MT. HOPE, WV (WOAY)- Many women who are preparing to have a child have the same question…Where can I give birth to my child safely?
Most think of going straight through the hospital but there are other options.
“There’s unassisted births where people give birth at home without a provider. There’s some assisted births where people choose to give birth at home with a provider, and then there’s births where they were planning to give birth at a birth center hospital, but gave birth at home instead,” said Zach Nunnally, Midwife at Gentle Care Women’s Clinic in Mt. Hope.
There are many reasons a woman would choose a home birth instead of a hospital birth.
“There’s been a lot of studies actually, that look at why people choose home birth. A lot of it has to do with comfort being in the comfort of their own home. It has to do with safety statistics about it being safer for the mom at home,” explained Nunnally. “Another reason a lot of people like to choose the care, not just for the home aspect, but We spend more time with them in the clinic than they typically get, and when they see me in the clinic, I’m the one that’s going to be there at their birth. So they get to meet me, see me over and over again, get to know me. I get to know them. That improves their comfort. A lot of complaints come with those who are planning to deliver in a hospital and they’re not sure which provider they’re going to get with us or typical home birth, you know, your provider. You know exactly who’s going to be there.”
According to the CDC, in 2022 home births have reached their highest level since 1990. Most of the home births are with a midwife. Midwives do a risk assessment around 37 weeks to determine if a pregnancy is considered low-risk. According to Nunnally 85% of births in the U.S are considered low-risk.
“Low-risk people are more likely to have a successful vaginal delivery without complication at home than they are in the hospital. There’s less likelihood for morbidity and babies have higher APGAR scores,” said Nunnally. “Some studies have shown anyway, higher APGAR scores at home and a better time transitioning to that environment than they do in a hospital. So a lot of people want to use that for safety reasons as well for them and their baby.”
According to a 2009 study in the National Library of Medicine, perinatal and neonatal mortality rates were low for both hospital and home births. If you are interested in more information, you can visit Gentle Care Women’s Clinic.
