[catlvr976]

the safety of hospital births vs birth center births?

I am very seriously considering going to a midwife for my yearly checkups and any future pregnancies. There are a few around here, there is a birth center that has all midwives and will go to the hospital for an emergency, a midwife who practices with a group of dr's, and a midwife who has his (yes, a man) own practice who delivers in the hospital.

I would like to check out the birth center, but am concerned about the safety of it. I really like the idea of a birth center as there's so much more freedom to have your baby the way you want.

So, before I ramble on too much, where can I find good books, or just some good unbiased info on the safety of birth center births vs hospital?

Thanks so much!!

 

[lorijds]

You could start with Henci Goer's "Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" and then you could also visit the website for NACC (National Association of Childbearing Centers). I don't know what your definition of "unbiased" is; I doubt you will find many journals for OBs that laud the safety of birth centers, since there is a big economic (and ego, frankly) issue there. Just like you aren't going to be able to go to a Ford dealership and have the salesman tell you that, sure you could go with the Ford, but if you really liked the Honda, you should get that, because it is just as good, maybe even better.

I work at a birth center as a nurse (so, uh, no bias here, of course!). You can look in my profile and check out our website. Check our stats. See if you can find a doctor that practices in a hospital setting to match those. I doubt it can be done.

Henci Goer's book does a breakdown of hospital vs birth center vs home. I think it is obvious she favors home and birth center over hospital, but I don't think that leads to misinformation or extremem bias. She has another book called "Obstetric Myths v. Research Realities" which is basically a bunch of meta-analyses of research of the past 30+ decades. Very interesting reading, though somewhat dry, I found anyway. Can get technical and tedious for those who aren't so good at data interpretation, but a great, solid book.

Good luck! I really hope you go with the birth center! I'll bet it will be great and that you will love it and be very happy there (no bias in that statement, either...)!

Lori

 

[marymom]

http://www.homebirth.org.uk/

lots of references on this site, many are international but many are US also

 

[crowbaby]

That is so funny. I know exactly which birth center you are talking about. I am from Pittsburgh too, and had my babies with this practice, and volunteer there.

Check them out and go with your gut. Also you might want to get Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, which is about a birth center in TN. Ina May's center has a less than 2% c-sec rate and no maternal mortality and a infant mortality rate that is the envy of the world.

Because the center in Pgh is new, ask them about stats on Birthplace, (the old center), their tranfer policies, what they do in emergencies, etc.

I will tell you that the thing that made me go with them was the fact that they are with you for most of the birth, unlike an OB who relies on over worked and understaffed nurses. From what I have read and seen, OB emergiencies almost never happen quickly, but unfold, and signs are there for a midwife to see. Even an emergency C-sec takes about 20 min to prepare, just about the same time it takes for the midwife to notify the hospital you are coming and for her to get you there. (Thank goodness the 16th St. bridge is open...)

However the chance of you needing emergency procedures is tiny esp. compared to annoying, offputting, and sometimes downright dangerous interventions and mistakes that are routine in hospitals. Unless you are high risk, hospitals tend to over do it

Hope everything goes great!

Karen

 

[Kelly71]

I would recommend Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper. There's a video that you can order by the same title, but the book is wonderful.