Home birth or Hospital ?

Question

I'm 6 months pregnant and figure that I should choose a method of birth. My husband says that the hospital way is safer. But I want to give her in a natural beginning. What are the pros and cons of home births. The pros and cons of hospital births. Please and Thank YOU !

Answer 1

There is also a compromise that you could consider. A birthing center is a step between a hospital birth and a home birth. There are usually more trained medical staff on duty as well as being "all natural."

One other thing to consider is what your insurance covers and what you can afford. Many insurance companies won't cover midwives or doulas that aren't with a doctor or hospital practice.

Personally I will not do a homebirth. There are to many risks to mine and my baby's health. I had complications that would not have been caught had I not been at the hospital. But, I also know women who have had successful homebirths.

Ultimately it is up to you and your husband. Some others have mentioned that it isn't really up to him. But let me share this. My husband is a fourth year medical student who has delivered a decent number of babies and helped with even more deliveries. Yet, even though he is cool, calm and collected in those situations, his feelings on my delivering are much different. He is calm on the surface, but he is still terrified and feels very, very responsible for me and each of the children that I have delivered. Please take your husband's feelings into consideration when you make this choice. He will feel very responsible with what happens to you and your baby, good or bad.

Answer 2

home birth pros:

you are in your own environment
you can set the rules
private experience for just you and daddy

cons:
what do you do in an emergerncy?
no pain relief if it becomes unbearable

Hospital pros:

managed birth, no big surprises
immediate care in an emergency

cons:

too much intervention/ no privacy
dr's may not listen to your desires to be unmedicated, push meds, pitocin, pain relief ect


Home birth should not be taken lightly, especally if this is your first. A new mother may have unexpected complicatins that a 2nd or 3rd time mom may not have, espcecally since first labors can be long and tiring. A calm, private birth can be obtained at a hospital, but you need to have a understanding dr and a fim hand with the nurses. A doula at the hospital can help, she can nmake your wishes known while you and daddy concentrate on the baby. Good luck

Answer 3

This is a very personal choice. I like you wanted to do the more natural thing but then after I got pregnant I was watching an episode of A baby story and the girl was at home giving birth then she started having a lot if complications and guess what no Dr was around it was a huge mess and she and the baby almost died. I knew then I was going to the hospital bc this is not about being natural but being safe and I want the best for the baby just in case...

Answer 4

Remember that u will have to hire a Mid-wife or doula. Also talk to your doctor cuz if u have a high risk pregnancy or if ur baby doesn't drop correctly into the birth canal you may not have a choice.

Pros of Hospital:
You have mostly everything that u need if something goes wrong.
YOu have drugs if u change ur mind
U n the baby will be checked right away to see if there is anything wrong.
You have lactation nurses to help u.
And if u need some extra rest the nursery will take ur baby
Cons of HOspital:
Sometimes u don't get to choose certain things
You have to stay there a day or two
They bother you every 3 hours to take ur vitals
The baby may not be with u 24/7

HOme birth i'm not sure about cuz i've never had one. But the only suggestion is to be very prepared and discuss this with ur hubby and a doc. Good luck i hope everything works out well

Answer 5

My dear friend asked me this very question because she knew I am in the medical field and she was trying to make a wise decision. After much thought and research, she went against my advice, chose a mid-wife and decided to have a home delivery. On the day she went into labor, her husband called the mid-wife and she came right over. Everything was going well right up until the end. Baby Isaac was delivered but was in respiratory distress and quit breathing. An ambulance was called but they were never able to revive him. Baby Isaac went home to Heaven that day.

It was later determined that he had meconium in his lungs and that is what caused his respiratory failure. (Meconium is the dark green material that is found in the intestines of the unborn baby. It is normally released as a thick, dark green bowel movement at or right near the time of birth. However, an infant who is stressed may pass some meconium into the amniotic fluid before birth and breathe it into the lungs (called aspiration). Apparently Baby Isaac was in distress during delivery but because they didn't have any equipment to monitor him they didn't know. If they had, it's possible that they could have done an emergency c-section to get him out quicker. Also, the mid-wife panicked and had a hard time trying to resuscitate him before the medics arrived.

Please think LONG and HARD before choosing to do a home delivery. There are so very many things that can go wrong and it's a HUGE chance to take. I would say it's not worth the risk of your little baby.....and my friend would agree.

Answer 6

Hospital is the way to go. Even if you have a completely normal pregnancy, so many things can go wrong during childbirth that it is safer to have the doctors near if necessary. Use a midwife delivery in the hospital. They are better at keeping things calmer and natural and giving you the birt experience you want but the technology of the hospital is close if you need it.
Congratulations and good luck!

Answer 7

I am all for home birthing. Keeps the pressure off you to have the baby faster, limits some of the unnecessary procedures hospitals like to do to protect themselves and really makes for a much more relaxed and comfortable birthing situation. Midwives are really the ideal people to deliver your baby and they are trained to know when you send you to the hospital if a need should arrive. Remind your husband that no matter what it's ultimately you who will be delivering this baby and the experiences you have will affect how you are and how you feel for months or years afterwards. I would look at the Bradley Method of childbirth if you're really serious about natural birthing. It was amazing when I did with my son. I'm due with #2 in 6 weeks and can't wait to do it again. Unmedicated really is the way to go - our bodies were designed for this! Good luck !!

Answer 8

Well I don't want to scare you but, I know from friends being pregnant.. it hurts a lot so being in a hospital with medical care near you would be a good idea. Sometimes something can happen to the woman giving birth. I'm suggesting you should be with at the hospital. For safer and cleaner birth. For you and the baby.

Answer 9

For me, the option was very simple, hospital birth. It made me feel better knowing that I was in a hospital and that any complications would be dealt with immediatly, rather than waiting for an ambulance to come. I also wanted to have an epidural.

I was present during my cousins home birth. It was very messy and definitly not something I wanted to go through. It might have just been her mid-wife, but It was a miserable experience for my cousin. I am not saying that all home births are miserable, I have heard many people rave about them. But for me, and my babies, the hospital is best.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Answer 10

hi there..... as a former nurse ... I would advise you have a hospital birth..... Not only for the hygeine reasons but also for the safety factors. If something was to go wrong.... you have all the equipment drs nurses midwives in the hospital.
For example .... if you didnt stop bleeding or your baby had problems isnt it best to be in the hospital where they can help you and your baby immediately rather than waiting for an ambulance ..... this time delay could be fatal...
At the end of the day the choice is yours...
The only pro i can think of for home birth is that it is your familiar surroundings.....