Midwifery
Bringing a baby into the world safely and in good health is very important for starting that child’s life off well. In the early 1900’s, having a baby at home was the trend and hospitals provided the medical supplies necessary for illness and surgery only. However, around the 1950’s, hospitals started delivering infants because they believed that they could provide a cleaner and more controlled environment. Today, hospitals are the main resource for deliveries, while home births have become much less widely used. Home birth can be a better delivery option than hospital birth for low risk mothers because it reduces the use of unnecessary medical intervention, such as cesarean section, reduces the exposure to potentially harmful drugs, and costs less than a hospital birth.
Hospitals have not always been the major location for baby delivery. Historically, midwives controlled the majority of births, involving doctors only when complications arose (Haasch). That changed during the 1940s when doctors began delivering more babies than midwives. “The driving factor behind women seeking these services was the offer of what was thought to be a safer birth, and the search for pain free child birth without risks” (Haasch). Even though hospitals are the primary location for birthing today, doctors may not know exactly what is best for the mother and un-born child because most doctors are ignorant of other birthing options. Very few doctors have actually seen a natural birth without medical intervention. Also, doctors are trained for major surgery and diagnosing diseases not necessarily birthing children.
Home births are without a doubt the least intrusive kind of birthing environment because minimal modern interventions are used, which allows the mother to have a more natural birth. However, these medical interventions that are avoided in home births, and which can cause harm to the mother and baby in some cases, are common practice for doctors in hospital deliveries. One of
Hospitals have not always been the major location for baby delivery. Historically, midwives controlled the majority of births, involving doctors only when complications arose (Haasch). That changed during the 1940s when doctors began delivering more babies than midwives. “The driving factor behind women seeking these services was the offer of what was thought to be a safer birth, and the search for pain free child birth without risks” (Haasch). Even though hospitals are the primary location for birthing today, doctors may not know exactly what is best for the mother and un-born child because most doctors are ignorant of other birthing options. Very few doctors have actually seen a natural birth without medical intervention. Also, doctors are trained for major surgery and diagnosing diseases not necessarily birthing children.
Home births are without a doubt the least intrusive kind of birthing environment because minimal modern interventions are used, which allows the mother to have a more natural birth. However, these medical interventions that are avoided in home births, and which can cause harm to the mother and baby in some cases, are common practice for doctors in hospital deliveries. One of
Cited: Anderson, Rondi E. and Anderson, David A. “The Cost Effectiveness of Home Birth.” Journal of nurse-Midwifery 44.1 (1999): 1-21. Print. The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Our bodies, ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth. New York: Touchstone, a Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc., 2008. 177-79. Print. Buckley, Sarah J. “The Hidden Risks of Epidurals.” Mothering 133 (2005). Print. “Caesarean Section .” Black’s medical Dictionary, 42nd Edition. London: A&C Black, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 27 February 2011. Epstein, Abby, dir. The Business of Being Born. 2008. Film. Johnson, Kenneth C. and Daviss, Betty-Anne. “Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America.” BMJ 330.7505 (2005): 1416-20. Print. McCartney, Marion and Van der Meer, Antonia. The Midwifes’s Pregnancy and Childbirth Book. New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1990. 23-25. Print. Trueba, G., et al. “Alternative Strategy to Decrease Cesarean Section: Support by Doula During Labor.” J Perinat Education 9.2 (2000); 8-13. Print. Villar, jose, et al. “Maternal and neonatal individual risks and benefits associated with caesarean delivery: multicenter prospective study.” BMJ 335.7628 (2007): 1025-30. Print.