Hospital Birth is Better

This is a two-part series that serves two purposes. 1. If you are on the fence about where to have your baby, hopefully, these episodes will help you envision where you see yourself birthing & help you make that decision. 2. If you already know where you are giving birth, these episodes will reaffirm that choice. 

If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that between the 2 of us, we have given birth almost every way. In hospital unmedicated, cesarean, in-hospital with an epidural, at a birth center, and a homebirth. So we’ll be drawing on that and our experience supporting women in all these settings & scenarios.

There are many pros to giving birth in a hospital setting and we wanted to encourage and support you if this is the path you have chosen or are leaning towards. 

BIG REASONS WE THINK HOSPITAL BIRTH IS BETTER

1. You have advanced, life-saving measures available should you need them. There are lots of peace of mind that can come for you and your partner in knowing that should an emergency arise, you’re in the right place. While out-of-hospital midwives have things necessary to help baby breathe if they’re struggling or give meds to stop a hemorrhage, they can’t do things like perform emergency cesareans. But hospitals can!
2. You have pain meds available to you should you want them. Epidurals can be heavenly (provided they are administered correctly & don’t cause any issues). They can be a great tool for a mama that is overly tired, needing help relaxing, etc.
3. There can be comfort in the “routine”. You’ve likely grown up your whole life believing that, when it’s time to have a baby, you go to the hospital! You have a decent idea of what to expect there in terms of the environment. It’s familiar, and that can be comforting.
4. Insurance covers it. While we are seeing many insurance companies now covering out-of-hosptial birth due to COVID circumstances, this isn't usually the case. Unless you have a super high deductible, it's likely that a hospital birth will be cheaper for you.
5. COVID hospital policies make it easier to keep unwanted visitors away. It's easy to tell people, "Sorry! They only allow me one extra person at the birth." 

6. My husband would say that birth has a “smell” and keeping that contained to NOT our house would be his preference! The same goes for all the lovely fluids that are associated with giving birth. No need to worry about anything getting stained in your home!

7. You likely have access to lactation help for the first 24-72 hours after birth. Many hospitals have a lactation specialist or IBCLC on staff. Even if breastfeeding is going well, we recommend that you take advantage of this free help so that you can go home feeling confident in the foundations of your breastfeeding journey.
8. If you're choosing circumcision for your son, you can have it done before you leave. This is far more convenient than having to schedule a separate appointment with your pediatrician.