rate of women is estimated to be 4 times higher than reported because only 21 states actually report on their death certificates that a woman was pregnant immediately prior to her death.

The problem is that in the hospital, there are a lot more factors involved than just birth. There are multi-billion dollar drug companies that are pushing drug usage, advertizing it as "pain-free"--(they don't mention all the problems that come with it, like difficulty/impossibility in the ability to actually push the baby out, or the trauma to the baby). There's the problem of lawsuits and basically, if a doctor does a c-section, (only 4% are actually necessary, compared to U.S. ave. of 35% plus), no one can say they "didn't do all they could". Of course, lets not leave out insurance--homebirths cost around $3000 ave. and the hospital is tons more expensive; but drug companies pay big money to not get homebirths covered (what would be a huge loss of profit for them). The list goes on and on. And so the simple act of having a baby is no longer simple; and unfortunately, mother and baby are in reality, the ones that get tossed around in the mix.

I've had both of my children at home with a HIGHLY TRAINED midwife (not the mythological ignorant ninny with dirty fingernails most people picture--historic propaganda by-the-way). And I am so grateful, more and more with each birth story I hear, that I was not at the mercy of everybody else's stupidity in the hospital. It was peaceful. It was safe. It was my responsibility to do my part with my own body. It was hard work. And it was SOOOOO rewarding.

Just had a chance to read the other responses: Hannah G. Beautifully written!

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A., I had my first baby at a hospital with a midwife and the next two a home. I am pregnant with my fourth and planning another home birth. I think it is totally the way to go for myself. I think home birth is ideal for low-risk pregnancies when the mother is educated on childbirth and believes her body was made to birth. My favorite parts about home birth is not having to transfer to a hospital during labor, and already being in the comfort of my own home afterward. It is a really neat experience. A lot of people have it in their head that it is so messy - it's really not - especially when you don't tear or have an episiotomy. After our second daughter was born (our first home birth), minutes after she came out my husband said,"We will never go back to a hospital again as long as we don't have to." I totally agreed. I hope it gives you a little positive insight into homebirth.

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I had my first two in the hospital and my third at home. I am pregnant with my fourth and it will definitely be at home too. My second child had a lot of trauma caused by the doctor at the hospital. I could sue for malpractice, but I'm not the type. Because of that, I decided to have a home birth. My home birth was the most amazing experience I have ever had. Because I was so relaxed being in my own home, I didn't even feel much (or any) pain from the contractions until the last hour and a half. (Most pain is caused by women tensing up.) My sister, however, had major complications and her baby would have died if she wasn't at the hospital. She felt "inspired" to go in to the hospital. I think if we listen to our inspiration (not our fears) you will know if it is OK to have the baby at home, or if the hospital will be necessary. I do only recommend a home birth, however, to those that become extremely educated about it and know how to choose the right midwife, and who are very healthy. Otherwise it might not be a very good experience.

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Wonderful topic! Needs to be discussed more! :)

I think we've been societally programed that homebirths are absolutely dangerous, though it's not really true. The Amish, along with a number of other conservative denominations and religions, regularly have homebirths. The only time they don't is when the pregnancy is already high-risk or they're older ladies (again, making them high-risk). They are an example of how safe this method actually is.

Also, every single direct-entry midwife and birthing mom has a back up plan in case something does go wrong. It's the standard. And it isn't used very often.

I was skeptical, I admit, when I learned that the "common" person still does this. I was programmed that women NEED to be in the hospital, NEED to have an epidural, NEED to have a doctor instead of a midwife, etc. When I started learning about when I found I was pregnant (since I wanted an unmedicated, totally natural birth), I found that all my notions were wrong. What I had been told was just to scare me, not what was actual truth (though in fairness, it's been passed along in so many circles that I don't think people are necessarily doing it strictly as a scare tactic, but honestly believe the misinformation).

I ended up birthing in a hospital, butI would've loved to have given birth at home. Just wasn't in the cards for me. Oh well.

Of the people I know who have had kids, the ones who had homebirths are the only ones who didn't have problems, were uninterfered with, and absolutely enjoyed the experience. Truly an interesting study for me :)

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I have had all four of my children at home and absolutly would not do it any other way. I feel that doctors create problems that would have other wise been avoided. I am not against doctors in any way but only for certain things. I think women rely to much on what doctors say and not listen to there intuition.

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I'm against home births. I have a 6 month old and yes I had him at a hospital. I know a few people who have had home births and there was something wrong with every single situation. A few it was with the mom and a few it was with the child. Most of the senarios(?) wouldn't have happend if they would have been at the hospital where they could have immediatly received the medical attention needed. I know a lot of people want to have their babies at home because they want to do it all natural. Well guess what, you can do it all natural at the hospital too. They can't force you to take medication. You can do everything natural but the medical help is there if you need it. Plus, I know in Idaho (not sure about other states) but midwives don't really have to have any certification, it's pretty much like somebody off the street delivering your baby. YIKES!!! God gave us the medical knowledge why not put it to good use!

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My sister had both of her children at home and it was the most wonderful experience. I had mine in the hospital, it was planned that way as my husbands sister had a problem and he was not comfortable with me having mine at home. I would have had to go to the hospital anyway because my water ruptured before 35 weeks. I would love to have one at home after experiencing the births at my sisters home, but now I am high risk and can't plan things the way I want them. lol

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I had a home birth with my first son and plan to do home births with the rest of my kids. My husband first suggested it and I was a bit reluctant, so I read up on it and prayed about it. There is a book out by the Sears, I believe it's called "The Pregnancy Book" and it talks about the options and the history of birth. I think our culture has a lot of fear of giving birth because we can be isolated from in, versus other countries women are around and have seen many births. One thing I found interesting is that hospital births began in the early 1900s, so really they've only been around for 100 years versus the midwife model which has been around for thousands of years. Learning this and learning the training that midwives go through made me comfortable doing a homebirth. Midwives doing homebirths, by law, may only take "low-risk" women, and they must be within a certain distance from a hospital. Midwives value the body and the natural process of birth. If I had my son in the hospital there is a chance I would have had a vacuum extraction or even a cesarean. HOwever the midwives were patient and spent hours working with me. They also use a variety of birthing position and know how different positions can help progress labor. With a homebirth I didn't have to worry about random people coming in and out or shift changes. I was provided with excellent one-on-one care. It was a wonderful experience. So as you can tell, I'm for it!

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I have 4 children, 3 born at home. I only had the last one in a hospital because I wanted to be fixed, and it's easier to have that done immediately after a birth. Even so, my last birth, at the smallest close hospital, included a birthing pool, midwife and doula. It was like a home birth, just "at someone else's house", Ha Ha.
I found it very empowering to give birth in my own place with my midwife and friends ( Both husbands have skipped the actual birth, electing to show up after we're all cleaned up.) I understand that a Home birth isn't for everyone, esp women with complications or those who think they can't, but if you're healthy, and your midwife agrees, it saves a BUNCH of $$$, and there's no waiting to go home, you're already there!

To anyone who's thinking about it: Educate yourself, ask lots of questions, make sure your partner can be agreeable, enjoy one of the greatest days of your life in the comfort of your own home.

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