Birthing in America has become a medical process … an experience filled filled with wires, computers, narcotics, surgical rooms, and uncomfortable birthing positions. However, it was not always this way. Once upon a time, not that long ago, babies were delivered at home. Birthing was seen as a normal life experience rather than medical emergency. Expectant mothers were surrounded by family, women trained in early midwifery, and placed in birthing positions which felt natrual to them, ultimately easing the birthing process.
Conversely, at this time of heightened home / holistic birthing, delivering a child was considered one of the most dangerous things a woman could do. With the advent of modern obstetric medicine, the lives of countless mothers and babies were saved during the birthing process. Lives that would have otherwise been loss duing the dangerous complications that could arise while giving birth at home, away from the hospital setting, monitoring technology, emergency surgical care (if necessary).
That said, how do you know which choice is best? Could a holistic, non-medically invasive birthing option like water-birth work for you and your family? Could a traditional hospital birth be a potential life saver? While you should always discuss decisions with a medical provider, the following guide could help lead the discussion.
Has anyone opted for a home birth … if so, what guided your decision to do so? If home births are not something you or your family would consider, would you mind sharing why?
Health and the Human Experience 
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