Why Should I Consider Home Birth?

1. Desire for privacy. When you birth at home only those who you invite are present.
2. Desire for control. When you birth at home, you decide what you want to do and when you want to do it.
3. Desire to move. When you birth at home, you are free to move as your body needs to. Most laboring women enjoy walking and changing positions frequently in the early parts of labor, and enjoy getting in and out of the shower and tub. At home there are no monitors tying you to the bed.
4. Desire for a peaceful/quiet birthing environment. When you birth at home, you can choose the environment in which your baby will be born.
5. Desire to allow labor to unfold in i its own time. When you birth at home, there is more time for labor to progress in its own time. Your midwives keep a careful watch over you and your baby's health and labor progress. Many normal labors do not follow a regular progression. There may be times of rapid progress and other times of slower progress. As long as baby and mom are doing fine, these variations are understood and embraced as normal.
6. Desire to avoid interventions. When you birth at home, you will not have pitocin to speed your labor. Any intervention being considered will be discussed with you in a way you can understand including risks, benefits, alternatives, and consequences of doing or not doing the intervention. You will make decisions with the consultation of your midwife.
7. Desire to eat and drink in labor. When you birth at home, you are free to eat and drink as you choose. Labor is a lot of work and it is very important to stay well nourished and hydrated during this time so you and the baby will have lots of reserves.
8. Desire for waterbirth. When you birth at home, you may choose to labor and/or birth in the water. Your midwives can bring and set up a comfortable birthing tub if you desire.
9. Desire for uninterrupted time with your baby. When you birth at home, your baby will never be taken from you.
10. Desire for an excellent start for breastfeeding. When you birth at home, your baby will automatically be with you skin to skin.You will not be disturbed and the normal biological process of baby finding his/her way to the breast will be supported. In contrast, babies born in the hospital are routinely taken from their mothers. In hospital, many routine interventions and interruptions occur in the first 24 hours of life which threaten the optimal breastfeeding relationship.
11. Desire for whole family inclusion and participation. When you birth at home, siblings can be involved to the degree they desire. Your midwives will discuss and prepare the entire family for the event. Less sibling rivalry is seen in families who birth this way. Many hospitals forbid children in labor and postpartum rooms.
12. Desire to avoid exposure to disease and infections. When you birth at home, you and your baby are not exposed to any new and different bacteria or virus. Your midwives maintain rigorous infection control measures. Even the best hospital’sregular patient population carries all types of infectious diseases. The number of people who come into contact with a mother and her baby in a typical 48 hour hospital stay is exponentially more than will come into your environment during a homebirth.
13. Desire to not labor in a car. When you birth at home, you call the midwives to come when you're ready to have them there. Your midwives ride in the car, not you.
14. Desire to avoid interventions being done to your baby. When you birth at home, all routine care of your baby is done with your permission and in your presence. Your midwives will assign apgar scores, complete a thorough head to toe newborn exam, administer erythromycin and vitamin K if you choose. In addition, your midwives are certified in neonatal resuscitation and carry oxygen and all necessary emergency equipment.
15. Desire to wake up in your own bed. When you birth at home, your midwives will stay with you through at least the first four hours after birth. During this time the midwives will make sure your baby has nursed, you have eaten a healthy meal, you have been up to the restroom several times and that mom and baby are healthy, well, and in stable condition. You will get tucked into your own cozy clean bed. You don't have to go anywhere. There's nothing quite like waking up in your own bed with your new baby lying beside you.