Home Birth versus Hospital Birth?

Question

Hospital Birth Advantages

•Safer in Emergency Situations
•Free Diapers, Wipes, Pacifiers, Etc.
•Free Birth
•Birth Certificate & Social Security Handled
•Pain Medicine During/After Birth
•Free/Pre-Cooked Meals of My Choice
•No Need to Clean up After the Birth

Hospital Birth Disadvantages

•Not Allowed to Eat During Labor
•Lack of Control/Choices
•Baby’s 1st Bath by Nurse
•Cord Cut While Pulsating
•Pushy Breastfeeding Team
•Have to Stay for 3 Days/Nights
•C-Section More Likely
•Vacuum/Forceps Extraction More Likely
•Artificial Rupture of Membranes Imminent
•Baby Whisked Away for Evaluation/Weighing
•Unnecessary Tests for Jaundice Levels
•Likelihood of Formula Supplementation
•Higher Infant Mortality Rates
•Katana Cannot Be Present
•Babysitter Required for Katana
•Room Full of Medical Personnel
•Baby Comes into Bright Light & Loud Noises

Home Birth Advantages

•Better Statistics for Pleasant Outcomes
•Fewer Medical Interventions
•Tearing/Cutting/Stitching Less Likely
•Forceps/Vacuum Extraction Not Likely
•Labor/Deliver in Water
•Labor/Deliver in Comfortable Environment
•Baby Won’t Be Taken Away for Anything
•Cord Cut After Pulsating Has Stopped
•Breastfeeding on My Own Terms
•No Need to Transport the Baby Soon after Birth
•C-Section Less Likely
•No Artificial Rupture of Membranes
•Baby’s Evaluation Is Postponed for Bonding Time
•Lower Infant Mortality Rates
•Katana Can Be Present
•No Babysitter Required
•Gabriel’s Work Wouldn’t Be in Vain
•Allowed to Eat in Labor
•No Strangers in the Room
•Baby Comes into Peaceful Environment
•Sleep in My Own Bed w/ Baby


Home Birth Disadvantages

•No Freebies Included
•Costs $1200 + Gas Money
•No Pain Medicine Option
•Emergency Situation Could Prove Fatal
•Midwife Might Not Make It in Time
•Clean-up After the Birth

*The last time I was in labor for 16.5 hours & it started at 6am, so I hadn't eaten for at least 8 hours prior. I was STARVING & needed my strength, but of course, god forbid the hospital let me eat a sandwich or something while I'm in labor.

Answer 1

First off.....you DO NOT have to clean up yourself after a homebirth. Your midwife (or her assistant) will remake your bed if necessary, do any laundry from the birth, clean up any messes, etc. She will leave the house just like it was before she arrived. YOU won't have to do it.

If you have any conditions during your pregnancy that would make homebirth a bad idea, your midwife will "risk you out" and you'll either have a hospital birth with her or she'll transfer your care to an OB, depending on what the problem is.

Midwives are TRAINED to monitor you closely during labor. She will check the baby's heartones during labor and see how baby is coping. She will monitor your progress.

Assuming she is a CNMW, she will bring oxygen with her, knows how to resusitate the baby if need be, can give you antibiotics if needed, can give you a shot of pitocin after the birth if needed, can cut an episiotomy in an emergency (but probably rarely ever does), and can sew you up if needed, etc.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) standard for a c/s is "30 minutes decision to incision." That means their requirement IN A HOSPITAL is 30 minutes from the decision a c/s needs to be done until the incision is made. If you are within 30 minutes of a hospital and have a backup plan for transport, you can consider yourself able to meet those guidelines.

PERSONALLY _
My first was born in a hospital. Unmedicated...fired a doc in labor and had a resident catch.
My second was born in a freestanding birth center.....waterbirth with a midwife.
My third was born at home with a midwife.....waterbirth and hubby caught the baby then we cuddled on the sofabed in front of our fireplace.

I would NEVER EVER go back to a hospital to birth a baby unless there was a medical condition that suggested I NEEDED to be there. For healthy moms and healthy babies, homebirth is the way to go!

Other countries where midwifery care and homebirth are considered the NORM have better mother/infant outcomes that here in the USA! The USA has the ***second worst*** newborn death rate in modern world. So much for the "safety of hospital birth" huh?

Not sure you mentioned these points:

Mothers who birth in the hospital are more prone to infections.

Darn.....forgot the other one. If I remember I'll be back.

OK......now I remember!
You don't have to GO anywhere while you are in labor! You don't have to worry about going through transition in the car or having a baby on the side of the road. IF the midwive didn't make it, I think that would still be better than having the baby on the side of the road if YOU didn't make it! I know a few women who ended up homebirthing before the MW got there and they all ended up just fine. The MW got there shortly after the birth and checked everyone over then.

Answer 2

I have never homebirthed though I am considering it for my third and final pregnancy (whenever that happens! lol)

I wanted to point out a few things. You mentioned things like "freebies". They aren't really freebies. You pay for them. Either through insurance or out of your own pocket. Either way you pay for them. They aren't "free". Also the cost of a midwife and home delivery is considerably cheaper than delivering in a hospital. Also some midwives help the mother the first couple of days. If they themselves don't do it, they have a "staff" member who does. That includes light cleaning and helping you take care of the baby, breastfeeding etc...
In regards to pain... a good midwife is trained in pain management through breathing, relaxation and concentration. She will teach you this throughout your pregnancy.
You will be able to eat while you are in active labor. Which I feel your pain about that one! Talk about starving!
It is true that the midwife could show up late... but you could always not get to the hospital in time either. Six in one hand, half dozen in the other. It's the same "evil"

So... the hospital. You can leave the hospital the next day if you and the baby are fine. As in no complications and the baby is eating. You don't have to wait until you are discharged. They will not hold you hostage at the hospital. You can insist that the baby sleeps in your room and does not go to the nursery without your permission first. This will make formula supplementation less likely. Also make it clear to your doctor what your wishes are right from the start and reiterate it through out your pregnancy. Also write up your own wishes and instructions and make sure you the staff has it when you go into the hospital. You can even take an index card and write on it "I'm a breastfed baby, please do not give me any formula" and tape it to the outside of the bassinet. In the end it is still your baby and they can't just do whatever they want. Also discuss with your doctor under what terms you will agree to a c-section again right from the beginning. Discuss manipulation to turn a breech baby. The only way I would ever have a c-section is if the baby took a sudden turn for the worse and it would save his life or mine.

So... you should do what you feel is best for your family. If there are any signs of complications during your pregnancy, consult a doctor. There are many doctors that even work with midwives. You may want to find a midwife that has a physician she works with that way you have a backup that you are comfortable with if you do need to deliver in the hospital. Woman are designed to give birth and have been doing so many many MANY years before hospitals were around.

Good luck with your decision.


PS~ I very much agree with what momma2mingbu has to say on the matter.

Answer 3

That's actually a very hard question to answer as no one knows what type of delivery they will have and if there will be complications. With my first child, I ended up having to have an emergency c-section. My water had broken and 20 hrs later he still was not born even with pitocin. When they did the c-section they found out he was turned face up and the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice. Had I had a home birth and pushed for a vaginal delivery he probably would have died.

I decided on my second to try for a VBAC, but it failed as I failed to progress, was induced and then threw up all day. It was absolutely horrible! After finally dialating after 8 hrs I pushed for the next 4 hrs and got no where. So again, emergency c-section.

For me it is just much safer to have your baby at the hospital in case there are problems or complications.

With that said it isn't entirely up to you to have a home birth. The midwife would get involved and decide, based on your history, if you are a good candidate or not. They won't let just anyone try a home birth and for good reason. They want to make certain that they can avoid problems and have a good safe home birth. If for any reason they don't think it's a good option for you they will tell you.

And as far as not eating, even with a home birth you shouldn't eat as you most likely will throw up anything you eat, or worse have a bowel movement while pushing. So there are good reasons not to eat which is why you get the IV at the hospital.

Answer 4

Please make sure that is you have a home birth you get MANY references form others who have used the midwife you are looking to use. I have a friend who had a home birth two years ago. As soon as her water broke they noticed that the baby had already gone to the bathroom, so she wasn’t allowed to push. She had to lay there for hours and let her body naturally deliver the baby. She tore pretty badly and her midwife said that she should heal just fine. Well 6 weeks later she could not put a tampon in without it falling right out. She finally went to an OB who said that she had torn all the way through her anus and it was not repaired properly. She had to go in for major surgery to have it repaired. Shortly after she was told that if she wanted to have more kids it must be in a hospital so that they can watch her very closely and that she can never have another vaginal birth. She does not regret her decision on having a home birth. She said it was very intimate and beautiful. But now she will be forced to have an unwanted c-section with her next child…which could not be farther from her home birth experience. Sterile and disconnected. Her only regret is not interviewing more midwives that had more references. Best of luck to you. I am sure you will make the right decision!

Answer 5

It looks to me like you have given some excellent thought to the pro's and con's of home birth vs. hospital birth.

In my mind the whole thing comes down to the what ifs... and if there is ANY question that the baby's (or your) health could be in danger, I would always err on the side of being in the hospital.

Even the most normal home birth can turn on a dime.

If you want a quiet birth in a low lit room, talk with your doctor and hospital personnel. Things are not as cut and dry as you might think. However, they are prepared for emergency situations, and they can save a life, if need be.

Answer 6

Im just wondering what country you live in that you cant eat while in labour and can not make your own birth plan choices like cord cutting, who is present etc etc. I am sorry you feel you cant have your baby in hospital where it is safer if there are complications. My second baby was very lifeless when born and with in seconds every paediatric dr and nurse was in the room to revive her. I am now pregnant with my 4th and would be far too worried about having it at home. Good luck with your choice, go with what you think will be more comfortable to you and your family and my bad experience should not sway you in anyway. Reading all those hospital disadvantages is very dissapointing, its your baby and your choice of how your baby comes into the world. I have read calmer births mean calmer babies, dunno if its true. Good luck

Answer 7

Home birth definitely! I was born at home, as were my two siblings. The midwifes were there on time, nothing went wrong and my parents were in control (I was even there for my sister's birth). It's healthier for mom and baby (less stressful). Everyone who I have talked to who had their baby in a hospital either had something go wrong or they said that is was just a very bad experience. Hope that helps! Home birth all the way! : )

Answer 8

It's all a question of feeling safe and general health of mother and baby.

Women give birth over millions of years. Without hospital and the majority of women on earth still do.
(The death rates in these countries have to do with infections and no medical control during pregnancy and have nothing to do with the act of delivery.)

If your pregnancy is normal and you feel 100% comfy with being at home and having a qualified midwife, where is the problem?

Calling a woman irresponsible for that is like insulting the majority of women on earth and your ancestors too...

Answer 9

i'm assuming you're asking for suggestions based on your info?
i would go with hospital any day just b/c i would never take a chance at something happening to my child and not having the machines or medicines right there to deal with them...

umm...how can you think of eating while extreme pain is coursing through your body? umm...hospitals have certain rules for reason...to help you out!!! duh!

i had a c-section, and trust me, it's the best thing in the world!

if you think that any of your disadvantages are horrible reasons to not have your baby in the hospital, i'd hate to see you as a mother...how are you going to risk the health of your child b/c of a few things that you don't happen to like from a hospital...
and if they feed your baby formula when you get it in writing that you don't want it, you can sue and win big money...
jaundice is a bad thing for babies if not tested for its level in the baby...how can you think you'd be a good mother if you think testing for something that could negatively affect your child is bad?

bonding time? you'd prefer to find out later when it's too late that something is wrong with your baby over some bonding time which you'll get 24/7 after you leave the hospital?

lady, you're a psycho
i pity that child

Answer 10

You answered your quesion already...but believe me it's better to stay in the hospital because it already has all the required facilities and the medical staff can handle any emergency situation that could occur.

Although home birth is good, it should only be a second choice. Only chose home birth if the hospital is too far away.