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: Home births in this day and age ? I don't
think so
DEAR DR.PAUL: What do you think of natural home births?
A few of our friends have suggested this to us as being natural
way of giving birth. I am expecting a new baby in 6 months, what
do you think?
PEDIATRICIAN DR.PAUL Answers: Thank you for this question
as it brings up several important issues. The first and foremost
is the concept that home births are natural, and the mistaken
interpretation that natural always implies safe. For example,
in the pre-antibiotic/hospital era when children were born at
home, the perinatal(newborn) infant death rate was quite high,
not to mention maternal death rates as well.
With the advent of hospitals, our understanding of how to combat
and/or prevent the possible complications with the necessary
equipment and specialized trained people, the rate of complications
to baby and mothers has decreased. In my mind, giving bitrh
at home, in the absence of the necessary expertise, surroundings,
equipment and personnel is going backwards.
Most deliveries are thankfully uneventful, but there are those
that go wrong and personally I would rather it go wrong in a
setting where all the necessary resources are readily and immediately
accessible. Babies that are sick or in trouble when born need
immediate attention. Something that cannot be fully offered
in the home setting.
On the other hand, I agree that changes need to be made in the
way maternity wards and case rooms are set up. Hospital maternity
wards and case rooms have responded to this need by adapting
to today's family needs and offering very nice family room settings
for childbirth where the whole family can attend and share the
joy of birth of a loved one. These rooms have all the necessary
equipment and offer the trained personnel that can attend to
problems immediately.
If, as in most cases, the birth is uncomplicated, the equipment
and available resources are not used. However, in case where
it is needed it is nice to know that it is there. Please do
not get me wrong ... most deliveries occur normally without
any problems. However, as a pediatrician who has attended deliveries
that have gone wrong, I understand that the right care immediately
can make all the difference. So why not have all the chances
on the baby's side?
The bottom line is that I do not feel that it is right nor safe
to voluntarily deliver a baby at home, given that hospitals/or approved birthing centres
with appropriately staffed/equipped birthing rooms exist and
offer a truly safer alternative both for mom and new baby.
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