List of Pros and Cons of Home Birth
One of the most important choices that women make once they have become pregnant is deciding where they will give birth to their baby. In recent years, more and more mothers have opted for a home birthing method, for a variety of reasons. While detractors have been vociferous in their disapproval, there are advantages and disadvantages to home birth, so let’s have a closer look at these pros and cons.
List of Pros of Home Birth
1. Control Over The Experience.
A woman who has her baby in the hospital does not always have the final say over every aspect of the process, while one who has her baby at home is able to exercise a great deal of control. Women have the option of playing soothing music, lighting aromatherapy candles and customizing their home environment to their liking.
2. Decrease In Expenses.
Ask any mother who has given birth in a hospital and been forced to stay for a few nights afterwards and they will tell you that the hospital fees are astronomical. Even paying a midwife will cost a new mother much, much less than a physician’s fee and the costs of staying overnight at the hospital.
3. Increased Freedom.
Once a mother to be checks in the hospital, her freedom becomes severely limited. She is not able to move around as she pleases and cannot eat anything besides ice chips. Women who wish to move around as they see fit and be able to eat something besides a Popsicle and some ice chips will typically prefer to give birth to their child at home.
List of Cons of Home Birth
1. Potential Emergencies.
If a mother should come across an emergency situation while giving birth at home, the health of the child could be in immediate danger. Instead of being at the hospital and able to contact a doctor in person, the mother is reliant upon an ambulance or a trusted loved one to rush her to the hospital.
2. Messy Delivery.
As you may imagine, delivering a child can be very messy work, a job that few households are prepared to accommodate. While money is saved on hospital costs, some of it is given back in the form of purchasing towels, blankets, plastic sheets and all of the necessary items that are used by mothers and midwives to minimize the mess.
3. No Pain Relief.
While many mothers are able to give birth to a child naturally, there are many who experience high levels of pain and require epidural analgesia in order to give birth comfortably. Should a woman decide to give birth at home, there are very few relief options available to her if she begins to struggle with labor pains.