home VS birth center VS hospital
- mydoulahannah
- Apr 25, 2023
- 4 min read
Did you know you will remember how you felt during birth for the rest of your life?
Yeah, I didn’t know that. So let’s talk about how you can maybe look into the future and decide how you want to give birth. I literally cannot wait to share this stuff with you!
We will dive into:
•Home Birth VS Birth Center VS Hospital
•Importance of feeling safe
•Finding a great support system
Let’s start with the most common birthplace. The hospital. Hospitals are great because they have all the things in case there is an emergency during your labor/birth.
You would choose a hospital birth if you had a high-risk pregnancy, you want an epidural, or if you want an unmedicated birth but don’t want to be anywhere but the hospital. Some women feel safest in the hospital.
The bad about going to a hospital, is they don’t like a long labor. They’re not super great about trying different options for pain relief, movement, breathing, birth positions, etc. which is why if you want a natural birth, I would strongly recommend hiring a doula. She will help with all those different options that the hospitals aren’t equipped to do because they don’t see unmedicated births often.
The next option is a Birth Center. This can be the best of both worlds as in home birth and hospital. I describe it as being like a hotel for births.
Very much a homey environment for you to give birth in. They are equipped to handle some birth emergencies but not all. They are supportive of unmedicated births, and they see them all the time. So they are very good at trying new things.
Home births are an amazing option as well if you want to stay out of the hospital or birth center. It can be a great place to bring your baby into the world.
The midwife comes to you and is there as long as you need her. You can rent or buy a birth tub, which is super awesome!! The downsides are that you’re not at a hospital and you have to trust the midwife that she’s prepared for emergencies or that she’ll send you to the hospital if needed. (Some great questions to ask her).
Feeling safe when you give birth is probably the most important factor that gets your labor going. When you give birth, there’s a cocktail of hormones that are being released to get your contractions going, you’re cervix effacing and dilating, breastfeeding, and falling in love with your baby.
Those hormones can be interrupted if you are in an environment where you don’t feel safe, so you will need help. In a birthing center, hospital, or at home, mindfulness will be helpful in all of those settings. In a hospital, because they are on “industrial time” (timing calculated in an industrial setting) will probably put you on Pitocin, which often leads to epidurals. When you can give birth in “horticulture time” (timing of nature and its processes), then birth often goes smoother without the need for medication.
Feeling safe looks different for any mom and in every pregnancy. So think about the birth that you want and go for it! No more going with the flow during birth!!
A HUGE way to feel safe is by hiring/inviting people into your birth that make you feel safe, dignified, confident, etc. Picking someone you feel comfortable pooping in front of is how comfortable you should be with your provider… because you probably will.
OBGYNs are great at what they do and they are specialized in surgery, high-risk pregnancies, and medicated births.
Midwives are good at what they do. Unmedicated low-risk births.
You can have a great unmedicated birth at a hospital, just know that you might get a lot of pushback from your doctor and nurses because this is not what they’re used to.
Hiring a doula in any birth setting can be extremely helpful for you. They aren’t tied to OBGYNs, midwives, or nurses. They should know how to support you in your goals and what you want for birth, no matter where you give birth.
They can help you troubleshoot, ask questions, feel comfortable and just be a friendly face during one of the most challenging, vulnerable, and beautiful experiences you will ever have. She might have to adapt to the setting you have chosen to give birth, but her support should feel the same in each place.
The bottom line is, birth trauma and amazing births happen in each of these places to give birth. Midwives and OBGYNs can be pushy in their ways. It is in all how YOU prepare for birth. So you get to do the research and work in deciding what you want your delivery to look like, hiring a fantastic support system that YOU feel safe with, and learning how to be mindful so even if something goes wrong, you can stay present and make those decisions that have to be made.
Sources:
Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke
Business of Giving Birth (movie)
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