Perhaps the better question is “Why give birth in a hospital?” Pregnancy is not a sickness; childbirth is not a disease. In the United States, unnecessary medical intervention in the natural process of childbirth has resulted in correspondingly high incidence of infant injury and mortality compared with European nations, such as Denmark and France, where most births are attended by midwives.

Q: What are the advantages of a home birth compared with a hospital birth?
A: Most women will tell you that the primary advantage of a home birth is autonomy: the power to give birth in any position, to decide who attends, and the comfort of familiar surroundings. These are all major reasons I chose home birth too.

However, in my mind, the greatest reason of all is the baby’s experience and treatment in the first crucial days of life. I believe that our society has created unimaginable problems by not recognizing the newborn as a conscious being. We are only beginning to understand the profound impact of birth trauma through the science of perinatal psychology. How can we ever hope to end violence and drug abuse in the US, when for most of us, our very first lessons in life were being drugged, separated from loved ones and then violated; for boys, sexually violated by circumcision in the first days of life!?

Babies born at home are born in the gentlest way possible, experiencing love rather separation.

Q: What’s the most important factor in a successful home birth?
A: Assuming that you are committed to the idea of home birth, for your baby’s sake and your own, the most important factor is to let go of fear. The second, almost equally as important, is excellent health. These two factors are the primary focus of my prenatal visits.

By learning how your body normally functions, discussing strategies to cope with labor and creating an environment that feels safe to you, we’ll alleviate fear.

Hearing the stories of other women who gave birth naturally is also helpful. On the other hand, watching shows like Maternity Ward pretty much guarantees a transport to the hospital during labor, because you program your body to believe that’s how birth works. That’s why 98% of births are planned hospital births–because American women have been conditioned to believe we can’t give birth without medical intervention.