I'm glad I'm done having children because I always hated t__he pressure women go through during their pregnancies in terms of having to decide the best way to deliver their children.__ Hospital birth? C-section? Water birth? No drugs? Home birth? The first time I was pregnant, I actually caved in to all this pressure and opted to go with midwives instead of an OB/GYN.
Luckily, I didn't go as far a wanting a home birth and after reading about the real dangers behind this practice–which continues to grow in popularity–I am forever grateful I opted to have my children at the hospital–not that my midwives ever even gave me that option.
Read more in ¿Qué más?: Back to basics: Is home birthing right for you?
You see, the group of midwives who took care of me and my unborn child during my last trimester were what is called CNMs, or certified nurse midwives. This means they were all certified nurses who were also midwives. In other words, they had the medical training every single certified nurse must have. And, very rarely, will you be able to find these kind of midwives doing home births because of liability insurance issues.
So the ones that end up doing the home births are CPMs, or certified professional midwives. You know what you need to become one? A high school diploma, midwifery school or an apprenticeship with a midwife and a passing grade on a 350-question multiple-choice test.
While my midwives provided the more personal care and more natural approach to childbirth that I was looking for, they were also fully trained to deal with any type of emergency, except a C-section–which is actually what ended up happening. Luckily, I was in the hospital, so there was no need to panic at all.
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I know giving birth at home is women all over the world have been doing for centuries, but there's a reason why things changed. After reading about the devastating deaths that could've been prevented if a home birth had been a hospital birth, I'm truly glad I was too chicken to even consider this a real option for both my deliveries.
Would you consider a home birth? How much do you know about the risks involved? Share your thoughts with us by leaving us a comment.
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