Reasons to Consider Home Birth Over a Hospital Birth

There are so many reasons to consider a home natural birth — probably ones you never thought of before. As such, we've rounded up a whole list of "whys" to help you discern if a home birthing experience might be right for you and your child.

Let's dive into the world of home birth versus hospital birth. We'll explore the benefits and considerations of natural home birth and provide valuable insights for those who are contemplating this path.

What Is a Home Birth?

When it comes to bringing new life into the world, expecting parents have two main options: home birth and hospital birth.

• Home birth is the practice of giving birth in one's own house. There are various types of home birth, home water birth being a popular choice. Many people who opt for home birth hire professional midwives and doulas to assist with the labor and delivery.

• Hospital birth takes place in a dedicated medical facility — like a hospital or birthing center — under the supervision of doctors and nurses.

Top 10 At-Home Natural Birth Advantages

You’re probably weighing a whole assortment of positives and negatives for all your birthing alternatives. There are good and bad (or perhaps, more and less favorable) aspects to each option.

Rather than focus on hospital birth cons, though, let’s really flesh out the pros of home natural births. Our hope is that you truly see how wonderful it can be!

1) Give Birth in the Comfort of Your Own Home

Think about it. No rushing about because you’re already where you need to be. You’ll be in a familiar, personalized place and can completely control every aspect — like lighting, soundscape, and temperature — of the environment. You’ll have quick and easy access to your own bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc.

Being at home also means that you can wear (or not wear) whatever you want. Additionally, you and your baby won’t have to don ID bracelets.

Childbirth at home can have a calming effect, which may ease labor and delivery. 

2) You Can Choose Your Preferred Birth Position & Location

At the hospital, you’re generally restricted to your assigned room and bed. During delivery, it’s likely that you’ll have to conform to whatever shape and angle the facility has set up for childbirth — maybe on your back on a bed or reclined on a birthing chair. How you’re positioned is often dictated by accommodating the doctors and nurses rather than the other way around.

At home, you get to pick where and how you are for labor and delivery. Moreover, you can change your mind as you progress. If you want to move from one room to another — that’s your call!

3) Feel More Empowered

With a home birth, you’re on your turf and calling the shots. It’s your body, your family, and your house — so your birth experience can be done your way. You get to give birth without any unwanted interventions, on your schedule and your terms.

Home births don’t rely on epidurals. Instead, they leverage age-old natural pain relief techniques, like massage, water therapy, aromatherapy, and breathwork. These approaches are non-invasive, so there’s minimal potential for harm to you and your baby. Your mind and body are powerful, and equipped to handle what comes your way during childbirth. Having an experienced and compassionate midwife to guide you through the process makes all the difference. 

Related: What Does Natural Childbirth Feel Like?

4) Your Partner Can Be More Involved

If you have a partner — or even family members or friends — that you’d like to participate in your birthing experience, home birth gives you much more flexibility. Because you’re in your own space and creating your own plan, you can surround yourself with whoever you want whenever you want.

Most hospitals limit the number of visitors you can have and when they can visit. They also restrict who’s allowed to visit, which probably means your other children and beloved pet can’t be there. 

5) Lower Risk of Intervention

Home births are less likely to necessitate medical interventions, like forceps, epidurals, and C-sections. There are a host of reasons for this, but the result is that home births lead to fewer instances of unneeded medications and procedures.

Hospitals frequently force the process of birth to meet their schedules and routines. This can cause emergency situations or prompt them to use approaches that may not be employed in less institutional settings and more sedate circumstances. Some hospitals may also be incentivized to do procedures and medicate because they can charge you for those items.

When it comes to home birth safety, birth-related intervention isn’t the only concern. Hospital environments can be more hazardous for mom and baby and bring about a need for interventions (aka treatment) for issues unrelated to childbirth. You’re less likely to pick up an infection at home because there’s less exposure to harmful germs. 

6) More Cost Effective

Does it surprise you to know that home births are often cheaper than hospital births? When you factor in all the services, supplies, tests, procedures, and so on, the overall cost for pregnancy and childbirth tend to be lower for a planned, midwife-assisted natural home birth than a standard hospital birth.

Many insurance policies cover some or all of your care. However, whether you’re paying out of pocket or using insurance, you’ll probably save money taking the home birth route.

Another thing to take note of: With a home birth, you should know all the costs up front. For example, our service is pre-paid — so no shocking bills later. However, it’s not uncommon to get an invoice for your hospital stay months after you gave birth.

Related: Does Insurance Cover Hiring a Midwife?

7) You Get to Bond with Your Baby Immediately

The first hour after giving birth is the “golden” hour. It’s a beautiful time to start forging that deep connection with your new baby.

During hospital birth, your baby is usually taken away from you right after birth. This is so your baby can be cleaned, weighed, measured, and the like.

With a home birth, though, your baby can be cleaned while held in your arms. This affords you the chance for skin-to-skin contact and to start breastfeeding.

8) You Can Sleep in Your Bed After Birth

You’ll likely be exhausted after giving birth. What’s more restorative than sleeping in your own bed (with the mattress and linens you selected because they suit your needs specifically)? The more comfortable and serene you are, the better quality your sleep may be — and you’re going to need your energy stores charged up.

Plus, if you have a partner, they’ll be able to join you if you so desire.

Related: How to Start the Home Birth Conversation with your Partner

9) Better Post-Birth Care

Labor and delivery are intense. They can put your body and mind through quite a lot of strain, so having high-quality care afterwards can make a world of difference.

Unlike a hospital birth where you’re pretty much on your own after the birth of your child, your midwife will be right there for you. Your midwife performs a variety of postnatal tasks — like helping you with breastfeeding — and monitoring — like keeping an eye on bleeding — to ensure you and your baby are faring well.

10) Quicker Birth & Easier Recovery

Maybe it’s all the factors above combining and synergizing, but many home birthers get through labor, delivery, and postnatal recuperation with greater speed and ease than their hospital-going counterparts. It’s not hard to see how being in your own space, with those who know and love you, doing things according to your wishes, and getting excellent and personalized care can yield superior results.

Who Are Good & Bad Candidates for Home Birth?

While home births are terrific, they’re not for everyone, especially if you have certain medical conditions such as cancer, certain clotting disorders, or chronic high blood pressure.

Ultimately, the decision to have a home natural birth or not is one that should be made after consulting with a qualified midwife or your healthcare provider. They’ll be able to do an in-depth assessment of your medical profile, pregnancy status, and other factors to help determine whether home birth is a safe and appropriate option.

Home Birth Safety — What Happens if There’s an Emergency Complication

Unexpected situations sometimes arise during labor and delivery, for both hospital and home births. The key is to be prepared for these just-in-case moments.

As we mentioned above, complications and need for interventions are relatively rare for natural home births. However, they must still be accounted for. This is why working with a trained and experienced midwife and developing a customized birthing plan are so important.

Your midwife knows what to look for and what to do in emergencies. They have the knowledge, skills and supplies to jump into action should something happen, ensuring that you get the attention and care you require.

Plus, the hospital is always open and just a short drive away. With a well-conceived birth plan in place, you should have all bases covered!

Create Your Home Birth Plan with Hearth & Home Midwifery 

Now that you’re even more intrigued or excited by the prospect of a natural home birth, you may be curious about next steps. We invite you to schedule a consultation with us. It’s the best and quickest way to learn more — like if you might be a good fit for home birth and what your birthing plan might look like.