In Response to My Last Post

I hope that in trying to explain part of my decision to have a home birth I didn't make anyone feel like I was attacking hospital births. Hospitals are not bad and wonderful births happen every day at hospitals. I would be completely fine with delivering at a hospital if there was ever a medical reason for me to do so. I know my "room service and busy restaurant" analogy isn't perfect, but it was just my attempt to try to explain how INCREDIBLY different home births are from even the most natural hospital births. If you've experienced or attended both types of births you will know exactly what I mean, but if you haven't it is hard to understand how different they are and why most home birthing women are so passionate about it. My analogy was just my attempt at trying to explain a little bit of the difference, but I hope that in doing so I didn't make anyone feel like I was trying to belittle their birth experience or hospitals.

The truth is that home birth isn't for everyone. There are some women who just wouldn't feel safe birthing at home and want the extra medical attention and security-- and that is JUST fine. But there are other women, like me, who feel safer and more confident giving birth at home, and who want a different type of care and experience than what is offered at a hospital-- and that is JUST fine. Every woman, every baby, and every pregnancy is different and there is not one right way to birth. The important thing is that a woman is educated about her body, her baby, and her choices and is then able to make the best decision for her and her family. It is a wonderful thing that women in (most parts of) the US have so many different birthing choices open to them and that they get to choose how they welcome a new life into this world. I believe that no matter how a woman chooses to birth she should be supported and respected, and I hope that maybe, in some small way, I was able to explain to those of you who haven't birthed at home a tiny glimpse into my reasons for birthing at home.