When women ask me why would any one choose to give birth at home, my first response is freedom. You can choose what position to labor or birth in, who will attend you, and to not have tight bands around your belly for monitoring.

Whether you give birth at home or a birth center, the philosophy is the same. Both are safe, satisfying and empowering for women and their families.

Some Key Points To Consider:

• You will experience less pain ~ When a woman feels safe and secure, her body works in harmony. Endorphins (the hormone that is pain relieving) are released readily.
• You will experience less intervention ~ When your body is working well, it does not need any help! Interventions such as IV’s, constant fetal monitoring, being attached to a blood pressure cuff, not being able to move around will often slow labor.
• You will have more control ~ You are in “charge”. You don’t have to ask permission to eat, drink or go to the bathroom. There are no machines to unhook or move around.
• Your family can be as involved as you like ~ They can be present throughout labor and birth or just close by. They can cut the cord or actually catch the baby (with a little coaching) Many siblings “help” with the newborn exam and dressing the baby for the first time.
• You will be more satisfied ~ Over 99% of women who have had a home birth or birth center birth will choose to do one or the other with the next pregnancy.
• You will have less risk of a c-section ~ Less than 4% of women planning to deliver at home end up having a c-section. (1)
• You will have less risk of an episiotomy ~ We assist you in gently controlled pushing thereby reducing the risk of tearing or needing to be cut.
• You will have continuity of care ~ We will be with you throughout the entire process. No shift changes!
• You have less chance of getting an infection ~ You are immune to the germs in your home, unlike those in the hospital setting. It is estimated that 5-6% of all people admitted to the hospital will get an infection. These are sometimes difficult to treat as they are resistant to antibiotics.

Midwives usually deliver at home or in a birth center.

Hospital

Please don’t get the idea that we are anti-hospital, because that could not be any further from the truth. If you have a complicated pregnancy, you don’t tolerate labor well, your baby doesn’t tolerate labor well, your baby is mal-positioned or you want to be in the hospital, then that is absolutely the place for you to be and we support you 100%.

If a transport during labor or birth is necessary, we will go with you and act as labor support so that you have that continuity of care that you deserve. We strive to have an excellent relationship with the hospital staff.