This may be a controversial subject but apparently that is what we are all about here at the blog so why not talk about this!

If you are fortunate to live in a place where you have options in the health care, you may be given these choices in terms of where to give birth. The main one being a hospital, with a birthing center next and then the home birth choice. In Canada I am unaware if we even have birthing centers and for me, the thought never crossed my mind as I always would prefer a hospital for many many reasons. However I have seen stories where people do in fact in the year 2022 decide to have a home birth because they are an “ideal” candidate. I have 2 kids and I would like to have a third here in the near future and there is nothing in this world that could ever per sway me to ever agreeing to having a home birth. The only way it would remotely happen would be if labor came on super fact and I had no idea if I would make it to the hospital.

**If you like what you are reading through out these blogs, and are looking at ways to financially support the blog, please consider checking out my Ko-Fi link here. You will NEVER be pressured to contribute to towards put any type of money towards the blog however if the thought has crossed your mind, here is a great way to help a stay at home mom provide some financial relief for her family.

One of the reasons why I think many people like myself choose a hospital is, simply put, you just never know. You really have no idea what is happening when it comes to giving birth. For example, my 2nd was breech and we never knew he was until I was actually in labor. You can read all about his birth here which ended in a c-section. If I hypothetically was to try for an at home birth I would have been right to the hospital for that anyways. And in the process maybe wasting time and potentially risking my life or my child’s life. Call it harsh if you must, but that is the reality of a home birth.

Being in a hospital is such a safe place to be due to the immense amount of resources that are available. If anything were to happen and it needed to have a situation that could be ready for anything this would be the place to go. In my own situation, I never knew my son was breech until I was in labor. What if we had attempted a vaginal delivery just like my first son, and then something happened and I needed to be rushed to a hospital to save the life of myself of even my child. There really is anything that could be happening. And with doctors and specialist and nurses there you really could not be in any safer place for welcoming your child into the world.

Then you have birthing centers from my understanding, is mainly for low risk pregnancy’s. They are a lot more laid back than a hospital so to speak however they do have a bit more specific rules that must be included in a birth plan. I really don’t know any examples of this due to the fact I am not aware if Canada even has birthing centers. Especially with our universal health care I think it would be a home birth or a hospital birth. From my understanding though, a birth center is some what of a middle ground in terms of giving birth. It is more or less a mix of a home setting with some hospital interventions if necessary and to some extent too.

And finally, home births which are just that. They are hiring some sort of professional whether a midwife or a doula or maybe even a nurse, and having your baby inside of your home. There is minimal interventions medically so to speak and only people with low risk pregnancy are even considered for this. The whole purpose is to have a birth as natural as possible without the hospital setting. And well, if something goes wrong then that is a whole other story. This includes not having any medications to help and maybe even having a minimal amount of monitors even checking the health status of your baby.

This may come off blunt (but if you are already a big reader you will know I don’t sugar coat things) but in 2022 there should not be any home births. There is so much that can happen in the blink of an eye that if not at a birthing center at the very least, you could not only be putting your baby in danger but also yourself too. This also raises the question, if something were to happen during child birth at home with the baby or the mother, who is to blame? The parents who decided to have the home birth? The people who encouraged this practice or were essentially helping the baby be born into this world? There really is a bunch of raised questions that could be asked when in terms of what if’s and if something goes wrong.

I am a firm believer in science. I think that with so many interventions to help with child birth there is little reasons why babies should be born and die due to neglect (Which is what home births are in my honest opinion). I dont even understand how any parent who decides this and has something happen (Heaven forbid it does) would be able to live with themselves knowing that the situation could have many been prevented provided they were in an established center that was well equipped to handle crisis when it should show up.

Child birth can be stressful enough, being in a hospital may be stressful for some and I understand the reasoning for wanting a home birth, however I don’t agree that they should happen. A hospital is there for a reason, and that reason just may be to save the life of your baby and yourself.