Where to Deliver Your Baby

Where Can I Deliver My Baby And How To Decide Which Is The Best Option?

How do people make choices about health care? How, for example, does a pregnant woman decide whether her baby should be born at home or in the hospital? Most women give birth in hospitals supported by their OB-GYN. However, women are increasingly looking for birth centers for midwives and experienced nurses and holistic and natural treatments. Of course, some women decide to give birth at home.

Whatever your preference is, here are some of the options that are available to you, including alternatives to public and private care. The choice you make about delivery depends on your needs and risks and to some extent on your place of residence. Whichever option you choose, the place should suit you.

Giving birth safely

Having a baby in the hospital is generally considered safe, regardless of the location. Women with good health who are considered ‘low risk’ should have the choice of where they should give birth.

If you like at home or in a midwife-led unit, your midwife or doctor should tell you what would happen if you were admitted to the hospital while you were working and how long it would take. This option poses a higher risk than hospital care if something goes wrong during the labor.

You may be advised of giving birth in a hospital if you have, or develop certain medical conditions.

Upon learning that you are pregnant, one of the most immediate realizations that most women make is that they are going to have to give birth. While this seems like a given fact, it is decidedly abstract in most women’s minds until which time as they learn that they are going to be the one going through the labor and delivery process in less than forty short weeks. And the dawning of this realization brings with it a multitude of questions and concerns, not the least of which regarding which birth option best suited for you.

High-risk Pregnancy

If you are found to be in the high-risk category, unfortunately, your birth options will be decidedly limited. Find out what is a high-risk pregnancy here. If your healthcare practitioner has deemed you high risk, it is generally in the best interest of yourself and your child to give birth in a hospital, where the most advanced medical equipment is available to meet your needs.

If you and your child are entirely healthy, however, there is no medical reason for you to give birth in a hospital. You may decide that you would be more at ease in a birthing center or the comfort of your own home.

Important criteria to consider

When considering the location you wish to give birth, you must also find the availability of your health care professional to deliver in the chosen location. Insurance companies restrict many OB/GYN’s to delivering in specific locations (generally hospitals or birthing centers). If you are considering home childbirth, your best bet is to find yourself a certified midwife. A midwife, in general, will have much more freedom about the location of the delivery. Many midwives specialize specifically in facilitating a home birth.

If you decide to have a birth at home, it is imperative to consider that your labor and delivery will be taking place with as little medical intervention as possible. Your midwife and doula (if you choose to employ one) will work with you to make sure your labor is progressing as quickly and as painlessly as possible, without having to resort to drugs or other types of medical intervention.

If you are looking for a natural childbirth experience, having a home birth is as natural as you are going to get. No matter how carefully you plan, the situation can change at any time. It is always prudent to have a backup plan in place just in case something goes wrong. Having a plan that includes being prepared to move to the nearest hospital if a safety issue will make sure that you and your baby are not put under any unnecessary stress during your birthing experience.

Obstetric units or birth centers, midwifery units or birth centers are generally comfortable and more like a home than a maternity home. They are run by midwives and are popular, so book as soon as possible.

It is an option for women with normal or low-risk pregnancies. Birth centers are not suitable for women with an increased risk of complications, such as women with heart or kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia or complications from previous work. Consult the birth center.