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Home sweet home birth
Why women choose birth at home
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Perhaps you were shocked when you first heard someone say she was having a home birth. Why, you wonder, would anyone want to have a baby at home — far away from the epidural your friends have raved about and the medical care that might be needed in an emergency? Why would someone choose a birth with more pain and (seemingly) less safety?
In our society, hospital birth is the default — the way most assume it will happen. Toronto midwife Vicki van Wagner, an associate professor in Ryerson’s Midwifery Education program, says the majority of people haven’t even considered home birth.
“There are a small number of women who know they want a home birth even before they get pregnant,” she explains. “That’s usually because they’ve had some exposure to the idea — perhaps a sister or friend had a home birth. The majority haven’t really thought about it, but once the midwife or a friend presents it as an option, they may decide it’s right for them.”
Read on for some of the reasons women make that choice.
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