The journey to welcoming your baby into the world is filled with excitement, anticipation, and, let's be honest, some level of anxiety. You’re likely absorbing countless opinions from family and friends, scouring the internet for information and reading all of the birth prep books you can get your hands on.
Amidst it all, if you've encountered the suggestion of homebirth, you might have experienced a prickle of apprehension at the idea.
“But isn’t homebirth risky?” you might wonder.
The mere thought can evoke images of complications and endless what-if scenarios.
But what if I told you that the perception of homebirth as inherently risky isn’t wholly accurate? And that by planning a homebirth, you’re actually much less likely to experience unwanted medical interventions during your baby’s birth.
The Risk Misconception: What Influences Our Perspectives?
It's no secret that our environment shapes our beliefs. The majority of us grow up viewing hospital as the gold standard for safety in childbirth—supported by medical professionals, advanced technology, and a myriad of resources at our disposal. Considering anything else is seen as reckless and too risky.
The belief that homebirth is 'too risky' is also strongly reinforced by our culture and society.
Just take a look at the media, TV shows and the film industry. Have you ever seen a positive depiction of homebirth (or birth in general)? The likely answer is no.
It’s so ingrained in us that giving birth is dangerous and that hospital is the safest option for everyone - but neither of these statements is factual or true.
When it comes to deciding where to give birth to your baby, it’s crucial to differentiate between the appearance of safety in a hospital and genuine outcomes of safety across different settings.
What does the Evidence Say?
So many statistics and studies show that planned homebirths can be just as safe, if not more so, than hospital births for low-risk pregnancies. Knowing this can turn your perception of homebirth on its head.
A study by Lancet (2020) showed that by planning a home birth, women were:
40% less likely to give birth by caesarean section
50% less likely to have an operative vaginal birth
70% less likely to use epidural analgesia
55% less likely to have an episiotomy
40% less likely to experience a 3rd or 4th degree perineal tear
60% less likely to receive oxytocin augmentation of labour
The Lancet study found huge reductions in the numbers of medical interventions in those who were planning a homebirth compared to those who planned to give birth in obstetric lead units (i.e. labour wards).
Although there isn’t one clear reason for these huge reductions in interventions, it does make you question why we’ve been led to believe that homebirth is so risky when the evidence clearly suggests that the opposite is true.
The Birth Place study (2011) also reported similar findings to the Lancet report when looking at the impact of birth place on outcomes.
Mindset matters
No one study can give us a definitive answer as to why planning a homebirth greatly reduces the risk of experiencing medical interventions in birth.
But, based on my own experiences of planning a homebirth and as a Hypnobirthing specialist, I believe a lot of it is down to mindset.
Planning a homebirth requires a lot of proactive planning and preparation. You’re much more likely to have fully researched your options for birth in depth, have attended an antenatal course, equipped yourself with the statistics and evidence you need, and have spent a considerable amount of time building your confidence for birth. You’re also much more likely to have back up birth plans and have looked into all of your other choices, helping you to feel confident no matter what happens on the day.
When you plan to give birth at home, you’re committed to fully trusting yourself and your body. This level of confidence in your ability to give birth creates massive shifts in your mindset. And your mindset hugely influences your physical experience of birth (more on that here).
When you go into birth with this level of confidence, you can trust yourself to navigate whatever twists and turns may present themselves on the day. The impact of this cannot be underestimated.
With the right mindset, even if you plan a homebirth and things don't go to plan, you can still have a hugely positive birth experience. This is something I'm really passionate about instilling in everyone I work with.
In fact, you can discover exactly how I put this into practice during my second birth here. I truly believe that planning a homebirth massively stacked the odds in my favour of achieving a hands off water birth in a hospital setting.
A New Perspective
Planning a homebirth can be a truly empowering experience and instills such a huge level of confidence in your ability to birth your baby. Whilst homebirth isn’t the right decision for everyone, it certainly isn’t a dangerous one.
Ultimately, your birthing experience is yours to create.
Educate yourself, trust your body and know that with the right tools and support, you can birth your baby in the way that feels right to you.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this one!
Love Emma
Hypnobirthing Specialist
xxx
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