Home Child Birth

Recently I was visiting some friends of mine who are weeks away from having their second child when the topic of childbirth came up. With a bit of hesitation I asked, “What type of birth are you planning on?” They explained that their first was a natural childbirth and they were planning on another. Assuming that this meant a vaginal delivery opposed to a cesarean section, I asked “so, no epidural?” “Nope, completely natural” they replied. The discussion led to the mentioning of my sister who has had two children, both home births, one of which was a water birth. I found myself curious as to why some people opt out of medication, hospital facilities, and common childbirth practices. I wondered how much treatment they were actually opting out of when deciding to delivery their baby at home. I also found myself curious about what qualification midwives have and what medications they carry with them. I found it surprising to also learn from them that it is illegal in some states to have home births. Are the risk of something so natural really so great that they should be outlawed? How do these weigh up to the rewards of such practices?

I vaguely remember when my sister was pregnant and told me she would be delivering at home. Being from the area myself and knowing that the nearest hospital was nearly an hour away, I expressed doubt in the idea, it sounded dangerous and risky, and there didn’t seem to be any logical point in doing it. According to her in a recent interview, “The greatest reward of having a home birth is an empowering birth experience that takes place somewhere you feel safe and the greatest risk is of course losing your child. Whether it is worth the risk or not depends on the individual, the situation, and w...

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..., Gordon, W., Hannibal, D., & Vedam, S. (2014) Outcomes of Care for 16,924 Planned Home Births in the United States: The Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project, 2004 to 2009. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 59, 17-27.

Simkins, G. (2014, January 30). New Studies Confirm Safety of Home Birth With Midwives in the U.S.. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://www.mana.org/blog/home-birth-safety-outcomes

Grünebaum, A., McCullough, L., Sapra, K., Brent, R., Levene, M., Arabin, B., et al. Apgar score of 0 at 5 minutes and neonatal seizures or serious neurologic dysfunction in relation to birth setting. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 209, 323.e1-323.e6. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(13)00641-8/fulltext

Epstein, A. (Director). (2008). The business of being born : New Line Home Entertainment.