QuestionHi Elayne,
I am looking to do a totally natural home birth (with a CNM). My husband is strongly opposed to this for fear of something going terribly wrong. I don't feel that this will jeopardize my own health or the baby's. What is your take on this matter? If you agree with home birth, what are some very good arguments I can use to convince my husband in my favor? Also, I have had a urinary tract infection in the beginning of my pregnancy, and they found strep B. They say that whether or not my 36 week test comes out positive, they would want to treat it anyways. I have heard that the chances of the baby getting sick from strep B is so small, and the chances of a baby being treated with antibiotics is just as or more risky of getting resistant infections. Again, what is your thought about this, and if they found the strep B in my urine does it pose any greater risk than if they just found it on a vaginal swab at 36 weeks? Thank you,
Chevy
AnswerCongratulations on your choice of a home birth! A home birth with a midwife is the safest birthing choice available. I'm sure you've done your research, but here are some of the top points to address with your husband:
1. Quality of care. Your midwife will only have you to care for. She will not have her attention divided between other laboring mothers. She will be able to customize her care to your needs, not to fit standardized hospital protocols. She will actually be more likely to catch any potential problems much earlier than hospital providers would, and by coordinating care in the event of a transport, she will be able to ensure you will receive prompt, efficient treatment when you arrive at the hospital. For some birth complications, a midwife is actually more capable than most doctors and hospitals, including shoulder dystocia and breech birth.
2. Natural, gentle birth. In the hospital, you would be subjected to standardized care. You will be timed, weighed, measured, poked, and prodded. If you do not conform to the mythical "average" labor, you will be forced to. You will be heavily encouraged to take an epidural, IVs, and other interventions, often just because that's what they're used to, leading to cascades of interventions that can ultimately end in a c-section. A midwife in a homebirth will work with you and your body, on your timetable. Not every woman is the same. You deserve to be treated as an individual, and you will be safer with this model of care.
3. Infection. Just entering a hospital increases your risk of infection. Once there, you have to deal with internal exams, increasing the risk of infection to you and the baby. If you have a c-section, you have further risks of infection. By staying home and staying natural, you are only exposed to the natural flora of your home environment to which you are already resistant.
There are so many, many reasons to avoid the hospital except in the cases where the mother or the baby is in immediate danger. If your husband has any specific concerns, please let me know in a follow-up question, and I will help you address them. I've done a lot of research on this myself, and I had to bring my husband around, too.
As far as group-B strep, I personally do not feel it is something that is worth wasting your time worrying about. This is a new thing they have come up with, very recently, and the numbers just do not support the massive campaign that is being waged against this essentially benign bacteria. You can see the numbers for yourself at the CDC's website on it:
http://www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep/
Take a good look through all the information available here, particularly in the section for medical professionals, and don't let the scare tactics sway you; let the numbers speak for themselves. The salient facts you should be aware of are:
* group B is a benign bacteria present in almost the entire general population
* testing at almost any point in time (even the standard 36 weeks) still cannot accurately predict your status during labor
* even if you are positive during labor, your chances of transmitting the disease to your baby are miniscule
* if you avoid internal exams (which are absolutely unnecessary at any point in labor anyway), you further decrease the risk of transmission by avoiding pushing the germs up towards the uterus
* if you avoid artifical rupture of the membranes (AROM), you further reduce the risk of transmission
* even if the bacteria is transmitted, only a miniscule number of those infants will become infected
* even if the baby becomes infected, only a miniscule number of those babies will have a poor outcome
I chose not to even be tested for it. Even some medical groups have spoken out against the massive antibiotic campaign currently being used for this. A tiny number of babies are being saved, at a cost of millions of yeast and thrush infections and a rapid rise in the rate of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, particularly in the hospitals...and we're back to reasons to stay home!
Please let me know if you have any more questions or would like any further information.
