12 Reasons to consider Homebirth

Kelsi Hitz
Feb 4, 2017
8 min read

12 Reasons to Consider Homebirth

More comfortable

Our house is our home, its where we live, love and spend a majority of our time. Its a place we feel comfortable walking around in our bare feet or even without any clothes on. So at a time when we are in pain why would you want to leave the comfort of your own home? You can freely walk about, you dont have strangers telling you where you can or cant go and you have food on hand to support your labor. Because you are comfortable (comfort in the sense of the familiarity not that there isnt a lack of pain) your labor proceeds at its own pace. Meaning you are not pressured by the doctors and nurses who are trying to get home. Not to mention, you are in control of your surroundings. If you want your baby to be born with some unconventional song in the background go for it, it's you're house. You dont have to ask permission. You can diffuse essential oils to help with the labor and not have to worry about offending someone. Plus when your baby arrives, you are in your own home. You won't be rushed to leave, you wont have nurses checking in on you every half hour. You get to sleep in your own bed. Your visitors can come when you are ready and your birth team will clean up the house after your birth.

Safety

Statistically home birth is actually safer then giving birth at the hospital and here's why. Hospitals are full of sick people and now matter how much they clean and sanitize, hospitals are a birthing ground of germs and bacteria. Hospitals are so huge, with so many moving parts that thorough sanitization is not possible. As a matter of fact, when I was at the hospital with one of my children, due to a broken arm, the nurses reiterated to me 3 times how important it was to make sure all the kids took their clothes off when they got home and took a long bath to remove all germs they had accumulated while waiting at the hospital. The intervention-heavy approach to birthing favored in most hospitals contributes directly to our nation’s unsettling birth safety statistics. We trail behing many countries and as a matter of fact, the United states provides the world's most expensive maternity care but has worse pregnancy outcomes than almost every other indutrilized country. We spend $98 billion a year on hospital births. I referenced the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health and found a study based on the outcomes of hospital birth and home birth.* Planned home birth attended by a registered midwife was associated with very low and comparable rates of perinatal death and reduced rates of obstetric interventions and other adverse perinatal outcomes compared with planned hospital birth attended by a midwife or physician

Hospital births in the United States aren’t very safe at all when compared to home or hospital births in other developed counties in general. Ours is one of only a handful of countries in the entire world whose maternal mortality rates are rising. The United States maternal death rate has doubled over the last 25 years. In California, it tripled n a mere decade (1996 to 2006). Given that a great many maternal deaths aren’t even reported to the CDC, these numbers probably actually look better than they really are. Our maternal mortality rate lands us at 50th when it comes to safety. We are actually one of four countries in the world where our maternal death rates are increasing.** There is a great interview article that I have cited below if you want to investigate this more. These statistics are stunning! I cant even believe it myself.

Natural Birth

When I was pregnant with my first child and had decided on a home birth, one of the most important parts for me was that I would not be tempted to have an epidural and would be able to have a natural birth. The worst part was that I can count off at least 5 people who laughed at me saying, “there is no way you will want to give birth without an epidural.” These sentiments only made me stronger in my resolve to have a natural birth no matter where it happened to be. In case you were not aware an epidural is an anestheic placed directly into your spinal cord that produces a loss of sensation below your waist. So with that being defined, how are you supposed to push your baby out when you cant feel anything? Your body knows how to give birth, the contractions you feel during labor help to push your baby down into the birth canal and when the baby is in position you will be able to feel an intense urge to push. When you have an epidural you wont be able to feel any of that which leads to longer labors, more intrusive and unnecassary care plus the possible side effects include infection, dural puncture (puncture headache), nerve damage and more. I know these side effects are not a common thing but why would you want to take the chance of doing this to your body.

Euphoria

After giving birth there is this euphoria that rushes over you, a happiness as you hold your baby in your arms. The labor and pain that you just went through falls away and you fall instantly in love with this new life. A love you never knew of that, is so instant and complete. When you are in the hospital your baby is rushed off for “testing” and taken from your arms the moment of their birth. You miss the bonding and euphoric feeling of them in your arms. Where as during a home birth, baring any complications, you can “catch” your baby and hold that bundle once they are born. You get to connect instantly and at the same time you can have your baby nurse which helps with the after labor contractions and strengthens the connection between mother and child due to the increase the oxytocin

History

Women were made to have children, our bodies know how to give birth. They were made to bear children. Not to mention labor and deliveries where assisted with female family members and midwives since the beginning. They are referenced throughout the bible. In case you wanted to look it up here are some passages about midwives in the bible

Exodus 1:15-21

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,16“When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?”19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

Genesis 35:17

And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.”

You're in Charge

When you are at home you are comfortable, there is no one pushing you to do things you dont want to do. It is easier to stick to your birth plan because you dont have doctors and nurses encouraging you to have epidurals and other invasive procedures that are unnecessary.

Its less expensive

On average vaginal hospital births cost $2,600 not including the cost of prenatal care up to that point. If for some reason there were complications you could be looking at a bill of $6,900. If for some reason you were to have a c-section you are looking at about $4,500. It looks like home birth costs range from $1,500 to $3,000. My home birth cost $2,600 and that includes all of the prenatal visits.

if there is an emergency you get faster treatment

Your trained midwife will know based on education and experience if hospital transport is necessary. As a matter of fact they want you and your baby to be safe so they would rather transport early to make sure that nothing bad happens. When you come into the hospital as an “emergency” you actually receive faster care then if you were in the hospital to begin with. You bypass the line so to speak and receive care the moment you arrive. Your midwife will call ahead to the "trauma" department and they will be waiting for you. Where as if you need a c-section or other emergency surgery/care they would have to find a doctor, book an operating room, find the required staff, then transport you to another room.

You get to hold your baby, or even “catch” them

Since you are only able to have your baby at home if you are considered low risk, your midwife will not whisk your baby away from you when they are born. You may even get the chance to “catch” your baby if that is what you want. Because of being able to do this you are able to form an instant connection and start nursing to help your uterus finish contracting. After all of the labor and pain who wouldnt want to immediately hold the baby they had worked so hard to bring into this world.

No intrusive gadgets or inducing labor

Because your at home that means that your birth is low risk, there is no need to complicate it by injecting you with oxytocin/pitocin. Did you know that pitocin is a hormone that can cause or strengthen labor contractions but is also used to induce abortion? However, if your body and baby are not ready for labor induction this can cause fetal distress and lead to a higher likelyhood of a c-section. While at home your baby's heart rate will be monitored by an external fetal heart rate montior, where as when you are at the hospital your baby will be monitored with an internal fetal heart rate montior. What does that mean? An internatal fetal heart rate montior is inserted through your cervix with a thin wire and attached to the babys scalp. If you have a low risk pregnancy or complications there is very little reason to have this intrusive procedure. However, when you are given an epidural to numb your lower region and oxytocin to induce labor you are put at a higher risk for intervention, hence why they automatically hook up an internal fetal heart rate monitor.

Hospitals only allow for 1 birthing position

When you are at the hospital you are only allowed to give birth laying on your back because it is the easiest for the delivering physician. Did you know that giving birth on your back is also the most painful birthing position? During labor being on all fours on your hands and knees can help your uterus muscles to work and use gravity to open your pelvis. You can also try leaning forward in a supported standing, kneeling or sitting position, squatting, lying on your side or even a semi-sitting position to help with the labor. When you are lying on your back when in labor you have a higher likelihood of needing help to give birth with instruments, having an episiotomy and even effecting your baby's heart rate because the baby's oxygen supply is restricted.

Faster recovery

By having a natural birth at home there are less side effects. As you may have noted, while at the hospital you are likely to have intrusive care during your labor such as an epidural, labor induction, excessive pelvic exams, episiotomy, assisted delivery due to positioning and more. All of these interventions that an effect on your body. For all of my births I was able to get up and walk around within an hour of the birth. The first hour I was able to spend holding and loving on my children. After that I was able to get up and even take a shower.