Top Six Benefits of Giving Birth at Home
Susana Smith
Mar 1, 2022
Susana has worked extensively with pregnant women. She has experienced the joy of home birth and is an advocate for home birth safety.
giving-birth-at-home
Giving Birth at Home Is a Joy!
Welcome, mom-to-be! If you have already decided that giving birth at home is your preferred choice, or are in the process of exploring birthing options, then you're going to find some useful information about the benefits of a natural home birth here.
There are several words that moms typically use to describe their home birth experiences: magical, special, joyous, precious, emotional, and intimate.
I would also use these words to describe my natural home birth experience, as well as others that have not been invented yet!
This is because there are aspects of a home birth that are simply beyond words—it's an experience that will touch you on a deeply emotional, psychological, and spiritual level.
While it goes without saying that every mom's experience of labor and giving birth will be different, I've included some of my own experiences of giving birth in a hospital in comparison to giving birth at home.
This is to highlight some of the differences that I found between the two birthing options and why I would choose a home birth over a hospital birth every single time.
"Looking back, I had been brainwashed to some extent by the common notion that birth should be a medical process that takes place in a medical environment and that giving birth outside of a well-equipped hospital is simply a dangerous (and possibly insane) choice!" Susana S
Hospital vs Home Birth
You may share some of my observations about hospital birth vs home birth, or you may have a completely different viewpoint. Either is completely fine.
This is not about judging anyone's birthing choices or saying there is one right way to give birth.
The benefits of home birth that I describe are based on some home birth research facts plus my own subjective (and totally biased!) experiences.
Giving Birth at Home is a Joy!
Giving Birth at Home is a Joy!
The Benefits of Home birth
There are many advantages of giving birth at home for low-risk pregnancies. There is something inherently special and liberating about giving birth in your own surroundings that is quite hard to get across to someone who has never experienced the joy of it themselves.
1. Home Birth Is Intimate
If you've planned your home birth with the assistance of a midwife or doula you will know each other well and so you will not be confronted with having to deal with strangers at a time when you are at your most vulnerable.
Home birth is characterized by a truly intimate feel when you are in your own surroundings with people you know well.
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In contrast, during my first labor and delivery which took place in a hospital, I can remember the awful experience of having to have stitches afterwards, performed by someone I'd never met before and who hardly spoke a word of English.
Needless to say, it was incredibly stressful having a complete stranger staring at my very sore nether regions and paying very little attention when I said it was hurting!
There are also no hospital shift changes when giving birth at home, so you won't have different midwives, pediatricians, and medical personnel to contend with, which can be extremely unsettling in itself.
2. Home Birth Is Empowering
When giving birth at home you have total control over your birthing experience; where and how you would like to give birth; what pain relief you want to use and who can be present.
With your partner, mom or other family members or friends present, sometimes along with a midwife or doula, home birth is empowering in a way that a hospital birthing experience is not.
I spent the majority of my home birth labor sitting in the garden getting used to using the TENS machine.
It was a glorious, sunny and warm Spring day.
The bluebells and daffodils were all flowering. The cherry trees were in full blossom.
It was simply beautiful!
I cannot imagine a more peaceful, relaxing and liberating venue to experience labor.
3. Home Birth Is Non-Clinical
There's something about being in a clinical, hospital environment, that is inherently anxiety producing.
The smells, the sounds, the rushing about of medical personnel, the bright lights, the stacks of intimidating medical equipment, all add together to create an atmosphere of a medical emergency.
But childbirth is not a medical emergency; labor and delivery are not illnesses.
The fact that you are simply going through a very natural and normal experience can often be lost in a medical environment which often creates high levels of anxiety.
One of the things I had to endure in my hospital birthing experience was having to listen to another Mom screaming in another room down the corridor.
This was my first baby; my first labor and birth, so hearing that was terrifying and definitely contributed to high-stress levels.
4. Homebirth Is Less Stressful (and Less Painful!)
One of the biggest advantages of home birth is that, in general, it is far less stressful than being in a clinical environment, which results in a less-painful labor and delivery and also fewer complications.
One study found that women experience pain inherent in birth differently, and less negatively, in a home setting.
Having total freedom of movement, being able to make a cup of tea if you want, playing your favorite music and being able to sleep in your own bed afterwards, are all additional benefits of a natural home birth that may seem small, but are incredibly important aspects to the whole experience.
Being in familiar surroundings really reduces the potential stress of labor and childbirth.
Hormones released when you are anxious actually suppress the birth, so you end up prolonging the process.
There is no getting around the fact that labor and childbirth are painful, but when we are less tense we experience less pain.
For my own home birth, I chose to use a TENS machine for pain relief and I'd definitely recommend it as a natural option for managing the pain of labor.
5. Home Birth Is Safe
There is a misconception among the general populous that the safest place to have a baby is in hospital. But in reality, for those women who have had a normal pregnancy, home birth is equally as safe as a hospital birth.
Low-risk women with a planned home birth are less likely to experience referral to secondary care and subsequent obstetric interventions than those with a planned hospital birth.
With a home birth there tend to be far fewer interventions, less need for pain relief, and a much higher likelihood of a normal vaginal birth than when compared to a hospital birth.
When giving birth at home the process of labor and birth are allowed to take their natural course and there is no unnecessary interfering or fiddling.
During my own home birth, I only had two internal examinations (compared to at least 10 when in a hospital). One when the midwife first arrived to check how dilated I was and one after the event to ensure that my uterus had contracted.
6. Home Birth Is Good for Your Mental Health
If you've suffered from postnatal depression before, or if you are at a higher risk of Post Natal Depression because you've experienced mental health issues such as depression, then giving birth at home can really help reduce the likelihood of postnatal depression.
Studies have shown women who give birth at home are less likely to suffer from post-natal depression.
Many mothers and specialist home birth midwives attest to the fact that a home birth is the best birthing option for mother and baby, especially when the mother has experienced mental health difficulties.
It's not entirely clear why this should be, but it could be related to a stronger bonding experience when a baby is born in the stress-free environment of home.
Enjoy Your Birthing Experience!
I hope I've managed to communicate to you the many benefits of giving birth at home and why a natural home birth is often the far superior childbirth option for many women.
Whichever birthing experience you ultimately choose, I wish you, your family, and your new baby well.
My Story—How I Came to Choose a Home Birth
Though I tend to be natural all the way when it comes to health and wellness, I was one of those Moms that had never really considered giving birth at home, in fact, I was totally against the idea.
It wasn't until 2 days before my due date, and after some encouragement from my midwife (who just happened to the home birth specialist in our county), that I decided to give the idea of a home birth some serious thought.
Up until that point whenever my midwife had mentioned the idea of a homebirth I'd just said, "No! I'm going into hospital and that's final."
I didn't give the thought of a home birth any serious consideration at all. Well, at 9 1/2 months pregnant I made a commitment to think about it properly and I spent a whole day weighing up the positives and negatives of home birth for me.
I'm glad I did give the idea of home birth the thought it deserved.
Giving birth at home to my youngest daughter was one of the best experiences of my life and one I would highly recommend to pregnant women everywhere who have had normal pregnancies.
Both of my birthing experiences were wonderful and special, but giving birth at home was truly magical.
Sources
The Positive Birth Movement - Home
We are a grass roots movement, spreading positivity about childbirth via a global network of free Positive Birth groups, linked up by social media
Home Birth Reference Site
Is home birth safe? What are the statistics on outcomes for mother and child? Contains summaries of research into home birth, references, links, and recommended books.
BBC News - Home births are 'best for many mothers"
Hundreds of thousands more babies could be born outside hospital, under new guidelines for the NHS in England and Wales.
Home Birth Research Index
Is home birth safe? What are the statistics on outcomes for mother and child? Contains summaries of research into home birth, references, links, and recommended books.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and does not substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, and/or dietary advice from a licensed health professional. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency.
home birth advantages?
