As you can imagine we have a lot of newly pregnant women here at Holistic Wellness. It’s a huge perk of the job! I frequently discuss birth options with my newly pregnant clients. Should I have a home birth, birth center birth, hospital birth? Should I use a certified professional midwife (CPM), a certified nurse midwife (CNM), or an M.D.? I’m excited for you to read the following post regarding the safety of midwife attended birth from midwife and guest blogger Lincey Knox, LM, CPM
What is the Home Birth Experience like?
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When a woman is empowered to set the tone for her own labor and birth she will naturally desire a safe and relaxing atmosphere.
In a home birth setting, the client is surrounded by the scents, sounds, and familiarity (own bed, bathroom, etc) that she is accustomed to, adding to her sense of safety and security. Feeling safe and allowing one’s body to relax and surrender to the natural process of labor is important. “It is safe to say that a woman should give birth in a place she feels is safe…For a low-risk pregnant woman this can be at home…” The relationship built between client and midwife facilitates a sense of trust and security and is an important aspect of safety in home births. Trusting the caregiver allows a woman to focus on the task before her rather than being concerned about what procedures may be done to her or the baby, which you find in most hospital settings. Midwives provide woman-centered care for low risk pregnancies. A midwife enters the home of her client with an attitude of respect continuing to facilitate a feeling of trust and safety as the woman labors and births at home.
Studies show risk in home birth is equal to or lower than the risk of delivering in a hospital and is associated with a much lower occurrence of intervening procedures during labor and delivery.
“Recognizing the evidence that births to healthy mothers, who are not considered at medical risk after comprehensive screening by trained professionals, can occur safely in various settings, including out-of-hospital birth centers and homes.”
In the right setting, with a low risk mother/baby pair and a trained and trusted midwife home birth is safe. Research your options and find a midwife that supports you in choosing what is best for you and your baby!
For other blogs in this series please see: The Midwifery Model of Care and Is Midwife Attended Birth Safe?
Byline: Lincey Knox, LM, CPM
For those seeking additional information, the paper, Care in Normal Birth: a practical guide from the World Health Organization is an amazing resource.
****** If you’re not pregnant yet, pre-conception care is what you do to prepare yourself to become pregnant. Come learn how to enhance your health in preparation for optimal fertility, a healthy full-term pregnancy, a straightforward labor, a rapid recovery, successful breastfeeding – and of course,a bright, healthy beautiful baby! Learn how nutrition, changes in body composition, exercise and sleep can positively impact female and male fertility and impact the health of any future pregnancy.
