Advantages And Disadvantages Of Home Hospital Vs Hospital Home

Shalynn Hoffman 1-27-2017 Doula Certification Course [e-mail]

Student Paper

Home Births vs. Hospital Births

For some women and their partners, choosing where to deliver there baby is very important, wether at home or a certain hospital. This may be a high priority because of safety, comfort, specific care provider, or aligns with their general philosophies. Throughout history, the attitude toward pregnancy and birth was, and still is by many around the world, a natural, healthy, normal life event, not a problem for which to seek medical care, which has grown more common since the development of modern western medicine.

There are many reasons why individual parents make the choice

-Hospitals have strict policies, protocols, and procedures that they must follow, which means you will, too.

-High hospital costs if uninsured. (From what I could find the average birth at the hospital with insurance was $3000 out of pocket versus around $1500 for a home birth.) As you can see, if you are debating about whether to have your baby inside a hospital or inside your home, you have a lot of things to consider. I chose to write this paper because, as a doula, I often get asked the pros and cons of each side. Either way you decide, the most important thing is to provide the best possible outcome for yourself and your newborn child. It is a big responsibility that should not be taken lightly, so educate yourself with as much information as you can in order to make the right decision for your own situation.

Some good books to read on home birth:

Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskins

The Home Birth Book by Charlotte

By Kelly Mochel

Baby on the way but William and Martha Sears and Christie Watts Kelly

Sources:

Outcomes of Care for 16,924 Planned Home Births in the United States: The Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project, 2004 to 2009

Melissa Cheyney PhD, CPM, LDM, Corresponding author Melissa Cheyney, PhD, CPM, LDM, Marit Bovbjerg PhD, MS, Courtney Everson MA, Wendy Gordon MPH, CPM, LM, Darcy Hannibal PhD,Saraswathi Vedam CNM, MSN,

CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal Outcomes of planned home birth with registered midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician

Patricia A. Janssen, PhD, Lee Saxell, MA, [...], and Shoo K. Lee, MBBS PhD

Shalynn Hoffman is a wife, mother of eight beautiful, loud, funny, sometimes obnoxious children, doula, and professional soccer and football parent. Shalynn received her training through Birth Arts International. She has been attending births for 24 years and has developed a love and passion for helping birthing mothers. Shalynn Hoffman lives in the great state of Ohio where she cheers on her Buckeyes and her