Why Choose Homebirth?
It is difficult for some people to imagine why a family would choose to
have a home birth. Is it safe? Is the laboring woman putting her feelings and
comfort selfishly above the safety of her baby? The truth is that parents who
choose to birth at home are usually people who are well educated about the
risks and benefits of homebirth.
Advantages of birthing at home are many. A baby who is born at home is
more likely to be born without breathing difficulties that are often caused by
cesarean birth or anesthesia to which the mother has been exposed Midwives consider the mother of the newborn
to be the primary care giver of her child, so she is never separated from her
baby. Breastfeeding is easily
accommodated because the baby can nurse on demand.
A homebirth means that a mother will not be subjected to technological
procedures that she would be exposed to had she birthed in a hospital. She is
comfortable in her own surroundings, and has the added benefit of having built
an immunity to any germs in her household, and passes that immunity to her
unborn child. In a hospital a mother and child have the added risk of being
exposed to pathogens to which they are not immune.
When entering a hospital to give birth, a mother presents herself to the
institution for care. She is subject to their protocols. When giving birth at
home, family rules dictate the atmosphere and any decision about care is made
by the parents after informed disclosure.
Is Birthing at Home
Safe?
There has never been a study to show that birthing in
a hospital is safer than birthing at home with a qualified attendant. In fact,
most studies were undertaken to prove that homebirth was unsafe, and the
opposite has always proved true. Overwhelmingly it has been proven by various
studies that hospitals and doctor attendance at birth do not result in the best
outcomes for mothers or babies. In fact, the United States ranks very poorly internationally
among industrialized nations in infant mortality. The nations with the lowest infant moralities
have one thing in common—midwives attend the majority of births. If hospitals
and doctors are what make birth safe why do we, with 98% hospital births and 90%
physician attendance, rank so poorly?
Clearly hospitals, physicians and technology do not in and of themselves
ensure a safer outcome.
Statistically, birth at home with skilled midwives
provides the very safest care possible for most healthy women. Doctor attended
births in hospitals should be reserved for high risk pregnancies. The reason midwifery is safer is simple:
midwives are specialists in normal birth. We respect the wisdom of normal life
processes. We don’t focus on all that could go wrong, but expect that all will
go well, at the same time being prepared to use our best judgment and clinical
skill, should an emergency occur.
Links to studies and information on homebirth:
CPM 2000 Study
Dutch Study
Homebirth Research Index
