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Homebirth or Hospital Birth; Which Is Safer?

Childbirth can be recognized as a life-changing incident for manhood, especially with first-time mothers. This makes women have different birthing options in their minds when it comes to giving birth to their children. Though there are many views and opinions surrounding childbirth, every mother wants to give their children the best when it comes to childbirth and they wish to have the best experience when it comes to childbirth. For this experience to be more satisfying and safe, it must be accompanied by partly no stress by the mother. Women require having safety in their minds during both their labor and the birthing setting critically inclines birth and these feeling. This paper provides a piece of detailed information on why hospital birth is much safer than homebirth explaining the advantages of having a hospital birth rather than homebirth.

Delivering in a hospital is considered the safest thing to do. This is because hospitals provide a wide range of operating personnel to help expectant mothers to give birth in a cool environment. If a woman is considered a high risk especially if she is above 35 years and is pregnant with multiples or has a condition such as gestational diabetes (Handelzalts et al., 2016). This will leave the mother with no other option to have her birthing process in the hospital so that in case of any emergency, she can be handled with immediate effect and that the baby and the mother can be safe from all kinds of risks (Bernhard et al., 2014). In addition, in case of unforeseen complications during the childbirth process, the mother can get quick assistance and save both the mother and the child something that may be hard to do with a home birth plan.

A research piloted by (Janssen et al., 2009), the level of perinatal passing away per 1000 deliveries amongst females who give birth in a hospital setting with midwifery assistance or a physician was o.57 and 0.64 respectively. An additional research reveals that there were four fatal deaths at home birth in 2010 with 99.7% of children born at home being born alive. This indicates that hospitals provide a safe place for women to deliver their babies on since they will have the confidence that their babies will be born safely and their health will be guaranteed (Goer, 2016). This assurance first provides the mothers with confidence and peace of mind when they are in the hospital since they are very sure that in case of any emergency the physicians will be ready to counterattack it and ensure the safety of the newborn something which is not common in home births.

In hospital births, women are relieved of the pains associated with labor since they can be provided with pain relief medications especially if an epidural is obligatory as they cannot be given in a home setting. These medications make the women get relaxed and experience the birthing process in a better-relaxed environment (Borquez et al., 2006). Researches show that females who deliver in a hospital setting felt more relieved than those who gave birth in a home environment and rated childbirth to be significantly higher in-home environment than in a hospital setting (Janssen et al., 2009). Though some research reveals that the hospital delivery setting can aggravate anxiety and uneasiness for some females due to its environment, hospitals are capable of providing the necessary assistance to pregnant women when the need is required than with the home birth.

It is likely to have a normal delivery in a hospital environment. Since many people believe that when you decide to give birth in a hospital setting you may not be able to give natural birth, it is mythical since it is very possible to deliver your child naturally without undergoing a caesarian (Olsen et al., 2012). A woman in a hospital will be given a chance to decide the method of childbirth she wishes to undergo and hence midwives and physicians respect such standings (Bernhard et al., 2014). Only a case where the mother and the child are at risk of losing their lives is where one can perform a caesarian. This marks as one of the safest means for one to be sure, of when they decide to deliver in a hospital rather than home birth.

Hospitals provide lactation help to mothers who do not wish to breastfeed their babies or who have complications breastfeeding their babies. For instance, a woman may not have a good supply of breastmilk after giving birth hence the hospital will give a guide to the lactating mother by providing supplements necessary for the mother to produce the better amount of breastmilk hence ensuring that the child gets satisfied (Olsen et al., 2012). In addition, the hospital can provide formulas for the baby during the stay in the hospital and more enough to help for some days after going home. Through this, women are helped in raising healthy children by provision of the necessary supplements that they require at a young age for their strong growth.

In cases of emergency in hospital births, there is immediate medical assistance with the most advanced technology. This is one of the reasons why many women prefer hospital births to home birth since they are sure that in case of anything their safety is guaranteed (Janssen et al., 2009). Though some people who prefer homebirths may have a supply of some technologies to help in case of emergency, they cannot be compared to hospital setting technology. You will find midwives, nurses, and physicians centering their help to one person in case of emergency something that is very hard to happen in-home setting (Bernhard et al., 2014). Hence, hospital birth provides a safer place for mothers to give birth to their children with a lot of ease and confidence that help will be given anytime they want it.

There is less cost associated with hospital births than home births. For a home birth, one will be required to buy the necessary equipment required to facilitate the process and they must be of the current technology to ensure that all emergencies are combated with as they happen (Foo et al., 2017). The costs associated with hiring a midwife in home birth as well are relatively high compared with the one in a hospital setting. In addition, insurance policies do not recognize home birth settings hence, one cannot be compensated in case of a risk occurring during the process. All this proves why hospital births are considered to be safer since the cost associated are relatively low and one does not require hiring midwives or physicians (Viisainen, 2000). In case of risks in a hospital setting, an insurance company may get involved and help in settling out the debts hence being a relief to those who choose hospital births.

In conclusion, hospital births are considered the safest childbirth technique to be used by women since they provide the best environment in the birthing process. Mother and child are assured of protection from any kind of risk and all emergencies can be handled with a lot of ease in the hospital unlike in a home setting.

References

Goer, H. (2016). Dueling statistics: is out-of-hospital birth safe. The Journal of Perinatal Education25(2), 75-79. https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgrjpe%3A%3A%3A25%3A%3A%3A2%3A%3A%3A75.full.pdf

Foo, P. K., Lee, R. S., & Fong, K. (2017). Physician prices, hospital prices, and treatment choice in labor and delivery. American Journal of Health Economics3(3), 422-453. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1162/ajhe_a_00083

Borquez, H. A., & Wiegers, T. A. (2006). A comparison of labor and birth experiences of women delivering in a birthing center and at home in the Netherlands. Midwifery22(4), 339-347. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613806000052

Janssen, P. A., Saxell, L., Page, L. A., Klein, M. C., Liston, R. M., & Lee, S. K. (2009). Outcomes of planned home birth with registered midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician. Cmaj181(6-7), 377-383. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/181/6-7/377?sid=e22

Olsen, O., & Clausen, J. A. (2012). Planned hospital birth versus planned home birth. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (9). https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000352.pub2/abstract

Handelzalts, J. E., Zacks, A., & Levy, S. (2016). The association of birth model with resilience variables and birth experience: Home versus hospital birth. Midwifery36, 80-85. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613816300079

Miller, S., & Skinner, J. (2012). Are first‐time mothers who plan home birth more likely to receive evidence‐based care? A comparative study of home and hospital care provided by the same midwives. Birth39(2), 135-144. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1523-536X.2012.00534.x

Ghazi Tabatabaie, M., Moudi, Z., & Vedadhir, A. (2012). Homebirth and barriers to referring women with obstetric complications to hospitals: a mixed-methods study in Zahedan, southeastern Iran. Reproductive health9(1), 1-10. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1742-4755-9-5

Bernhard, C., Zielinski, R., Ackerson, K., & English, J. (2014). Homebirth after hospital birth: women’s choices and reflections. Journal of midwifery & women’s health59(2), 160-166. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jmwh.12113

Viisainen, K. (2000). The moral dangers of home birth: parents’ perceptions of risks in home birth in Finland. Sociology of health & illness22(6), 792-814. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9566.00231

 

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