Only 7% of women birth at home, yet in the majority of cases, it’s safer and has less chance of intervention and cross-infection than hospital births.
Reasons you might consider a home birth:
- You consider birthing to be a natural process, not a medical procedure
- Home comforts are important to you
- You want a drug-free birth experience
- Minimal disruption to your family life before, during and after the birth is preferred
- The thought of labouring in familiar surroundings provides comfort
- You have concerns about the discomfort or danger of travelling to hospital in labour
If you would like more information on home births including FAQs, how to find a home birth midwife, home birth statistics, stories and articles, go to: www.homebirth.org.nz
Quotes from women who have given birth at home:
“I loved being able to shower in my own bathroom and snuggle up in my own bed after the birth.”
“It was so much more relaxing being able to labour in my own house, without any strangers watching me.”
“It was great having everything I needed at home, without having to worry about forgetting to take something to the hospital.”
“I was determined to have a drug-free birth and wanted to be away from any temptation, in a moment of weakness, to accept pain relief.”
“With my first baby, I left it too late to leave for the hospital and was in the second stage of labour in the car – it was agony, I didn’t want that to happen again.”
“I’d done pregnancy yoga and practised my breathing and relaxation techniques and felt that I would be able to concentrate better and feel more confident in my own environment.”
“The kids were able to come in straight away and meet their new baby sister and we were together as a family right from the start.”
“I preferred the thought of being in my own clean environment, away from any sick people in hospital.”
“I didn’t need to worry about feeling self-conscious or about making noise.”
Hey baby, did you know… ?
- Human babies are born with special pads of brown fat between their shoulder blades. This fat’s sole function is to be broken down and provide warmth should the baby become cold. These stores last long enough for feeding to become established and the baby’s basic metabolism to begin providing warmth. But transferred maternal warmth remains an essential source of energy for months after birth.
- Babies will quieten in the first few days when presented with the smell of their amniotic fluid. Studies have shown that unbathed babies cry less and suck their fingers more in the day after they’re born. They love the smell of the womb on their skin and find it comforting.
- Research has shown that babies can hear and organise all the sounds they hear for the first several months of their life, no matter what their nationality is. Then at about 10 months, they start discriminating only the sounds of the language that is spoken around them.
