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The heart of my practice is homebirth. However, I do believe women should have choice and that one birth setting could never match all women. You must feel safe and private to birth normally. For many women, the hospital is that choice.
There are no guarantees in pregnancy, labor, and birth. Everyone, pregnant women, their families, and their providers, want a safe birth. And because we have been conditioned in this country to believe that hospitals are the safest place for all women to birth, most women choose to birth in a hospital. Community Midwifery can provide labor and delivery care at the Long Island College Hospital for women who make that choice. Remember that the most important choice you make is your provider. If you feel comfortable with your provider and believe your vision of your birth will be honored, then where you have your baby will not be as important.
At Community Midwifery, I believe this is your pregnancy, not mine. With that in mind, I believe you are the best person to make these choices. Here is a list of advantages and disadvantages to hospital birth. Please bear in mind my bias to out of hospital settings.
Advantages for the Baby:
• The intensive care nursery is immediately available if needed.
Advantages for the Mother:
• For women who see birth as a medical event, there may be less anxiety if they have planned to deliver in a hospital.
• In those cases where a cesarean delivery or other medical intervention becomes necessary, the facilities and personnel are immediately available.
• More options for pain relief (including epidurals) are available.
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Disadvantages for the Baby:
• May not be able to delay the eye ointment or Vit. K injection.
• The baby may be required to be separated from the mother for exams and routine procedures.
• More likely to receive formula, in spite of request for exclusive breastfeeding.
• Interventions are based on risk, not on what is going on for that mother and baby.
Disadvantages for the Mother:
• Because many women see the hospital as a place for those who are sick, anxiety is often increased.
• Routine interventions, such as IV’s, electronic fetal monitoring, bedrest, use of medications, are more likely.
• A limited number of support people are allowed to be present.
• Families may not be allowed to videotape or photograph the birth.
Postpartum:
• The family usually has to leave, including the partner, unless you can afford a private room.
• There are many different types of caregivers and levels of caregivers and you may get conflicting information.
• The rules are more rigid and often have more to do with the convenience of the caregiver than the wellbeing of the child.
• It is much harder to maintain total rooming in with the baby.
• Breastfeeding support may be sporadic.
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