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How Should You Choose Between a Hospital and a Home Birth?

The decisions associated with having a child can be some of the most important ones you will make in your entire life. From dealing with nine months of ups and downs during pregnancy to shelling out big bucks for diapers, groceries and, later, tuition — there is a lot that goes into becoming a parent. One of the first decisions that come with passing on your genes is where to have your baby. Parents-to-be will spend countless hours researching doctors and baby names and planning appointments and baby showers — but what is the right choice when it comes to a home birth versus a hospital delivery?

You may be astonished at the question, thinking home births are a thing of the past. But…

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Featured

 New Support for Home Births

U.K. board NICE, in a surprise, rules having a baby at home is safer than a hospital in some low-risk pregnancies.

 The Case for Hospital Births

Although the overwhelming majority of women in the United States believe childbirth should only happen in well-appointed hospitals, there is a group of people who see things differently.

 Weighing the Risks of Home Births

The debate over whether it’s safer for a healthy woman to have a baby at home or in the hospital just tilted a bit in favor of hospital deliveries. The risks in both cases are very low, but a new study suggests that the risk to babies could be higher for out-of-hospital births.

Articles of Interest

As Home Births Grow in U.S., a New Study Examines the Risks

In the often polarized debate over home birth, the study has been embraced by advocates on all sides.

Maybe We Should Agree to Disagree: A Perspective on Home Birth

I am not in favor of home birth. I believe the safest place for a laboring woman is in a hospital or birthing center. Labor and the associated complications are not predictable. When potentially life-saving interventions are delayed because a woman is laboring outside a hospital setting, the consequences can be catastrophic.

Natural Birth: The Most Amazing Experience Ever

The main myth about giving birth is that birth is painful and dangerous so you have to be drugged and put in the hospital in order to give birth. Women have given birth for centuries and millennia and I have met many Asian women who still prefer to give birth at home.

Resources

Birthrights

Birthrights is the UK’s only organisation dedicated to improving women’s experience of pregnancy and childbirth by promoting respect for human rights. We believe that all women are entitled to respectful maternity care that protects their fundamental rights to dignity, autonomy, privacy and equality.

Freedom for Birth

FREEDOM FOR BIRTH tells the story of the Hungarian midwife, Dr Agnes Gereb, who was imprisoned for supporting women who gave birth at home.

ImprovingBirth

Our Mission is to inform, support, engage and empower consumers, community leaders and providers with tools to improve birth.

Microbirth

Microbirth is a multi-award winning documentary exploring the latest science about the ‘seeding and feeding’ of a baby’s microbiome during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. The film features scientists behind the ground-breaking research that reveals the critical role of mothers’ microbes for optimal training of the infant immune system and lifelong health.

Positive Birth Movement

We are a global network of free to attend antenatal groups, linked up by social media. We connect pregnant women together to share stories, expertise and positivity about childbirth. We aim to challenge the epidemic of negativity and fear that surrounds modern birth, and help change birth for the better. Join us as we meet up, link up and shake up birth!