Paper Example on Home Births are Safe Alternative to Hospital Births

Introduction

While in labor, epidural has long been the standard in America, but some women opt for less conventional birth methods that might involve giving birth away from the hospital. Hospitals are not the only safe places women can choose to give birth to their children. The option is not standard in America as only a small percentage of births take place at home. But the home birth stories that people give especially in the social media seem rewarding. For instance, some people skipped the hospital such as Cindy Crawford and Julianne Moore and were satisfied with the results. However, some professionals associate home birth with fewer maternal interventions such as c-section and labor induction making it unsafe and with a high risk for fetal death or fatality within the first few days of life (Eschner). Nonetheless, homebirths are a safe alternative to hospital births since most home birth midwives ensure they have a backup obstetrician-gynecologist or a healthcare facility to rush to in case of an emergency and the women are more comfortable and relaxed in the home environment increasing the chance of a healthy and natural birth process without complications.

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Home birth has not a common thing in the US with only a small percentage of pregnant women opting for it. Over the past century, women changed from giving birth at home to the hospitals since people were losing their homes due to the World War II (McIntosh 18). Moreover, over time, women began to fight for the free choice of where they want to deliver as some feared infections in hospitals (McIntosh 18). Home births have precipitously declined with only 2.7% of births in the UK, 1.2% in Scotland, and less than 0.4% in Northern Ireland takes place at home (Gaskin 41). The rates have gone down to 0.1% in most states in the US while in the Netherlands the numbers have gone down to less than a quarter resulting in the possibility of the complete eradication of legal home births in some regions in the near future (Gaskin 41). Medicalized childbirth has since become the default position in the West leaving home births as a no option and unsafe. But despite this, some experts believe that home births are a better option and safe for women who have had previous uncomplicated pregnancies and delivered healthy babies (Gaskin 109). Therefore, home births are meant for women who have had successful, uncomplicated births before and feel comfortable around a setting they are familiar with to avoid the feeling of being stressed out. What's more, hospitals have been associated with all kinds of infections since it is a place used by many. For that reason, women who would like such scenarios and reduce the risk of infections during labor and delivery are also the ones interested in home births.

Currently, home births are still not a choice for many, but it is becoming a preferable option for hospitals with many groups advocating for it. From the beginnings, women have been able to give birth on their own even without midwives which indicates that it is a God-given ability for women to birth children (Exodus 1:19) (The Bible 89). According to Gaskin, women are created in a way that they can safely deliver anywhere including in the comfort of her own house and not necessarily in hospitals (Gaskin 62). A woman's body was naturally designed to birth a baby, and it all takes the experiences of the midwife to successfully handle difficult and unexpected circumstances such as the cases of shoulder dystocia (Gaskin 354). McIntosh also argues in favor of this argument and claims that home births are just as safe as hospital births since both have their risks and advantages (McIntosh 19). Besides, the CDC has also acknowledged that home births are a low risk since the babies are heavier with few cases of preterm deliveries ('National Center for Health Statistics' 2012). Therefore, these findings show that home births are safe with the presence of a properly trained midwife since she is capable of taking good care of the mother and child as effectively as a physician does in the hospital. Even in cases of possible emergent situations, correctly trained and experienced midwives can handle the issues without a sweat.

Alternatively, there are those positions that are against the idea of home births. Eschner, for instance, argues that home births are not as safe as giving birth in hospitals. She finds that home births have resulted in an increase in infant mortality in the US as opposed to Canada where there is an open view of the notion of home births and midwifery (Eschner). Besides, Home births in Canada are integrated into the obstetric system unlike in America where hospitals are viewed as the only safe option. Fogelson and Fischbein also argue that home births are unsafe and result in an increased risk of neonatal and perinatal mortality and morbidity (Fogelson and Fischbein 357). They believe that women who decide to give birth in the comfort of their homes do not contract experienced midwives who can adequately handle any emergency that might arise.

These positions intersect and diverge in a way. Long before hospitals came to exist, people used to give birth at home. If the deliveries were safe then, what prevents them from being safe now that hospitals are there? At the same time, if there is a higher risk for infections in hospitals than at home, why do most families still prefer hospitals to homes? That is where the different positions intersect and diverge when it comes to the best place to give birth.

Moreover, the advocates of this position agree that hospitals can be the safest environment for one to go through labor and birth, but home births are also equally good and can result in better outcomes in low-risk women. Likewise, it is recommendable only for those who have had previous successful pregnancies and gave birth to healthy babies. They also agree that midwives are highly experienced to safely handle any complications that might arise and still deliver a healthy baby while within the confines of the patient's home. However, they disagree on the fact that women can give birth on their own as some believe in the importance of the presence of a midwife during the labor and delivery process (Gaskin 287). Therefore, no matter the disagreements, they still find home births as a safe alternative to hospital births.

Conclusion

Planned out-of-hospital births with the presence and help of a midwife are a safe birth choice. Women tend to be more comfortable and relaxed while in the confines of their homes giving them a more pleasant experience of childbirth. In the home environment, delivery is treated as usual and natural, as well as a physiological process that leaves the mother feeling better. Besides, home births carried out by a registered midwife are connected with low rates of prenatal deaths and reduced tolls of obstetric involvement as well as unfavorable maternal outcomes when put in comparison with premeditated hospital births. Hospitals are still a harmless option, and women should be allowed to choose where they would prefer to have their children.

Works Cited

Eschner, Kat. "U.S. Home Births Aren't as Safe as Many Abroad." Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 5 May 2017. www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-home-births-may-never-be-successful-those-other-countries-180963108/

Fogelson, Nicholas S., and Stuart Fischbein. "Obstetric Ethics: An Essential Dimension in Planned Home Birth." Obstetrics & Gynecology, vol. 118, no. 2, Part 1, 2011, p. 357., doi:10.1097/aog.0b013e3182267ab1.

Gaskin, Ina May. Spiritual Midwifery. 4th ed., BookPublishingCompany, 2002.McIntosh, Tania. "Pushed into It? Hospital or Home Birth Has Rarely Been a Simple Choice." History Today, vol. 67, no. 11, Nov. 2017, p. 18-20.

"National Center for Health Statistics." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26 Jan. 2012,www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db84.htm#birthssss.

The Bible. New International Version Study Bible, Zondervan, 2002.