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Home › Articles › Homebirth/Waterbirth › The Homebirth Option

The Homebirth Option

Why Are More and More Women Choosing a Homebirth?

By Kelly Burgess

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"It wasn't bad," Donnelly says. "I got to hang out in the shower before driving over to my doctor's. The baby was fine and there was no need to admit me, so we went on back home."

Still, she didn't learn her lesson. With her fourth child, she actually went to the doctor and he told her she was 5 centimeters dilated and needed to go to the hospital immediately. Donnelly, however, with three small children at home, needed to go to the grocery store, so that's where she headed. Her husband again delivered the baby once she'd finished her shopping.

"I have to admit that having a husband who's a pediatrician takes a lot of worry out of the whole homebirth experience," Donnelly says.

Still, Donnelly chose hospital births for her next three children – and was careful to get there in time. She says she's "medically inclined" to begin with, but she also knows that she did a lot more after the births of babies three and four than she probably should have, and definitely more than she would have if she'd been in the hospital. While she has no problem with homebirths for anyone, as a mother of seven she likes the idea of the new mom being able to think about nothing but a good rest.

Choosing a Midwife

Leslie Ludka, a certified nurse midwife and senior technical advisor for the American College of Nurse-Midwives, suggests making a list of questions prior to interviewing midwives to be sure they fit with any criteria that are important to you in your birth experience. Here are some things to ask:

  • How much experience she has, both educational and practical.
  • Her philosophy about childbirth, such as her views on having family members or friends present, etc. Does she allow water births or other alternative birth methods?
  • Her resources for an emergency situation. A midwife always works with a consulting physician, so you want to know what hospital they work with and what kind of support the midwife will give if a transport is necessary.
  • Most important is the feeling of a bond with the midwife; this person will share the most exciting experience of your life with you and you have to be comfortable with her in every way.

"A midwife is a teacher," Ludka says. "She will teach the woman everything she needs to know about what's going to happen. She's the one with the expertise to help her and her family make decisions about what is best."


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