Guest Post: Baby, You’re Home

Parenting

by Lamar Tyler | on November 21st, 2008 | 7 comments

Content courtesy of TheStateOf.com:

Home births are up.

“Home births have been around as long as humans, but since the 1950s, the overwhelming majority of American women have chosen to give birth in hospitals, which the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists identifies as one of the safest places for the unpredictable and sometimes dangerous process of childbirth. (The group has officially opposed home births since 1975, and this year the American Medical Association adopted a similar position.)

“Recently, though, midwives and childbirth educators say, a growing number of women have been opting instead for the more intimate and familiar surroundings of home — even in New York City, where homes are typically cramped warrens of a few hundred square feet and neighbors often live close enough to hear every sneeze and footstep.

“Births in New York’s hospitals, where pediatricians are able to check babies immediately for potentially dangerous conditions, it should be noted, still vastly outnumber those in its homes — in 2006 home births accounted for only one-half of 1 percent of the city’s 125,506 reported births.

BMWK, what do you think is behind this rise in home births? Did you or would you go the home birth route? Give us your thoughts on the topic.

About the author

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler are the creators of the award-winning blog BlackandMarriedWithKids.com . They also are behind the Amazon.com bestselling DVDs Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, You Saved Me and Men Ain’t Boys that explores manhood in the African American community. The Tylers are also the proud parents of four children.

Anna

The rise behind it is because woman want a more natural calming enviroment. Even with a pregnancy with no surprises there can be complications durning delivery. I would not opt for this type of delivery. I had my last child 19 yrs. ago and the hospital birthing rooms are very cozy and home like. I want to ease my own mind knowing there is a doctor and a neo natal unit near by.
Mrs. D

People in general are becoming savvier about their healthcare. Childbirth is not a medical procedure, it is a natural act of bringing a child into this world. Doctors are trained to diagnose and treat disease. Midwives are trained to deliver babies. I chose a midwife over a doctor with my third child. There are cases ,especially with high risk pregnancies, that it would be wise to deliver in a medical facility, however there are midwife birthing centers that partner with obstetricians and local hospitals to handle unforeseen problems and circumstances.

The cost of giving birth is expensive. My last child was born in a hospital because I was high risk. The cost of that delivery was $22,000, which entailed and emergency C-section. A midwife, had it been a normal pregnancy, would have cost me $3,000 total at the midwife birthing center and $1,500 with a midwife during a home birth. The average cost of birth in Texas is $6,000 to $25,000 and that doesn’t include lab fees, physician fees and every other kind of fee they manage to find.

Healthcare is expensive, midwives allow you to do what is comfortable for you during birth, and most doctors make you do what is more comfortable for them to fit their schedules. Midwives allow the human body to birth the baby causing less injuries and episiotomies for women. For a normal pregnancy, I would take a midwife hands down because it seems to me that women lose their power in hospitals to give birth the way our bodies were designed to do so.
http://www.tifiblogs.com Dee

Yea, what Mrs. D said. I used midwives with all three of my children though I didn’t have homebirths. I wanted to, but the out of pocket cost would’ve been too high (not covered by insurance). If there is a fourth child in the cards for us, we plan to (finally) have a homebirth.

Dees last blog post..Fail!
http://singlikesassy.blogspot.com/ SingLikeSassy

I’ve always wanted to do a homebirth, but I’m AMA now so it’s not an option unless circumstances at the time of birth work out for it to happen that way. But I have researched working with a midwife at a birthing center and my insurance will cover that so I think I’m going to do it if we ever get pregnant.
Anna

Dee said:
Yea, what Mrs. D said. I used midwives with all three of my children though I didn’t have homebirths. I wanted to, but the out of pocket cost would’ve been too high (not covered by insurance). If there is a fourth child in the cards for us, we plan to (finally) have a homebirth.
~~~~~~~~
Cute pic. I sometimes want a fourth child but was in the store yesterday and the kid in the cart remined me to “just say no”. I will wait on having grand kids, I can give them back. My first born is only 23 getting her Masters and is pre engaged and wants her plan of having her first child at 27. I will give/pass along the option for her to have a midwife. I have a good friend who has 5 kids and is a midwife. Money wise the cost is cheaper. I am not sure if ppl know that a doc that did not deliver your child can say a peek a boo “hi” and still end up on your insurance bill.
Linda

I’ve been looking into birthing centers in the Anne Arundel area, since I pregnant with my third child. I hated the hospital births that I had with my two children, it was to controlled and “business like usual” to them.
Kim C.

i ended up doing all the work and doctoring myself anyway. the doctors i had both times were horrible. like someone mentioned, all business-like and rushed. “hurry up, get the baby out, clean this room, and bring in the next one!” wish i would have done this instead

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