Giving birth at home can be a safe choice for many women. Generally, women who give birth at home use less pain medication and are more likely to have a normal vaginal delivery than those who give birth in a hospital. While some women first heard of home birth practice over the TV, others may have had a more personal experience. As you read on, we’ll discuss figures from statistics, testimonies, and other factors involved.
What Statistics Say
Medical institutions have become resistant to change, dialogue, and flexibility, said Dr. Joel Evans, a rare board-certified obstetrician who supports Homebirth. Women are now seeking to be treated as individuals rather than being forced by nursing personnel to follow protocols that medicalize childbirth and increase related stress and anxiety.
Approximately 35,000 (0.9%) births take place at home in the United States each year. About a quarter of these births are unplanned or uncontrolled. Although the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) believes that hospitals and certified childbirth centers are the safest places to give birth, every woman has the right to make medically informed decisions about childbirth.
Importantly, women must be informed that several factors are important in reducing perinatal mortality and achieving good home birth outcomes. This includes:
- The proper selection of home birth candidates: low-risk pregnant women
- The availability of a certified registered midwife trained according to the International Federation of Midwives' Global Standards for Midwifery Education, or a physician practicing midwifery in an integrated and regulated healthcare system.
- Easy access to home birth and postpartum advice.
- Access to safe and timely transportation to nearby hospitals if the need arises.
Once these parameters are taken care of, a safe birth home can be arguably expected as shown by a 2005 study. It was carried out by researchers Kenneth C. Johnson and Betty-Anne Daviss and published in the British Journal of Medicine. The study was based on 5,418 home births involving certified professional midwives in North America.
Considered one of the largest home birth studies, the study found that 88% of women had positive results and 12% of women were transferred to the hospital either for preventive reasons (9%) or emergency issues (3%). The study equally showed an infant mortality rate of 2 in 1,000 home births, which was about the same as hospitals at the time in Canada and the United States.
Testimonies
Shelley Hopkins, a midwifery practitioner in Las Vegas, said she has had to attend home births of female medical professionals including pediatricians, emergency room doctors, and nurses. Though well-educated and well-informed people, each woman chose to be at home instead of reporting to a hospital.
Per Robbie Davis Floyd, a medical anthropologist studying global trends in obstetrics and midwifery, it was largely countercultural in the 1970s to give birth at home. But as the years go by, the initially ‘lay’ midwives have become gained in sophistication and so has their clientele.
Julie Jacobs, aged 38, from Baltimore, who has multiple sclerosis, said she chose midwifery and hypnotism because she didn’t want to be seen as a burdensome MS patient. She wanted to surround herself with people who could support her psychologically.
She was scared to give birth at home when she first got pregnant, and her first two children were born at an independent birthing center run by midwives. Her third child was born in her home in 2007 after the center closed. According to Julie, if she had been hospitalized, she probably would have had all three cesarean sections.
Dr. Robyn Lamar, an OB-GYN at UCSF, chose the home birth option for all three of her children. She preferred working at her own pace in familiar surroundings without pressure from medical professionals.
The medical view that professionals have been trained in and practiced is that where childbirth could be high risk at any time with catastrophe waiting to happen. However, the experiences shared above can be justified by the underlying midwifery belief that childbirth is a physiological process above all. Nonetheless, the reality of home birth may be a decision taken with respect to other inevitable factors.
Home Birth Cost
Another factor to consider is the cost, which varies greatly depending on the type of insurance you have. If you give birth at home, you will be responsible for the full cost. In North America, midwives cost about $4,000 to $8,000 on average. For those with valid health insurance, all the bills will be covered if they decide to go to the hospital. Meanwhile, for those without insurance, the price of a home birth would remain the same, but a trip to the hospital alongside all other expenses will be self-covered.
Generally, pregnancy is a time of huge transformation in a woman’s life accompanied by the maturing of the body, heart, mind, and soul. By vocation, a Brevard midwife is a professional whose services ensure that pregnant women’s wishes are realized via a natural birth process.
Despite what stats say, many women who give birth at home say they want relief from the pressure to rush labor with drugs, fetal monitors, IVs, and doctors, and hospital orders. With the help of a midwife, they can walk around the living room listening to music or hypnotic recordings. They can comfort themselves in their beds surrounded by loved ones and can have labor in a bathtub or other less strict postures.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can Anyone Give Birth At Home?
Unless for some specific reason, all women can give birth at home and the plan can be discussed with the midwife early on.
- Why Do Some Women Prefer Home Birth Over The Hospital?
Generally, most women who prefer home delivery see it as a more relaxed way to give birth, surrounded by family and loved ones.
- Can A Midwife Safely Assist Me In Some Birth?
Midwives are specialists in normal childbirth and provide care in all delivery options including home, maternity ward, and hospital. Those who have a valid license can be trusted for home birth.
- What Happens To Homecoming Births?
Midwives are experienced in facilitating many variations of childbirth, and there are many strategies that can be used at home should the unexpected occur.
- Is It Safe To Give Birth At Home?
Research report shows that home delivery with a midwife is as safe as hospital delivery and requires less intervention.