Home birth

My daughter was born at home in 1994.  At the time, I was disturbed by the "mechanized" method of birth used in local hospitals.  At that time, there were very few birthing rooms and laying down with both feet in stirrups was still considered normal.

I am not comfortable in hospitals, and I really dislike the smell of them.  I wanted to give birth in a more comfortable environment where I didn't feel skittish and afraid.

I had a wonderful midwife, and a back-up plan to go to a hospital if it turned out that was what I needed to do.  I prepped well for my home birth and was surprised that my drug-free birth was not more painful.  I used Lamaze techniques and while labor was uncomfortable it was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated.  The support of my midwife, her assistant and my husband were great supporters of my efforts.

For many people, this may not be the right choice.  You have to want to be at home, as opposed to feeling "obligated" to go to a hospital.  I have always felt leery of large medical institutions, not for any particular reason. 

While these fears may be unfounded, they were prominent in my pregnancy - hormone induced state.

There are many different reasons people choose home birth, one is a reduction in cost.  Another for me was the ability to move around while in labor, and take my time roaming aimlessly around the house.  We were also able to sleep right after the birth, which was great.

While my birth would have been covered by insurance, I was less interested in running up a bill that we deemed was really unnecessary.  There is always the possibility the claim will be rejected at least partially by the insurer, a prospect which motivated me to try something different.

While I would not recommend a home birth for everyone, It was definetely the right choice for our family.