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What You Need to Know When Considering a Home Birth
Are you contemplating
a home birth? Perhaps like many women in North America
you are seeking to avoid invasive medical treatments
and desire a relaxed, warm environment to welcome your
child into.
If this is the first home birth you
are considering it is wise to ask questions regarding
the safety of the home birth experience. What should
you consider before deciding and what steps should you
take to ensure the health of yourself and your infant?
IS HOME BIRTH AS SAFE AS HOSPITAL DELIVERY?
The answer, according to a study performed
by Kenneth Johnson of the Public Health Agency of Canada
and Betty-Anne Daviss of the Safe Motherhood/Newborn
Initiative, is that home births can be a safe option
for low risk pregnancies.
The research conducted on 5418 women
in the US and Canada showed that home births resulted
in lower medical intervention than similar low risk
births in hospitals. That means less epidurals, episiotomies,
forceps deliveries, vacuum extractions, and caesarean
sections than those given to women with low risk pregnancies
who delivered in the hospital.
During the study only 12% of the women
were transferred to hospital during labor or postpartum.
All of the women in the study planned a home birth before
labor and were attended to by a certified midwife.
Despite the lack of medical intervention,
the health of the mother and infant was similar to the
health of mother and baby who delivered in the hospital.
If you are considering a home birth it is essential
to have a registered nurse-midwife or doctor who is
experienced in home birth deliveries to be present.
Still, professionals disagree on the
safety of home births in America and despite the rising
costs of doctors and hospital births, many feel that
a birth belongs in the hospital rather than the home.
WHO MIGHT CONSIDER A HOME BIRTH?
Home births are only recommended as
an option for low risk pregnancies. Traditionally, births
were always made at home, among family and friends,
but industrialization has changed the way many look
at birth. Instead of considering a birth to be a medical
emergency, it should be recognized as a natural process.
When a woman with a low risk pregnancy arranges for
professional midwife or physician care, a home birth
can be considered a safe and natural process.
However, high risk pregnancies and lack
of professional assistance will greatly increase the
risk to both mother and child in a home birth. If you
have complications with your pregnancy, including a
previous caesarean, high blood pressure, diabetes or
multiple gestation, a home birth should not be attempted.
Giving birth at home is an experience
that women throughout the world and throughout history
have shared. If you are interested in a home birth contact
a midwife or speak to your obstetrician about your options.
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