Monday, January 5, 2009

Home Birth

I read a post from a fellow blogger who was on a rant against home birth. It was disappointing to see the misinformation that's out there. Especially after having had such a wonderful home birth experience. It made me wonder if anyone reading my blog had questions about home birth our our decision to birth at home. It's important to distinguish an attended home birth (attended by a licensed professional i.e. MD, CNM, etc.) from an unattended home birth or a birth attended by a lay midwife. I had regular prenatal care and was attended by licensed professionals with years of experience with labor and delivery in a variety of settings. We had all the equipment we needed to monitor the baby and to manage an emergency (oxygen, pitocin for postpartum hemorrhage, etc.). So this is your chance to get your burning home birth questions answered. Fire away.

2 comments:

bb said...

I am currently 36 weeks, and I have never thought of a home birth. To me, the whole process seems scary and being at home seems so uncontrolled. I am curious what led to your decision in the first place and if there was anything you wish you had done differently?

Congrats again on your baby boy! I am so looking forward to holding my baby girl in my arms - I am a little jealous of you right now!

Suzanne said...

yes jess, that IS terribly disappointing to read a rant against home birthing. i think it is dangerous to sway either way too strongly. i see both sides of the equation.

and knowing YOU, not only a trained licensed nurse practitioner, but a smart, sensible, woman who does her research--it was easily the best choice for you and your family.

i don't think i could EVER do it...but you never know. if something EVER happened to my baby during my home birth, i would never forgive myself for the "what if" scenarios that would replay over and over in my head. (even if there is nothing that could have been done in a hospital)

i am completely intruiged by it though...actually watched it on 20/20 the other night. the hydro-tub looked amazing and so much more comforting than laying on your back in a hospital bed. more holistic, less fear related to the hospital hustle and bustle. the pregnant woman seems to be the one in control of the situation.

i'm sure it was an amazing experience and i'm SO glad that you were able to do it! love you! once jonas starts sleeping through the night, you will feel like a brand new woman! hang in there!