Homebirth

The first intervention in natural childbirth is the one that a healthy woman does herself when she walks out the front door of her own home in labor. It is from that first intervention that all others follow. ~Michael Rosenthal, OB/GYN

Philosophy

Location isn't the only difference. Most homebirth midwives have a drastically different way of practicing and philosophy on birth than hospital-based providers.

Our extensive training is based in normal physiologic birth, and how birth is designed to be instead of what we want it to be because of convenience or out of fear.

Time limits are much more relaxed and unlike many hospital-based practices, research based medicine, (instead of medical malpractice insurance protocol based medicine), is of the utmost importance.


Intervention and cesarean rates for homebirth practices tend to be much lower than those in a hospital-based practice and the level of personal care (most prenatal and postpartum visits are about an hour long) is much greater.


Safety

For low-risk healthy women homebirth is just as safe and many times safer than giving birth in a hospital. Because most complications are caused by interventions and intervention rates are very low in homebirth practices, many complications can be easily avoided.

Despite the facts that the majority of births in the United States take place in a hospital and that technology is now routinely used even without medical indication, the maternal and fetal mortality rates in our country have continued to climb whereas countries that have the lowest rates are where midwives are the primary caregivers for low-risk pregnant women and homebirth is the standard.

In the event that intervention is necessary, transport to the hospital is available. A safe outcome is always important.


Cost

Homebirth costs vary from midwife to midwife but are usually between $1,000-3500, which is similar to the amount for most hospital birth deductibles. Many insurances, including Oregon Health Plan (with an open card), pay for homebirths.


Birth Centers

Terminology for birth centers has recently gotten confusing because hospitals are now adopting the term birth center to replace labor and delivery ward. Hospital-based birth centers offer nothing different than traditional labor and delivery wards - they use the same protocols and restrictions as other hospitals and often perform surgical births just down the hall.

There are only a handful of truly independent birth centers in the state of Oregon and only one that is within a short distance from Salem. Midwives who work in independent birth centers are the same type of midwives who attend homebirths. They have the same equipment available as homebirth midwives do.


Local Midwives

There are several local midwives each with their own unique way of practicing.


More Information on Homebirth

Homebirth: Is It Really A Safe Option by Henci Goer


Big brother helps with the placenta examination

~ Emily Heldt