The most common question asked about giving birth at home is, Is it safe? Yes. It is very safe as long as you have a registered midwife or certified nurse midwife attending the birth.
Giving birth at home is an option. Birth is a normal physiological process, so home birth is reserved for women who have a low-risk pregnancy. Find a certified nurse midwife or a certified midwife and ask her questions you might have about giving birth at home and what that experience might be like.
One other question that I get about home birth is who attends the home birth with you? The home birth is attended by a certified nurse midwife or certified midwife, your partner and often any family members or friends that you would like to be present. And often women also have a doula or labor support companion present at a home birth.
In the US, about 1% of women give birth at home. It's not as common as it is in many other countries around the world. One of the reasons you might want to consider giving birth at home is because there is a less risk of medical interventions.
A midwife is trained to understand birth as a normal physiological response and therefore doesn't intervene as readily as some obstetricians may do.
Some of the other reasons for giving birth at home is that you have, you're in your own environment. You're comfortable. You have access to all of your the things that you need. You have access, you can eat and drink any time that you want. You can use the shower. You can take a bath. You can rent a birthing tub and give birth in the water. Anything to surround you in your environment to really make you feel comfortable and at ease during the process.
About video: Learn about home birth from pregnancy doula Elizabeth Mangum-Sarach in this Howcast video.
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