Home/Water Birth An Analysis of the Benefits of Home/Water Birth

Like all decisions to be made regarding the birth of a child, there are pros and cons that go along with them. This paper will look at the pros and cons of home/water birth, from a legal, moral, social and ethical perspective, and show why home/water birth with a midwife is a positive, low risk alternative.

There are many points to consider when contemplating home/water birth. The first is that water birth takes place in a spot where many women find the most relaxation, a tub of warm water. "Some moms go through the labor in the water, but get out when it's time for the delivery," according to Pregnancy RX. Other moms deliver right in the water. Either option is available for women choosing water birth. Some other pros worth mentioning are:

First, the baby before it is delivered is used to being in the fluid of the amniotic sac (after all, the baby has spent nine months living and growing in there); it is therefore supposed that being birthed "into an environment like the one he knows" will be much less of a shock, and make the experience that much more gentler for both baby and mother ("The Pros and Cons").

The first point leads right into the second, which is this: less stress for the baby means less stress for the mother: "More and more obstetricians, as well as a...

Of course, it goes without saying that warm water offers a refreshing, soothing, and energizing alternative to an uncomfortable hospital bed.
Water can also allow the mother to maneuver more easily than would be possible in a bed, since the mother can float in the tub: "The buoyancy allows better circulation of the blood and better contractions of the uterus, making the whole process less painful, and providing a better oxygen flow for the child" ("The Pros and Cons"). Also, by being in the water, a woman can have a greater sense of privacy, which in turn can help alleviate stress.

Of course, there are always cons to any situation, and in the case of water birth, they are that water might get into the woman's blood stream (though unlikely), and that the baby may "gasp for air" while submerged (unlikely again, however) ("The Pros and Cons").

From a legal standpoint Citizens for Midwifery states that "citizens have a right to be involved in maternity care policy" (Citizens for Midwifery). The organization states in its 2009 report that health care providers neglect to care for women who choose hospital births. "Childbirth is the second most common reason for hospitalization…[and yet] about…