Why does the medical profession still insist on recommending against natural childbirth? At one time it used to be the only option. A home birth was the norm in those days. Then, things changed. Those first hospitals had a much higher mortality rates for both mothers and infants than giving birth at home, as recently as 100 years ago.

Clearly, medical practice has changed much since the first days of labor and delivery in some of those first hospitals, but some things truly haven’t. When you line up all the statistics on home birth versus hospital births, natural births are still safer for the majority of moms and babies.

Yes, in some cases, it probably is best to have the mom give birth in the hospital. This can be because the birth is high risk or because mom is expecting multiple births. High risk pregnancy can include a mom with preeclampsia or diabetes, or a baby who is preterm. A home birth might also not be the best choice if mom has high blood pressure. For the majority of moms, however, home birth is a good choice.

There are several reasons a woman may choose to give birth at home. They have more freedom to pace themselves or walk around, wheras in the hospital they are typically expected to stay in bed. Being confined in such a way often itself causes a delay in labor. Depending on what time a year mom goes into labor, the hospital may not allow certain visitors to the labor room. For example in some spring months, when the risk of Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is higher, visitors are often limited to adults only.

Another risk to be considered when going into hospital is infection. Infection in hospitals can cause various complication and even death in some cases. In fact, one researcher says, somewhat jokingly, that the leading cause of death in America is hospitals. But in all seriousness, hospital stays can put both mom’s and baby’s health at risk as well as limiting birthing options.

There are other reasons to consider natural births. An article published in the British Medical Journal in 2005 states that planned home births for low risk women are as safe and are subject to less medical intervention as similar risk hospital births. This, of course, really raises the question as to how many hospital procedures are performed that really aren’t needed.

On balance, natural childbirth seems to be the better option and safer than giving birth in a hospital for low risk women who want control over the birth process and to have her family around to support her.

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