35 Reasons Why We Choose Homebirth
Why do I think a homebirth is so much better than a hospital birth?
I’ve experienced a planned hospital birth, a planned homebirth that ended with an induced hospital birth (and a month-early preemie) because of pre-eclampsia, and two homebirths. I am a big proponent of giving birth at home because of these experiences. The hospital births did not end up being horrible, and the nurses and doctors were (mostly) good people, yet after the homebirth, I can’t imagine doing it any other way.
One major reason is that while a male OB/GYN may be technically proficient in his field, the fact that he hasn’t given birth, and can’t ever give birth, gives the midwife and doula a huge advantage in terms of actually relating to and understanding birth from a woman’s perspective.
35 Reasons to Give Birth at Home:
In no particular order-
- Homebirth is safer - Your house is a lot less likely to be a source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and it’s not full of sick people.
- Your chances are getting a C-section are reduced with a homebirth.
- It’s cheaper - A midwife’s fee is much less costly than a hospital stay.
- You don’t have to go anywhere.
- The food is way better at home. Organic food? Vegan? No problem.
- You don’t have to have strangers at your birth (unless you want to).
- Your home is always more comfortable than any hospital room.
- Everything you need is there.
- You can be as green as you want. Hospitals aren’t known for natural soaps, cleaners, or recycled-content anything.
- You control the environment at home. If you want to dim all the lights or open a window, you just do it.
- Birth is a sacred experience. What better setting could there be?
- It’s so much quieter at home. There are no cabinets full of blinky lights, fans, and humming devices. Well, maybe some of you have that… But probably not in your bedroom. And you can power them down if you want.
- Homebirth is just more fun!
- Your older kids can be a part of the birth.
- Your pets can attend. Seriously. Pets are family, too.
- Giving birth at home is an exceptionally empowering experience. We can take back birth from The Man.
- No silly hospital gown is necessary at home. Wear whatever you want, or wear nothing.
- You don’t need an ID bracelet for the mother or the baby when you birth at home.
- You can choose the room for your birth, or change rooms in the middle. Not an option at the hospital.
- Giving birth outside is an option with a homebirth. Our first homebirth was in our front yard, in a birthing tub, and our second in a tipi in our yard. It’s probably not an possibility for most city dwellers, but our second homebirth was just on the other side of the fence from a public school (and recess ended just as active labor came on…)
- No paperwork is necessary at your homebirth.
- You can cut the umbilical cord when you are good and ready. The speed at which they want to snip our newborn’s lifeline is unbelievable.
- No gadgetry on the mother: A homebirth midwife doesn’t require you to wear a monitor or get an IV started “just in case”.
- You don’t have to sign out when you leave your house.
- Your family doesn’t have to negotiate a giant parking lot and endless hallways to visit you.
- A heating pad does not cost $50 to use.
- You can have as much sage, incense, candles, whatever, as you like.
- There is no pressure to circumcize, vaccinate, or apply for a Social Security number for your baby right after a homebirth.
- You don’t end up with a “gift bag” (marketing samples) from big corporate America, full of disposable diapers, formula, baby wipes, shampoo, soaps, and brand propaganda.
- Your baby’s placenta does not become a biohazard. We left our placenta at the hospital, but we planned to bury it, so I drove back, all bleary-eyed, and asked for it. They weren’t going to give it to me, even though we had our name on it in the fridge (just like lunch…) We had to call the OB and have her sign off on the release, and then I had to sign about four different forms, and then they finally gave it to me in a bag with “Biohazard” all over it. Sheesh.
- The dad has a bed at home. Sleeping on a foldout cot next to the hospital bed sucks.
- Nobody comes in, wakes you up, and checks your vitals every half hour at home.
- You can stream the live video of the birth to all your friends (Pay-per-view homebirths?) OK, I’m kidding.
- Having a homebirth is different. Different is cool.
- The hospital is open 24 hours, so if you need it, it will be there.
I know that it isn’t for everyone, but if you feel at all drawn to homebirth, I say “Go for it - it’s not as mysterious as it sounds.” It’s the way women have always given birth. Only recently has birth become the domain of the doctor and hospital, the insurance company and the pharmacy.
I’ve listed 35 of the reasons that we choose homebirth, but I’d love to be able to change the title to read “75 Reasons…” or “100 Reasons…”, so help me out here by leaving a comment.
If you choose homebirth, what are your reasons?
Related posts about homebirth:
- Labor of Love: Home Birth is a Choice that the AMA Wants to Outlaw
- Why I Hate Dr. Phil: Sensationalizing Home Births
- Labor of Love: 3 Essential Books to Read When Planning a Natural Birth
Image: Author
What a lovely post and great reasons! I always LOVED the idea of home birth, however I was a super high risk from day one and wasn’t a viable candidate. Given my birth experiences I am glad I didn’t push for a home birth anyway.
I am a proponent for home birth for those who a) want one b) are healthy c) have had healthy pregnancies d) are in a low risk category.
After a VERY rocky/scary first delivery I almost went with a water birth at a birthing center for my second delivery. I found a group that would take me, although they were reluctant. They did have a OB on staff and were next to a hospital for transfer if needed. That delivery was even worse than the first, resulting in major complications for me and baby but we managed to avoid medical intervention. I did need a blood transfusion and my Doc later said I had him scared for the first time in his 20 year career. After two very difficult, long, dangerous deliveries we were scheduled c-sections. No matter how much I wanted an intervention free birth (I have longed to be a mid-wife myself!) I wasn’t about to risk my life or the well being of my babies.
My cousin delivered all four of her boys at home and each experience was wonderful. I have other friends who opted for hospital births, but had very quick, gentle births and would have been great candidates for birthing at home.
When I watch birth shows, my favorites are always home births or midwife assisted birth center/water births, etc… things are so much kinder, gentler and more relaxing (if birth can be relaxing).
I had a home birth as I had done a tonne of research and knew that was the way to go.
We don’t have to worry about the expenses here in Canada, but one thing I did think you might be able to add to your list is being able to have a ritual birth. I suppose it could be related to having sage, incense, candles, etc. I had planned to have a ritualized birth where I would invoke Yemaya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iemanj%C3%A1). . .it didn’t work out that way as I got way too caught up in the pain much more quickly than I had imagined
Nonetheless, it wouldn’t have been an option at all otherwise and I hope that next time, now that I basically know what to expect, I can do that.
Hm, you could also add something about how the births tend to be healthier — I read in multiple places that the mortality rate is actually higher in hospital.
Great post!
I had two hospital births and never considered a home birth. I’m thankful that my children were delivered safely, but it upsets me how many C-sections happen in hospitals in my region. In my “mom group” I think 5 out of 8 of us had C-sections.
For home births you could add no nurses pinching your boobs as if you were a cow.
First off, I totally love and respect your opinion and posts Derek. However, from MY personal experience I disagree. Had I gone with home birth b/c I believed in it and thought it was the way for me, I would NOT be here nor would my son.
Look, women did do this for centuries and years BUT also state the number of deaths. Also state the birth defects and complications. Women are meant to have children but not all women. Women DO die during child birth.
Doctors are there for a reason. We can diss them. We can bitch and moan and say “natural” is best. However, if you’re in a pinch and want to live and have a healthy child and that is how it happens, you’re pretty thankful for that doctor.
Let me ask you this, is it the childbirth that matters? The hours and it being natural for the the sake of the moms ego and opinion of what will happen and how it will go? OR does it matter more that there is a healthy breathing child and a mom to nurture that child?
A few points from a GreenandCleanMom.org who does believe in sustainability, organic living and being natural to refute a few of your points above…
“The dad has a bed at home. Sleeping on a foldout cot next to the hospital bed sucks.”
-Better then in a bed at home and a wife dead…in my case that could have been. Reality sucks but it is the truth and a slit in in the tummy and the baby coming out that way…I could give a shit less if it was “natural” I’m alive and writing and caring for my kids.
“You can cut the umbilical cord when you are good and ready. The speed at which they want to snip our newborn’s lifeline is unbelievable.”
-Super but what if there isn’t time. What if a doctor or nurse is needed. Burn your candles. Love the idea but when it comes to a life being saved and there not being time to snip when you are ready…what would you choose? Heart rate low? Baby and mommy breathing funny. Shoot, I’m at home. What do I do? Now what are you advocating for?
“Homebirth is just more fun!”
-Love you Derek but I’m a women and nothing about feeling like I was going to shit a child out of my ass was fun. Tell me you are for real?
“It’s cheaper - A midwife’s fee is much less costly than a hospital stay.”
-Cheaper and yes, I would have a baby today. I’ll pay the cost.
“Your chances are getting a C-section are reduced with a homebirth.”
-Disagree. I went from 4-10 in 20 minutes b/c the baby turned and heart rates drop and there were no other options. Don’t glorify home birth it isn’t’ a fashion show or contest. It’s about healthy moms and babies.
“The hospital is open 24 hours, so if you need it, it will be there.”
-Yes, and sometimes it is too late and depends on where you live. Write a post like this, make it seem glamorous, better and special but it only takes a few minutes for something to go wrong.
I respect your opinion and writing but be on the other side of the fence and look at your children? You’ll be thanking the doctors, needles, medicine, staff, hospital, stitches, etc. and while you hold your baby that will be what matters.
Thanks for your comments!
There are as many birth experiences as there are people in the world - I just listed the reasons we chose, and will choose, homebirth.
I completely respect all of your experiences. I wouldn’t try to convince a high-risk mother to birth at home, nor would I want to convince anyone to do it because we choose it. Our experience has been, yes, fun (my wife describes it as ecstatic, and she’s chosen to not take pain meds).
Our first planned homebirth ended up with an intervention (early inducement), and I am eternally grateful to have a healthy wife and babe because of medical care.
The option of a C-section is real for a percentage of births, but there is an alarmingly high rate of C-sections at our local hospital - 1/3 of all births there end in surgery. I have a hard time believing that all those were necessary. Sure, some are, but 1/3? And with an estimated 1 in 10 hospital patients acquiring a nosocomial infection (an infection caused by a hospital stay), it might not be as safe as it sounds.
I certainly respect the skills and equipment of modern medicine, and don’t want it to sound like I diss doctors just because… The last time I checked, the statistics about birth were staggeringly in favor of homebirths. I would love to see anything that supported the contrary.
I certainly hope nobody chooses homebirth blindly, especially based on a blog post by a (gasp) man. I hope that those that do are thoroughly educated by their midwife or doula and are sure that’s what they want.
I originally started out to write about unassisted homebirth, but I thought that might be a little out there, so I stuck with homebirth. There are many qualified midwives who are fully educated about the risks, and have the skills to make decisions if a complication arises. I trust that anyone who does choose to birth at home with a midwife is making an informed decision. Ina May Gaskin and Laura Shanley both have excellent books about homebirths and unassisted births.
And we do know some people who lost their baby during birth through medical incompetence, so there are no guarantees.
I’m glad you and your children are alive and healthy, and respect your opinions. I didn’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, I just hear so much fear-based reasoning surrounding childbirth and homebirth that I thought to counter it with a little positive spin.
The main reason a homebirth is overwhelmingly safer than a hospital birth is that anyone who is at-risk of any complications isn’t allowed to give birth at home and has to go to a hospital. That takes care of almost all the women who, in the olden days, would have died in childbirth or would have had stillborn babies.
Excellent list and excellent discussion! One thing I would add to your list that women tend to feel safer and more comfortable “psychologically” at home. Because birth is orchestrated by hormones, fear and anxiety can effectively stop or disrupt labor. The cold, sterile, unfamiliar environment of the hospital doesn’t generally help women to feel relaxed and allow the endorphins and oxytocin to flow freely. At home, women are in familiar surroundings and their labors tend to be more effective.
That being said, if a woman is afraid to give birth at home, for whatever reason, the fear will detriment to her labor and she will likely transfer.
Another big plus with homebirth is that the baby is almost never taken out of mom’s arms. As a doula, I have witnessed baby after baby, healthy and pink, taken from their mother’s arms in the first hour and often the first minutes after birth. This is usually done because the staff needs to get through a ‘to-do’ list of procedures on the baby; weigh, measure, poke, band, etc. They can’t leave the delivery room until this is done and they don’t have time to devote to every family. At home, your midwife is your own and she isn’t taking care five other women at the same time. Exams aren’t rushed and are done right next to mom or in her arms.
Life does not offer guarantees, but the statistics have shown that home birth and hospital birth are both safe the majority of the time. Women’s instincts about the place of birth need to be trusted.
This is excellent!
I chose to birth at home because I did not want to undergo another unnecessary cesarean. Yep, I was a VBAC mom.
Obstetricians told me that I would kill my baby. Every appointment was a stressful, emotional, horrid mess. Nobody seemed to believe in my body’s ability to give birth. I gave birth at home because I didn’t want to see another one of my babies spend time in the NICU. I gave birth at home because women have been doing it for centuries before me.
I gave birth at home because it was the most gentle, peaceful, and beautiful place I could think of to welcome a new child into the world.
I now help women give birth in their homes. And I love every moment of it.
I’m planning my first birth as a home birth come February. I’ve had four friends deliver in the past few months. Two were induced and three were c-sectioned (do the math). I believe that a healthy woman’s body is fully capible of delivering a healthy baby naturally, and in my fifth month of pregnancy, I haven’t so much as walked through a hospital’s doors (and don’t want to unless my midwife insists it’s absolutely necessary). Thanks for this post. It is very encouraging. Honestly, I think I am taking fewer risks than my friends did, but I need to hear things from people like you to reasure me that I’m not crazy!
I gave birth two months ago to a beautiful baby girl. I waited too long at home before going to the hospital because my contractions were shorter than the norm. When I was leaving my home, I regretted not planning for a home birth. I found it disruptive to leave and I had to wait for a delivery room at the hospital for about 30 minutes while I was 9 cm dilated.
I was able to have a water birth at the hospital, but birthing tubs are available for rent in many areas.