Benefits of Home Birth

 There are physical, emotional, political and personal benefits to birthing your baby at home. The statistics indicate that home birth is a safe and positive choice for low risk pregnancies. This Cochrane review found that planned hospital birth is not any safer than planned home birth assisted by an experienced midwife with collaborative medical back up, but may lead to more interventions and more complications.

We believe that the empowerment of women to birth their babies in the way that they choose to do so, in the comfort and safety of their own home is so significant to be immeasurable. Home birth offers the best environment to an unmedicated birth with significantly less likelihood of unnecessary interventions. The benefits are felt by the whole whanau, partners and extended families are able to support fully and children can be as involved as is appropriate for your situation.

TOP TEN BENEFITS OF HOME BIRTH

• A higher chance of a natural vaginal birth which has flow on benefits for breathing and immunity for baby. The baby is born with the mother’s antibodies, passed through the placenta. These include immunity to the family’s household germs.

• Lower chance of infection at home than in hospital environment for both mum and baby. Because mothers and babies are never separated, the baby’s immature immune system is able to function optimally. Hospitals have unfamiliar bugs and microbes and a mother isn’t able to offer herself or her baby the same degree of immunity as she can from home.

• Bonding with mum AND dad. This bond is not broken for institutional routines and procedures and partners have autonomy to connect in, practice skin to skin and be fully included in the process.

• Easier establishment of breastfeeding and higher chance of breastfeeding success. Continuous and unbroken connection promotes successful breastfeeding, further supporting robust immunity.

• Committed, individualised and responsive midwifery care tailored according to your needs and requests. Homebirth midwives provide continuity of care and comprehensive care which differ vastly from the shift work nature of a hospital.

• Control and autonomy over your decisions, mind and body. Your home, your choice. Having a close and respectful relationship with your midwife and being informed and clear about your birth intentions within your own home, give you the best chance of retaining control and autonomy over your body, birth and baby.

• Increased chance of natural, active labour without unnecessary interventions. Psychologically in your home you are able to relax more deeply, and move more freely. Outside of the hospital, your labour and birth is happening on your time only, away from rigid routines, standard expected stage timeframes and hospital staff shifts which can all contribute to an unnecessary sense of urgency.

• Emotional and physical comfort after birth. After you’ve given birth you can snuggle up into your own bed, eat your own food, enjoy your home surroundings. There is no pressure to engage in further checks, move to another room or consider the next process of packing up to go another facility or home.

• Physiological third stage (natural birthing of placenta). Ensuring that your baby receives all the benefits that appropriate cord clamping offers as well as the reaping the rewards of labour – an oxytocin hit for mum! Experiencing a natural third stage has significant health benefits for both mum and baby.

• Have who you want, when you want, around you. Birthing at home means self selected support people, as many or as few as you desire. There is the ability for siblings to be present for as much or as little of the process as appropriate. You can decide when to have visitors and make your birth announcement.