Home versus hospital (Home Birth Versus Hospital Birth)

Member Name: Gary25

Product:	Home Birth Versus Hospital Birth
Date:	18/10/08 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None, in my book

Disadvantages: Risk of complications

Again this is a personal choice dilemma but from my own experience a hospital birth has to come first every time.

The notion of having your child at home sounds appealing but in practical terms, there are many pitfalls. We are all aware of the risk of MRSA and Cdiff bacterial infections in hospital but unless you are needing invasive surgery or have an open wound the chances are slight. Can we, hand on heart, say that while our homes may be clean, that there's no bacteria around, especially those of us who have pets and children?

When our eldest was born, 12 years ago, everything was seemingly going according to plan until they had to induce labour as the monitor was showing our baby to be in distress and merconium (baby's poo) was leaking out.

What followed was an episiotomy (where my wife had to be cut to increase the gap though which the baby comes out) and a Von-toose delivery whereby something resembling a suction cup is placed on the baby's head to pull it out.

When Sophie arrived she had a wet lung and was immediately placed in Special Care for a week until all the problems subsided. Thankfully she sustained no lasting problems.

What I am trying to convey here is that we had a textbook pregnancy right through to full-term and it was only at the critical phase that problems arose. If we had been at home, who knows what the final outcome would have been. Without the specialist equipment, things could have turned out so differently.

Did you know, for instance, that cerebral palsy is not inherited but in each and every case it is due to lack of oxygen at some point during the birth. I know this though personal experience with a close family member. If you are at home, you don't have the facilities to deal with a real emergency and in the time it takes for an ambulance to arrive, irreversible damage or worse, may be the result.

Our second child was born in hospital, again with the need of an episiotomy but without the additional problems of our first.

Both are fit and healthy but if we had opted for a home birth I'm convinced things would be different.

The above is my own personal experience and I hope that if nothing else it gives some points for discussion.

Summary: The risks of a home birth