The Pros Of Home Birth

Having a baby is a beautiful thing. The feeling a woman has after having grown a little miracle and seeing that miracle come to fruition is indescribable. Motherhood is a gift from God that is cherished more than any other job today.

Most women only think that a hospital is where one has a baby (after all, 99% of births are in a hospital and I believe another .5% is on the way there!). However, there is another alternative that I would like to discuss in this article and that is home birthing.

Home birth is a birth that is planned to take place in the home with an accompanying direct-entry midwife. These are midwives who are certified by your state to deliver babies at home. Many have restrictions placed upon them (such as only able to deliver low-risk births) and some states even ban home births. For those who are considering a home birth, there are many advantages to one over a hospital.

First, the midwife comes to you (a big plus when you are in labor and the pain is so much that you don’t wish to walk). Basically, you can do whatever you want during labor. You can take a bath, walk around, lie in your own comfortable bed, and eat and drink at your leisure (which is discouraged in a hospital in case you may need a cesarean and anesthesia).

Pushing out a baby is no jaunt in the park. It requires lots of energy and you burn a lot of calories. Some cesareans are caused by hours and hours of labor and the mom gets so tired she can push no more. Furthermore, at home you can scream as loud as you want and pull out as much of your husband’s chest hair as you want without feeling embarrassed or a need to be restrained. The best part is if you have older children, then they know immediately where the baby came from and are not confused by “honey, your sibling came from the hospital. That’s where Mommy has been for the past few days.” “What’s a hospital, Mommy?” “Well, it’s…”

Being at home, you can wear what you want and not a horrible hospital gown. You won’t have to worry about strangers touching your baby or baby being exposed to standardized hospital treatments such as shots or eye droplets. Your baby won’t be poked or prodded. Your baby will be immediately handed to you the way he or she came out—gook and all. You are allowed to recover in your own bed with a dim light—just you, baby, and your husband.

Once all the work is done and baby is sleeping happily by your side, you and your husband can cuddle up, discuss the miracle of your baby as you stare into his or her eyes, and fall asleep peacefully with your new family addition. I believe this is the best part of having your baby at home—not having to go anywhere and being surrounded by the comforts and convenience of your own home.

Women have been having babies at home for millennium. With just an elder, experienced mom at her side, a woman in labor had her baby and returned to normal activities within the first 24 hours. Only in the last century have women gone somewhere else to have their children.

Today, I would like you to consider that there are other alternatives than what society tells you. You can choose for yourself what happens to your body and your baby. Home birth is a viable option for many women in America today. Do the research and decide for yourself. Having a baby is one of the most memorable experiences in a woman’s life. Make sure that your birth is the experience you choose.n