(no subject)
Oh wow, I started the entry like a week or two ago, but didn't want to post it until I finished reading the study. Well, I've finished reading it and I still think it's post-worthy, so here you go.
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Okay, this might seem REALLY EFFING random for an unmarried 23-year-old with no intention of having children until years from now. But I've been researching pregnancy / childbirth. I'm not entirely sure why. It's intriguing. It's also effing intimidating and I'd rather educate myself now and learn what I can at my own leisure instead of waiting until I'm already pregnant and being a scared spaz. That would be like trying to cram for an exam or something.
I also have like 3 or 4 friends of the family who are midwives or doulas, and I'm also a bit of a hippy so I've been reading stuff about natural births (no medical interventions) and home births.
ANYWAY. I guess I say all this to preface an interesting study I found published in the British Medical Journal. For some reason, Americans automatically assume you have to go to the hospital to have a baby. But is it really necessary? Apparently not. Sure, there are things that can go wrong that will require medical help. But according to this article, the mortality rates of babies from a planned home birth are pretty much the same as the mortality rate of babies born in the hospital. And furthermore, the medical interventions of planned home births were FAR fewer.
Meaning, for example, if you go to the hospital to have your baby, you are far more likely to get a C-section than if you plan to have your baby at home and NEED to transfer to the hospital and end up getting a C-section.
And this study takes into account low-risk pregnancies only. So, high-risk pregnancies that would more likely require medical intervention anyway are not included in the study.
Enjoy.
Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America
~~~
Okay, this might seem REALLY EFFING random for an unmarried 23-year-old with no intention of having children until years from now. But I've been researching pregnancy / childbirth. I'm not entirely sure why. It's intriguing. It's also effing intimidating and I'd rather educate myself now and learn what I can at my own leisure instead of waiting until I'm already pregnant and being a scared spaz. That would be like trying to cram for an exam or something.
I also have like 3 or 4 friends of the family who are midwives or doulas, and I'm also a bit of a hippy so I've been reading stuff about natural births (no medical interventions) and home births.
ANYWAY. I guess I say all this to preface an interesting study I found published in the British Medical Journal. For some reason, Americans automatically assume you have to go to the hospital to have a baby. But is it really necessary? Apparently not. Sure, there are things that can go wrong that will require medical help. But according to this article, the mortality rates of babies from a planned home birth are pretty much the same as the mortality rate of babies born in the hospital. And furthermore, the medical interventions of planned home births were FAR fewer.
Meaning, for example, if you go to the hospital to have your baby, you are far more likely to get a C-section than if you plan to have your baby at home and NEED to transfer to the hospital and end up getting a C-section.
And this study takes into account low-risk pregnancies only. So, high-risk pregnancies that would more likely require medical intervention anyway are not included in the study.
Enjoy.
Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America