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The Homebirth Option

Why Are More and More Women Choosing a Homebirth?

By Kelly Burgess

No one chooses homebirth lightly. It's a decision that's usually made after much research, soul searching, serious consideration of the alternatives, and, often, pressure from relatives to go the hospital route.

Anastasia Yuen of Alberta, Canada, didn't have to deal with that latter concern, as she and her sisters were all born at home. "I read my parents' books about birth when growing up, so it was a natural consideration for me," Yuen says. Both of her children were born at home.

There's no way to know if giving birth at home is a growing movement, because, as Dr. Mayer Eisenstein from Chicago. Ill., says, there's no official tracking of that type of data. However, the trend away from labor rooms and toward birthing rooms, and the proliferation of natural childbirth classes, doulas and other birth assistance ideas, all point to the fact that women are seeking births that seem less like being hospitalized.

And, in spite of the fact that hospitals are working harder to make the birth experience more home-like and comfortable, some women want to take that a step further and make it more home-like by actually staying home.

Dr. Eisenstein, one of the few physicians in this country who assist in homebirths, says women choose homebirth because, in spite of the obstacles, there is a growing trend toward natural alternatives to health care, not only as it relates to childbirth, but to health in general.

Women who decide to give birth at home usually do so after much research and are generally very well informed about pregnancy, labor, the birthing process and everything that could possibly go wrong.

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
• Welcome Home Baby! Two Moms Share Their Home Birth Stories
• Mother-friendly: 10 Steps of the Mother-friendly Childbirth Initiative for Mother-Friendly Hospitals, Birth Centers and Home Birth Services
• The Home Team: Where Do You Start When Drafting Your Homebirth Delivery Team?
• Talk about it!