Wherever you may be in your pregnancy journey rather if you are 8 weeks pregnant or 5 months pregnant. If you are reading this post, you may be beginning to ask yourself questions about where you would like to give birth and starting the process of planning where that might be!

I know the feeling, I’ve had to make this decision 3 times myself. Between that and my experiences supporting women as a doula, I have seen how your decision on where to birth can make all the difference in your overall birthing experience.

It is such a vital piece to your birth!

In this post, I will be going over things that could be helpful to consider when choosing a home birth, birth center birth, or hospital birth.

If you haven’t asked yourself or set intentions on what kind of birthing experience you would like to have, I encourage you to be mindful of that as you read through this post. My hopes is the information here will help you lean closer to a decision that resonates with you.

So with that being said, lets talk about…

Identifying The Birth Experience You Desire

The first step to making the decision on where you are going to birth, is asking yourself what kind of birth do you want? Becoming clear on the experience you are looking to have can help you define the right place for your birth.

Ask yourself questions like…

Ask yourself questions like….

How do I want my birthing space to feel?

What kind of birth do I want?

Who do I want to be my support team and involved in my labor?

What are some key factors I want for my birth? For example ( Movement, avoid epidural etc.) Try to think of specifics
What are the things you don’t want for your birth?

Whats most important for me for this birth experience?

Do I want an OBGYN? Do I want a Midwife? Do I want a doula?

Do I want to birth natural?

Do I want pain medication? If so, which one?

How do I feel about interventions during my labor process?

Between a hospital, birth center and birthing at home, which space do I feel most safest in? And Why?

Asking yourself questions like this can be helpful in navigating between the different aspects that each setting will offer you during your labor and birth.

Weighing out your options

You have many options when it comes to deciding how you want to birth and where you want to birth. Once you have an idea on where you feel most comfortable to birth, from there you can get into the more details.

Down below I will list key points to consider around birthing at a hospital, birthing at a birth center and birthing at home.

Hospital births

Most Medical Access

Medical interventions are readily available, such as administering Pitocin, breaking your waters, placing IVs, Cytotec, etc.
With that being said, this increases your chances of receiving medical interventions (something to keep in mind if you are wanting natural birth)

Quick access to NICU and medical help if emergency arises.

Continuous monitoring vitals, monitoring baby, cervical checks, blood draw, IVs etc. more precaution measures

Restrictions

Freedom to move around may be limited due to continued fetal monitoring and/or if medication is given. Depending on hospital/staff, you may have options to have intermediate monitoring or a mobile monitoring system available.

Usually restrictions on eating during labor.

Restrictions on laboring and birthing in the tub.

Less accomadating around preferred birthing positions.

Time restraints/time limits on where you should be at in your labor process before recommending interventions.

Impersonalized care

Less choice around doctors and nurses who will be supporting you. Support is based the doctor and nurses on call at the time of your arrival. (Some Doctors and midwives do meet their patients at the hospital).

Less personal care; shift changes, adding different people to birthing space. Also there is usually no prior relationship built with medical professionals that will be in your birthing space.

After birth/ PostPartum

Newborn check up. Immunizations, blood test, hearing test. Other health professionals may offer services.

Stay 24 to 48 hours

Requires travel

Leaving to the hospital and back home

Privacy and Comfortability

Less home-like feel, more clinical feel.

Brighter lights, machine noise, in and out of providers. (Lights be cut down can be requested during labor)

Hospital gown, rooms are usually a little colder, and beds are not as comfortable.

Overall

The hospital has protocols and procedures that they have in place and go by. As I have mentioned the restrictions and different aspects of the hospital scene, you have the right to decline, refuse, and carefully think about any decision presented to you.

Getting the accommodations you desire in a hospital setting is possible and accessible to you with advocating for them. It can be helpful to go in informed on your options and be clear on the things you do and don’t want. Having a doula, a supportive birth team, supportive provider on your side can also help assure your birth experience is honored.

Hospital births are an option that may be best if in pregnancy the are ongoing health concerns, you are planning to get pain medication, epidural administer, or C sections.

If you looking for a more natural experience, the next options I have listed may be a better fit for your experience.

Birth Center

Home away from home

Birth centers are a mix between birthing away from home, but in an environment that is more supportive to a natural birth.

Free-standing birth center(Not connected to a hospital) are facilities ran by midwives
Requires travel before and after birth.
Along with timing for best time to go to birth center, usaully access to speak directly to midwife and see midwife if you have questions and concerns when labor starts and during.

Offer private birthing room. These rooms are usually a-lot cozier than hospitals, feels more like a room away from home.

More fit and accommodating for a natural birth feel with things like low lights, an accessible bathtub, birthing tools such as birth balls, diffusers, speakers for music etc., depending on birth center.

While birth is out of the hospital, you will still have access to medical treatment or if you would like pain medication via transfer. Midwife will assist in making the call for transfer to near by hospital they are connected with.

Flexibility

More freedom to move around during labor and birth where you desire

Less medical equipment and free of monitoring, IVs, any cords

Occasionally fetal monitoring may be done with doppler( portable monitor).

Access to the birth tub on and off during labor.

Snacking and eating during labor encouraged.

More opportunity for a spouse to feel more involved during labor and the birth, being that there are fewer medical providers in the room

Less Medical, more relaxed

No intervening with laboring process, unless medically needed or requested by you

Less risk for unwanted interventions

Midwives usually are more understanding and unaccommodating to the natural birth process

Less likely to do cervical checks. Instead more observing and support, and allowing mothers to labor in peace.

These facilities do not have pain medication. Some birth centers will have natural herbal tinctures to help with relaxation.

Private and Personalized Care

Usually smaller facility or birth house with only 2 or 3 rooms.

Quiet and peaceful being there are fewer families or none at the time of your labor.

Aware of midwives who will be in your birthing space and also your birthing team.

Sense midwives work with fewer families, have more capacity to be more personable. Having an understanding of what you want before, during, and after birth from prenatal meetings.

Calm postpartum transition

Travel will still be required after delivery.

Less shifting and moving after birth, allowing you to have those first moments with your baby and bonding with skin to skin, breastfeeding, etc.

Immunizations, New born check, all newborn screens available after birth

More respectful and open to parents who decline these things.

Less in and out traffic from strangers.

Overall

This is a great option if you want a more comfortable, relax birthing feel but do not have the compacity to birth at home or do not want to birth at home. It gives you an at home feel away from home, in a way you get the best of both worlds.

This option is usually more accommodating when it comes to health insurance coverage as well.

Home birth

Simply Natural

These births are attended by Midwives, doula, and loved ones. They come to you when you are ready for them and call them into your birthing space.

Birthing in the privacy of your home, creating more relaxation and comfort laboring.

No planning and worries about timing when to head to another destination before birth or after.Labor starts at home; you birth at home and recover at home. Eliminating travel helps you to staying in the zone of labor and staying in tune with the changes happening in your body without outside distractions.

Freedom to move, freedom to be, freedom to decide.

Move and birth wherever you want with the ability to feel familiar in your space as your move around.

Accommodates Natural Birth

Labor can take off without the push of medical interventions, pain medications, c sections, and ongoing monitoring, and cervical checks, paperwork, blood draws, etc.

If at some point you would like pain medication, you will still have access to it but will have to transfer to the nearest hospital.
The ability to labor alone or with partner/doula/family and call midwife when ready for her.

Personalized Experience

Ability to customize, decorate your birthing space, music, and set up your birthing space a certain way.

Surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones, no restrictions on who can and can’t be there.

Once the midwife joins you, she is with you the whole time, no shift changes.

Aware and familiar with everyone attending your birthing space, in your home.

Relaxed transition into postpartum

Immediate skin to skin

Clean-up varies, midwives usually help with clean-up, family members, and loved ones as well.

Able to focus on resting with baby as midwives check on you and baby.

Midwife will perform after-baby routine care, immunization, vitamin k, etc. if you would like.

Free birth/Unassisted birth

What is a free birth/ unassisted birth?

This is when you have a home birth without the attendance of a midwife or OBGYN, intentionally. All of the points I have mentioned above about home births are pretty much the same for an unassisted birth except…

No Midwife or doctor

Support team still very much there. This could be partner, mother, friends, close family, doula

More privacy within your home.

No timing and calling midwife, simply paying attention to your body and labor process

More intuitive, space to trust yourself

No immediate newborn assessment, blood work, Vaccines after birth. This would have to be done at a hospital if you choose or with private doctor/ midwife.

You would handle all legal logistics such apply for birth certificate, social security, reporting birth etc.

If emergency, you and support team will be making the decision on transferring or calling ambulance or going to hospital. (Often times, families who free birth do a lot of research prior to birth to be informed and well educated.
Full autonomy over your birth

Full freedom of choice, all decisions are made by you (and partner)

You, or support team will cut umbilical cord and will be responsible for placenta. ( Some people Barry it, encapsulate it, freeze it, etc.)

Women choose to free birth for a number of reasons such as not trusting the medical system, wanting full autonomy over their experience, wanting a more private experience, not finding a good fit for a midwife, financial reasons etc. Free birthing can be such an empowering experience. Its requires educating yourself, mentally preparing your mind, and fully having faith in the process.

Overall

Home births create such a sense of privacy and can be very comforting to the labor process. From the beginning of the labor process to the the end when you push your baby out, all takes place in your own home. Your midwife, friends, and family do all of the traveling to you, and you are able to flow with the many transitions that birth brings.

Home births are a great option if you are wanting

a natural, more hands off approach. The variety of positions, spaces within your home and comfort techniques you can rely on during your labor is unlimited.

Freedom to cope with your labor in the way that your body is leading you to do so with the support of familiar faces in a familiar setting.

And the desire to experience a natural, physiological birth.

Visiting your birthing space before birth

If you choose to birth at a hospital or birthing center. It could be helpful to go check out the birthing space. Make the time to go visualize where you will be birthing space to get a better idea of your birthing space. This gives you the opportunity to ask any questions and concerns around when you give birth.

Most hospitals and birthing centers have schedule dates and times for tour to come and see how their birthing space, check out the hospital or birthing center you will be birthing at on the times and dates of the next tour!

This can help you with making that final decision.

Interviewing providers, researching providers and asking questions

When you invite providers into your birthing space rather that be a doctor or midwife, understanding their views on birth can be another good way to insure that they align with the experience you want to have.

Researching and looking around at different providers, and then scheduling interviews if possible gives you the opportunity to get to know them and ask questions pertaining what you want for your birth.

(When working with a home birth midwife, most the time a free consultation is always offer before moving forward with any support)

Considering it all!

So if you made it to this point of the post. Let me ask you, which one of those settings seemed like the best fit for you? What questions stood out to you the most to help you decide?

Maybe you haven’t decided yet? And hey that’s fine too. This is a big decision. The fact that you are here, reading this post, is a great beginning.

Planning for the kind of birthing experience you want to have and weighing out all your options before making a decision is so worth it for you birth. Informing yourself, learning and staying tapped into what you truly want for yourself on this journey is one of the most empowering steps of the way.

Black and brown women birthing

As a black women, black doula and working with black/and brown mommas as birth support. I see the importance of why we must plan our births intentionally and inform ourselves around everything we choose. Many times we do not get the same treatment, same options given to other communities and while that is not okay, it’s still our responsibility to acknowledge this and empower ourselves.

The way we experience birth matters. The empowering, life changing, transition birth can offer us when we can fully feel at ease with our decision, our environment, and the people around us while we birth. As I know there are many obstacles that stand in the way of us exploring our options around birth at times, I also recognize the power of being creative and looking for solutions.

Learn your options. Do research. Reach out to people in your community. Find local organizations within your community with pregnancy resources that can give you access to funding, doula’s, midwives, programs, classes, community, education etc to become informed on your options.

You deserve to birth the way you want, and where you want.

Until next time momma

Stay tuned, in tune, and forever evolving.

Stephanie

Things to consider when choosing a home birth, birth center birth and hospital birth