During my second pregnancy, my husband and I decided that we wanted a different prenatal care and birth experience than we had with our first son, who was born in the birthing center of our local hospital. We found a pair of wonderful home – birth midwives, and we worked with them throughout the pregnancy until I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and my care had to be transferred to a hospital. Even though we did not get to have the home birth that we had wanted, the care that we received up until the transfer to the hospital was much more in tune with our personal beliefs and values.
The midwives focused on helping me to stay strong and healthy throughout my pregnancy, which I did until the very end. The wealth of information that they shared with me regarding holistic, natural wellness is incredible and I will never forget their pleasant, attentive, and empowering approach to prenatal care. They even came to visit me in the hospital before I gave birth and at home after Blake was born.
My husband and I have decided that our family is complete, so we will not be able to experience a home birth for ourselves. As someone who was planning for a home birth, I believe that home birth is a safe and wonderful thing. Unfortunately, there are a few common misconceptions that might prevent people who could benefit from home birth from even considering it as a possibility. Here are two common misconceptions that you may want to look at more closely before you write off home birth as a possibility, if you are truly interested in pursuing it.
One common misconception is that home births are unsafe. Home births have been shown to be as safe or even safer than hospital births, and they require fewer medical interventions. If a woman is in good health and has a fairly uncomplicated pregnancy, she may be able to deliver at home. However if, as in my case, complications develop, home birth midwives are trained to know when they must transfer care to a hospital. If talk about the cost of home birth has led you to believe that it is not an option, you may want to check your numbers again. The average home birth costs around a third of what a hospital birth costs. The hitch here is that your insurance may not cover some or all of the costs for prenatal care and the birth itself – check with your insurer for particulars.
Photo by dhatch on morguefile.com.