Knowledgeable and Experienced Guidance

Are home births safe?

On Behalf of | Aug 6, 2018 | Pregnancy Related Injuries |

Women in North Carolina and all over the country are choosing home births as way to experience a more natural birthing process. While home births are touted as safe, this is not always the case. It’s important to understand the risk of a home birth before moving forward, as explained by WebMD.

Risk Factors

Even under ideal circumstances home births entail with certain risks. Unfortunately, home births are associated with a two to three times higher risk of death directly after birth. Additionally, if there is an issue you’ll need to travel to the nearest hospital, which can result in delayed emergency treatment.  

Tips on Choosing Your Midwife

When you undergo a home birth, the midwife will play an integral role by guiding the process. Accordingly, it’s crucial that you find a skilled and experienced midwife to assume this vital role. Your pick should be able to provide certification from the American Midwifery Certification Board and should have a long practice history. It’s also important that the person have ties to a local hospital, and preferably a relationship with your obstetrician. Also, be sure to ask for references before deciding.

Women Who Should Not Have Home Births

Some women will be considered poor candidates for home births. For instance, women who’ve previously had c-sections are not good a fit, nor are women projected to have babies larger than eight pounds. It’s also important that your pregnancy is a healthy one, which will mean that the chance of complications is far less. Also, women giving birth to multiples are better suited to hospital births.