Why did you choose homebirth?
Posted by angela on Jan 11, 2012 in Homebirth | 10 comments
Photo Credit: Amy Swagman
I started to write a post on the reasons that people choose homebirth, and then I thought, “Why not ask you?”
So, if you chose to have a homebirth, please take a few moments and share with us what your reasons were.
Afterwards, you can click on the ‘results’ link to see the totals for each answer. Then, feel free to scroll down to the comments section to say more about your experience and see the answers given for ‘other’.
Thanks!
Hear from mothers and doctors about why they chose homebirth.
Experts debunk the myth that “Homebirth is dangerous”.
And, for your reading pleasure, here’s some of the research. 
Nationwide Netherlands cohort study
”This study shows that planning a home birth does not increase the risks of perinatal mortality and severe perinatal morbidity among low-risk women, provided the maternity care system facilitates this choice through the availability of welltrained midwives and through a good transportation and referral system”. De Jonge et al 2009
Planned home birth with registered midwife verses planned hospital birth in Canada
”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”. Janssen et al 2009
Outcomes of planned home births with Certified Professional Midwives: large prospective study in North America
”Planned home birth for low risk women in North America using certified professional midwives was associated with lower rates of medical intervention but similar intrapartum and neonatal mortality to that of low risk hospital births in the United States”. Johnson and Daviss 2005
~British Medical Journal
Here are some of the “other” reasons given in the poll:
“I wanted to be the one to choose over my body and my baby.”
“I was trying to avoid a c-section and this was my best chance at that.”
“All of the above and health of the baby.”
“All the above and Total distrust of hospital environment for birth.”
“Private experience/more control/midwifery model of care.”
“I felt like home was the most respectful, peaceful and safest of places to be for myself, my husband and both my older child and the child I was giving birth to. Amazing experience!” ~IO, homebirth mama
“So I could birth my babies in peace!”
~AG, homebirth mama
From the poll: “I believe unassisted birth at home is just as safe as hospital or midwife birth.”
All of the above, in the end, but our initial driver was the postpartum experience in the hospital after the birth of our first child. If I don’t need the level of care the hospital provides, I will not ever be there again. We case homebirth for our subsequent children.
After having three homebirths, I would add the the AFTERbirth care is amazing. Being able to enjoy your baby in peace, in your own space, with no one telling you that they “need” to do something to your baby is priceless. When we were looking at a hospital birth with our third (breech), that was my biggest fear – not me getting a cesarean, but how would I protect my baby from the things I did not want for her when I couldn’t keep her in my arms?
At home, every touch on my babies (and myself) was kind and gentle. After several hours of post-birth care and monitoring, my midwives made me a meal, cleaned up the birth area and ran a load of laundry for us. My midwife seemed to understand that the best way to take care of my baby was to empower ME to take care of her. I felt like a cared-for, precious person – not a babymaking machine who had completed her assignment.
After attempting a birth at home with my first and having to do a c-section, I wanted a home birth with my second because I felt it would be more peaceful and that I would have more control over the experience. I also strongly felt it was my best chance at a successful VBAC which I was able to have.
“With homebirth, I was able to control the environment of my labor experience. I had night labor and found the candle light and absence of beeps, blinky lights, and foot traffic quite soothing. I was also able to control my birth team – my husband, mom, and best friend, my midwife and her assistant. They were all there for the entire time. With homebirth, I was able to eat and drink whatever and whenever I chose, or to refuse whatever I did not want. With homebirth, I didn’t have to hope that my doctor would be the one delivering my baby. Unless their was another client in labor at the same time (rare, due to patient acceptance limits of my midwife) I knew that she would be there. With homebirth, I was in complete control of my movements and positioning. My midwife was there to assist and guide me. She was not there to issue directives. I could walk, squat, sit, lay, float, shower, kneel, crouch, crawl, all as I pleased. With homebirth, I didn’t have to worry about the technicalities and legalities of a birthing plan. I already knew who would be there. We all already knew what the plan was – allow my son to be born. Do whatever we need to do to assist him and me. And we all did it quite well. With homebirth, I didn’t have to go home. We were already there. My husband, my son and I all slept in our bed that very first, precious night. And for our postnatal checks – we didn’t have to go out. Our midwife came to us (well, until 2 and 6 week checks : ) ) I’m so glad for our homebirth experience. So glad that we did it again, 20 mos later. We had a girl. We love them both.”
~KS, homebirth mama
A couple “other” responses:
“Un-interferred birth is safer and I didn’t want anyone managing my birth.”
“I did not want the baby taken away from me AT ALL.”
I agree with all the above and would have put the same things so I will not re-type them. My most favorite part about a homebirth though is being in the privacy of my own home with no one around except for the people I CHOOSE to be there! I am big on privacy and internal comfort of being in my own space.