Home birth has gained media attention in recent years. The reason is that more women are staying home to have their babies. Midwives generally attend these births, as they have throughout most of human history. The trend has been seen in Hollywood as well. Former talk show host Ricki Lake created the documentary The Business of Being Born after her second baby was born at home.
The Business of Being Born is a documentary that looks at birth in America and the culture of birth. Is child birth a natural part of life or a medical emergency? The film advocates choices in birth for women and offers statistics showing the results of the medical culture surrounding birth in America. The statistics include the infant mortality rate, which is the second worst of all developing nations.
In response to the film, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology introduced a resolution to the American Medical Association. The resolution highlighted the risks of giving birth at home. The AMA endorsed the resolution, which states a hospital is the safest place to have a baby.
This resolution has resulted in media attention. It seems a bit draconian at first. The wording includes a list of every possible thing that can go wrong in labor and seems intent on scaring women. Is home birth really as unsafe as the resolution makes it seem?
Not for low risk mothers with no complications. The safety of home birth depends on the health of the mother and the pregnancy. It also depends on preparation on the part of the mother for birth and a mindset that birth is a natural life event.
I didn’t have a home birth. I wanted to do it, but my husband was opposed to the idea. His grandmother made me want to have a baby at home. She had the youngest of her four children in a hospital, after three home births and would often tell me, “I never felt so sick in my life. Have your baby at home!”
The best person to decide where and how to have a baby is the mother of that baby. If she is not a good candidate for home birth, her midwife will send her to a doctor or suggest a midwife attended birth in a hospital or birthing center. The decision should be made on a case by case basis in the best interests of each individual woman.
The ACOG should leave room for normal, healthy births and choices in child birth for women. Of course the hospital is important for emergencies or women with complications, but to suggest all women are at risk for choosing to give birth at home simply is not true.
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