Photo by LisaPisa
If you approached some random people on the street, and mentioned the phrase “home birth” to them, you’d probably get lots of reactions like, “What, you mean some people still have their babies at home? Do they live on the frontier, far from a hospital? Are they without insurance?”
Not only are home births on the rise, more women are choosing to have their babies at home — specifically 83 percent of all women who deliver at home, reports an analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics, via NPR.com.
The average person might not understand why an expectant mama would opt against a hospital delivery, but women who’ve had both hospital and a home birth experiences certainly can:
- No laboring on the car ride to the hospital or worrying about flat tires, snowstorms, or the car breaking down.
- Being able to manage contractions in different positions, including your floor and the bathtub using water pressure. Hospitals often insist on fetal monitor hookups, which restrict freedom of movement.
- Home birth are as safe as hospital births for low-risk women, and insurance covers it.
- No hospital food.
- Just being home.
Montana and Vermont have the highest rates of home birth, while Louisiana and Nebraska have the lowest, according to NPR.
Some of the states with big increase: Alabama, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Where are you delivering your baby?
Other posts you’ll like:
An Illegal Homebirth: One Mom’s Story
Surprise! You’re Having a Home Birth