All Posts tagged Home vs hospital births

Why You May be Safer Giving Birth in a Hospital than at Home

The birth of a child should be comfortable, and emotionally satisfying life experience. More importantly, however, it should be a safe experience for both mother and baby. While the number of planned home births is increasing, women considering delivering their babies in a non-hospital setting should be aware of the risk factors associated with home births before they make their delivery plans.

The reasons that women cite for wanting a home birth include:

• The perception that it will be more cost-effective
• A desire to receive minimal, or no medications during delivery
• Religious, philosophical, and cultural preferences
• A desire to have access to their own space, clothes, and bathroom

The most common reason that women give for wanting a home birth however, is a desire to feel the comfort and security of their own home where they are surrounded by family, friends, and health care providers of their choosing.

While the number of planned home births has risen, recent studies have shown that the lack of access to hospital critical care services may put the mother, though more likely the newborn, at a higher risk of complications and even death. New research indicates that the risk of a baby dying at birth, or shortly after, is nearly four times higher when delivered by a midwife in a home setting, compared to deliveries by a midwife in a hospital. Women experiencing their first delivery are at an even greater risk for infant mortality when delivering in a home setting.

If complications with the birth occur during the delivery, a home setting does not provide immediate access to critical care services. During a delivery, every second is crucial to obtaining a successful birth outcome. One of the most common complications with any delivery is stillbirth. When urgent conditions occur, babies are in need of critical care that cannot be issued in a home. If any type of emergency occurs during labor, a woman and her baby would need to be transferred to a hospital setting for emergency care. This delay of critical treatment may make the difference between the life and death of the infant, or its mother.

For women considering a home birth, know that additional risks exist in certain circumstances. Home births are strongly cautioned against for women who:

• Have diabetes, chronic hypertension, a seizure disorder or any chronic medical condition
• Have previously had a cesarean section
• Develop a pregnancy complication, such as preeclampsia, prior to labor
• Are pregnant with multiples, or whose baby does not settle into a position that allows for a headfirst delivery prior to labor
• Are less than 37 weeks or more than 41 weeks pregnant

If you have concerns about the comfort and security that you will feel delivering in a hospital setting, know that your birth will be made most comfortable when you choose an OBGYN who you know and trust. Have a discussion with your chosen OBGYN regarding your birth plan. He or she will work with you to make the birth of your baby as comfortable, and safe, as possible.

And if you are looking for a doctor who puts the health and care of moms and babies first, please call Chouchani, Sayegh and Bagnarello MD. We are currently accepting patients at all three of our locations in Western New York.