Baby, You’re Home: The Growing Popularity of Home Births

             More women are starting to prefer to give birth in the familiarity and intimacy of their homes, accompanied by a midwife, rather than giving birth in a hospital- even in New York City. The number of deliveries performed midwives has been as high as ten per month and the sales of birthing pools has doubled since last year. One of the reasons for the new interest in home births is Ricki Lake’s film, The Business of Being Born. In the film, Lake shows the many advantages of having home birth, such as the woman’s feeling of comfort from being in her own home. In addition, many soon-to-be-mothers prefer home births because of the control they have over the process of their own childbirth and the constant contact with their newborn, unlike in a hospital. Also, number of caesarean sections has increased by fifty percent since 1996. But who knew home births could be so popular in New York City, where the apartments are usually tiny and the walls thin? To hear more about the growing popularity of home births in New York City, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/garden/13birth.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&em&oref=slogin

 

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