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There are more and more women deciding to have their babies at home without any medical assistance.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, these types of unattended home births increased by nearly 10% between 2006 and 2007.
That’s a pretty scary figure, in my opinion.
While I personally can understand some women’s need to separate themselves from the whole western medical approach to birth — which can be quite intrusive — I have to wonder about the safety issues.
And I’m not the only person questioning a choice that includes having a baby at home with no medically trained people on hand.
Most births are not complicated but when something goes wrong, everything happens very quickly and things can go downhill very fast. — Donna Strobino, Dept of Maternal & Child Health at Johns Hopkins
The truth is, even if you are healthy and have no risk factors, doctors say that you can still have life-threatening complications during childbirth.
Some women talk about wanting privacy during childbirth (which I can understand), but you have to ask yourself if it’s worth the possible danger to you and your child.
60% of the home births in 2006 were ones that were attended by midwives, and this number is expected to increase in the future. Home births aren’t going to go away. But if the number of unattended home births continues to rise, we may see the infant mortality rates and number of women dying in childbirth increase as well.
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More Information About Home Births
- Home Births And Out-Of-Hospital Births: Are They Safe?
- Emergency Measures At An Unattended Birth
- How To Choose Between A Doctor And A Midwife
- A Home Birth Advocate’s Baby Dies During Free Birth & Prompts Questions
- Is Home Birth The Wave Of The Future?
- The Business Of Being Born (DVD)
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My favorite things to write about are topics that have to do with pregnancy, weddings, saving money, living green, and life with dogs. When I’m not writing, I love to spend time with my husband, read, create 3D artwork and Native American beadwork.
