Baby,Pregnancy and Healthy world !!

There are many misconceptions about homebirth that you see in the opinions of the mainstream. If you really want to consider a homebirth, don’t let their opinions keep you from exploring your options.

Misconception #1: Homebirthing is Dangerous

This is untrue. In fact, a recent Dutch study of over 500,000 homebirths show that it is perfectly safe for low risk women to birth at home. The attendance of an experienced midwife also decreases the risk of complications.

Misconception #2: Homebirthing is Selfish

Some think that staying home is only for Mom’s comfort. They will even go so far as accusing those who birth at home of not caring about the safety and well-being of their baby. They say that homebirthers only care about the Mom’s experience of the birth. This is hogwash. Homebirthing parents choose to stay at home so their baby has a gentle entrance into the world. They don’t want their baby subjected to pitocin augmentation, ultrasound waves and drugs. They want the first moments of their baby’s life to be spent bonding with his or her parents, not being poked, prodded and weighed. By letting the labor progress without interruption, both mother and baby are infused with the natural hormones they both need for an optimal start together.

Misconception #3: Homebirthing is Painful

Well, there is some truth to this. Birth can be painful at times. Unlike most pain, which is the way your body tells you something is wrong, labor pains are from exertion. Your body is working hard to birth your baby, and sometimes hard work can be strenuous and painful. There are comfort measures that can be used besides drugs to make pain more bearable. Immersion in water is very effective, as are hot and cold packs, massage and being active. Contractions are often more painful when a mom is lying down than when she is upright. By following what her body wants her to do she can make the contractions much more comfortable. Some women can even have ecstatic births. These rarely happen in the hospital, because of all the people coming in and out and all the interruptions.

Without pain medications and interruptions, your body produces endorphins, which also help make the contractions bearable. I won’t lie… labor is intense, especially towards the end. How you approach it mentally makes a world of difference. I suggest embracing it… this is helping your baby emerge from within so you can hold him in your arms. With all the hormones that are flooding through you and your baby at this time, the moment she emerges, there is such an incredible sense of love from the oxytocin and prolactin that the pain of a moment ago seems insignificant.

So, plan your homebirth. Go with the flow of labor. Sway, dance and sing your birthing song. Follow where your body leads you until you hold your baby in your arms.