10 Reasons I Would Never Give Birth in a Hospital
When it comes to giving birth, there's no one-size-fits-all solution.
For some people, medical help may be needed. For others, it’s completely unnecessary. The important thing is to know your rights, know your vision and have a support team of wise women and people around you who trust you and are listening to you.
The truth is, your birth is your birth. No one should tell you how, when, or where you should birth your baby. You and your baby intuitively know when that will happen and it can happen in its own divine timing, if only it was left alone to be that way for most of the births these days. Unfortunately, it’s not and it’s beginning to be unsafe to give birth at a hospital where 1 in 3 women are experiencing birth trauma.(*)
If you’re here You've probably experienced some birth trauma yourself, or maybe your currently working on adding children to your family. Maybe people have shared their birth trauma with you and it makes you question and fear birth. Or maybe just maybe, you’re a little bit like me, and you’re not questioning birth, but your questioning the system. Maybe you trust birth and you wonder why so many people out there don’t. Maybe you want more from your journey than the medicalized birth that seems to have taken over. This mindset that home births aren’t safe and are a trend are actually the main part of the problem. Birth and death became feared when they were removed from the home. Birth and death are sacred and a major transition for everyone involved and should remain in the home.
I've put together a list of 10 reasons why I would never give birth in the medical system again. Not only from my experience with my first baby where I was forced to transfer to the hospital due to meconium in the waters (baby took her first poop inside utero) which I know now is not a valid reason to transfer to the hospital (you can read evidence here) and ended in a series of unnecessary medical interventions but also from my second birth at home in my quiet living room with my family surrounding me in peace and tranquility which I would do 1000 x again and again.
I’ve been accepted to embark on a journey to become a Traditional Birth Companion, serving women no matter what their birth choice is. I am grateful for my mentor Billie Harrigan who will be guiding me and who has provided us with these backed up statistics. You can read her blog here.
1. 1 in 3 Women report a traumatic Birth experience (*)
These shocking statistics are not from the 1% of home births. In fact, I’ve never heard anyone say I was traumatized by my home birth. When home births “go sideways” it is often from a provider who feels it is taking too long or the birthing woman is requesting pain management. At this point, the birth is in the hands of the medical system and it can be challenging for everyone involved to stay in their power. As a Doula, I have personally witnessed obstetric violence right here in Ontario and they are calling it empowering birth. The numbers don’t lie. If you want an empowering birth where you are in the driver’s seat, your best bet is to stay home and build a team of people who will support your wishes.
2. 1 in 6 women are abused during their Births. (**)
When you say no or you don’t want something done, that should be respected. I’ve personally been present when hospital staff have started procedures on birthing women without even asking them. I’ve watched women have fingers, hands, and arms shoved up their vaginas without their consent. I’ve seen doctors break their waters without them knowing. I’ve witnessed nurses giving Pitocin shots after birth without telling my clients. I’ve seen nurses manhandle my client’s breasts while they are attempting to breastfeed their babies. And the list goes on. It is absolutely despicable and I can not nor will not sit back idly and watch this type of treatment on women. When you birth at home or in a private setting, you are able to control who comes into your space. You are able to stay in charge and keep being the bull. Stop riding the bull and be the bull! Your birth, your way!
3. They would request me not to eat
This is a super outdated practice that needs to gooooooo awayy!!! We should be eating in labour, labour is like running a marathon. Would you run a marathon without eating? No, that would be insane. Eating small frequent snacks throughout the duration of your early labour when you feel like you need some energy is key to keeping your energy up! Talk to your support person beforehand and ask them to remind you to eat and also offer it to you throughout so you can focus on bringing your baby earthside. There is zero evidence that eating during labour is harmful as even if you go in for a cesarean birth you will still be awake and would not require a tube in your throat to breathe which means you would have no chance of asphyxiating.
4. Depending on the rules of the hospital, I might not be able to have a second support person
Having at least 2 support people is essential for me. If labour is long it’s good to have people that can trade off being with you so they too can rest and take breaks. They changed these rules a couple of years ago and it’s sad to think of all the women who gave birth not only in a mask but even without one support person. How can they do this to women? How does this even make sense? I would want my partner and also my doula there, I would also want my mother and possibly another wise woman who trusted birth. I don’t want a bunch of strangers in masks and white jackets who I’ve never met hovering over me. WTF? I want people that know me and trust me and also trust birth and aren’t waiting for their chance to swoop in and intervene. I want to be left alone but also want to know that I have people surrounding me that see my vision and support it fully.
5. They might request me or my partner to wear a mask
This is a hard no for me. I need to focus on my breathing. I’m taking deep breaths, and I want to feel safe and secure. Masking me so I’m breathing in harmful chemicals from the mask itself and my own CO2 cannot be the best practice when giving birth, especially when the breath is so key in managing sensations and staying tuned in. I could just not wear it, but then will I have someone who mentions it every time they come in the room making me feel pressured and uncomfortable? Probably. Maybe not, but I’d just rather not risk it.
6. They might throw the dead baby card at me
The dead baby card is getting old. When women are left alone to birth their babies with educated wise women surrounding them who know and trust the physiology of birth, this simply doesn’t happen. When fear is brought in it automatically sends a cortisol response in our body’s systems, putting us in fight or flight mode. It’s hard to make decisions at this moment, especially if it’s your first baby or if you don’t trust your own strong, capable body and you have some self-doubt. It really does take the self-work before and during pregnancy to release the fears about birth that society has drilled into so many people’s minds. I understand that sometimes medical help is necessary, and I have so much compassion for those who experienced medicalized births. It’s always the question though if was it necessary, or was it the provider who was in a hurry and wanted to get the baby out?
7. I may not be able to use essential oils
Most hospitals are scent-free. I know this isn’t a huge deal but I personally turn to essential oils for a lot of things during my day so for birth I see them as essential. I know what I want to have diffusing so I can smell it when I’m breathing deep and focusing. I know what I want to have pre-made for when I need a neck or shoulder or low back massage. I know what I want to have prepared for my support person to use when I’m feeling nauseous or low energy. Does it mean it will work? Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But it’s a tool that I always have in my toolbox just in case. Most of the time, it does work and I know this as I have used them for my home birth as well as every other home birth I have attended.
8. I might not get a room right away and may be forced to walk around the hospital or the parking lot or labour in a tiny triage bed
Lack of hospital staff means rooms aren’t cleaned as efficiently. Often when I arrive at the hospital with a client they are told to walk the hospital or walk around outside. There’s no room for them if they aren’t requesting an epidural. It’s almost like a punishment because they don’t want drugs in their system. The triage room is small and has multiple other birthing women in it also being triaged. It’s not ideal for moving freely, being able to voice myself freely when needed to manage sensations easier or for privacy! On top of all that, there’s bright white lights shining in your eyes, random nurses popping in checking on you and loud beeping noises. At home there’s soft lighting, quiet music, the ability to move and make noise freely with no judgement or restrictions.
9. I may not be able to be admitted to the hospital without a cervical check to “determine where I’m at”
Unfortunately, not many providers are privy to how to tell how far progressed women are in labour without sticking their hands up vaginas. The cervical check is another outdated medical intervention that actually can stall labour and bring infection into the body. There are many other ways that I as a Doula can tell how far along my client is. One is by watching and listening to her. We often move intuitively in labour and when things are more intense the movement will change. Her breathing and emotions will change as well and when the mother is cared for, birth can happen on its on in its own divine timing. Another way to tell is a line on the back of the woman’s pelvis that shows how far the baby is in the birth canal. The cervix is not a crystal ball, its a sphincter and we all know what happens when we touch those!!! Just say no to these unnecessary, unethical, and invasive checks!!!
10. They might try to inject me with Pitocin after birth without me even knowing, amongst other medical interventions that they do without consent
As I mentioned before I’ve literally witnessed providers who have injected my clients without their consent after birth with Pitocin. This is a completely unnecessary medical intervention to attempt to quicken the removal of the placenta. This should not be done without the woman’s consent (or at all) but sometimes after baby is born there is this mad rush of providers in the room and no one even notices them doing it! I have also seen providers cut the cord almost instantly after baby is out even when the family has requested delayed cord clamping. I have seen gloved hands whisk the baby away to rub them with towels violently and unnecessarily before the mom even gets to hold baby. At home none of these horrific events can even take place because it will be very clear to my birth team what I want to happen after baby comes earthside. There will be no gloved hands touching my baby and the cord will remain attached to baby and the placenta until the cord is white. Pitocin will not need to be injected whatsoever with no risk of someone sneaking it in there, because when a natural physiological birth occurs the body will naturally release the placenta when its ready to.
So there you have it!
10 reasons I would never give birth in a hospital!
Here are a few ways I can help you:
Learn more about The Birth Like a Warrior Method™ - Divine Feminine Guidance: https://www.warriorwellnessforlife.ca
Connect with me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/warriorwellnessforlife
_____
Thanks for stopping by, Warrior!
I am a Pregnancy and Post Partum Coach and Yoga Teacher and the Founder of Warrior Wellness, a platform for women to connect deeply to themselves and their wombs so they can stay in their power throughout their whole childbirth experience.
When I am not creating content to inspire the Warrior Community, I can be found exploring the forest, walking along the river, attending births, teaching yoga classes and hanging with my babies.
_____
Other Places You Can Find Me:
Website: https://warriorwellnessforlife.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/warriorwellnessforlife
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@doulakristin
Birth Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2qb0bwSPypHKf1jrjnVlx4?si=12b7b832515540e0
Citations:
(*)Garthus-Niegel, S., von Soest, T., Vollrath, M. E., & Eberhard-Gran, M. (2013). The impact of subjective birth experiences on post-traumatic stress symptoms: a longitudinal study. Archives of women's mental health, 16(1), 1-10.
Creedy, D. K., Shochet, I. M., & Horsfall, J. (2000). Childbirth and the development of acute trauma symptoms: incidence and contributing factors. Birth, 27(2), 104-111.
Schwab, W., Marth, C., & Bergant, A. M. (2012). Post-traumatic stress disorder post partum. Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde, 72(01), 56-63.
(**)Montmasson, H., Bertrand, P., Perrotin, F., & El-Hage, W. (2012). Predictors of postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder in primiparous mothers. Journal de gynecologie, obstetrique et biologie de la reproduction, 41(6), 553-560.
