Homebirth Three/Where to Birth, & Who Should Be There?

1.  Choosing birthplace
1. Home
1. Advantages
1. Anointed by blood (once literal, now figurative) - Exodus 12:21-23 "Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, 'Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.'"
2. Husband is priest of home - 1 Corinthians 11:3 "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."
3. Parents control who is present, who touches baby
4. Safer (Mehl study)
5. Cheaper
2. Disadvantages (???)
1. Full responsibility is on parents
2. Medical technology is not available to fall back on
2. Hospital/birth center
1. Advantages
1. Medical technology available
2. Plenty of others to blame problems on--not necessarily an advantage! (See Proverbs 28:13 "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." Psalm 32:5 "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess mytransgressions to the LORD,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin." We are supposed to own responsibility even for mistakes.)
3. Medication available
2. Disadvantages
1. Authority rests with hospital personnel
2. "Routines" often not compatible with personalwishes
3. Interventions likely
4. Infections possible
5. Atmosphere not always conducive to relaxation
1. Tension leads to pain and slowing of labor
2. These in turn increase likelihood of further intervention
6. Expensive
7. Separation of mother and baby
1. Nursery exposes baby to infection
2. Greater likelihood of unauthorized procedures for baby
3. Interferes with breastfeeding
4. Interferes with mother-baby bond
2. Things to consider when choosing
1. Implications of hospital birth
1. Many hospitals perform abortions
2. Medications
1. Likely to be offered even if mother requestsno drugs beforehand
2. If accepted
1. Dangerous to mother
1. Can slow/arrest labor
2. Can lower blood pressure
3. Can hinder/take away ability tothink (or pray)
2. Dangerous to baby
1. Can reduce oxygen
2. Can cause problems after birth
1. Jaundice
2. Poor reflexes
3. Inability to nurse properly
3. May have long-term effects
1. Colic
2. Hyperactivity
3. Predisposition to drug addiction
3. Giving away authority does not give away responsibility - Psalm 32:5 (see above), 1 Corinthians 11:3 (see above)
4. Most routines/procedures are detrimental at the least
2. Implications of home birth
1. Birth was instituted before sin (and sickness) entered world - Genesis 1:28 "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it...'"
2. No study has ever been able to show that hospitalsare safer than home--just the opposite
3. No danger of interventions performed without parents' permission
4. Labor and birth are generally more comfortable and/or satisfying for mother
1. Freedom to move around as desired
2. May choose own birth position
3. No episiotomy = fewer severe tears
4. Immediate bonding and nursing for mother and baby
5. Fewer painful or unnecessary procedures forbaby
3. Caregivers and other attendants
1. Primary birth attendants
1. Types
1. Lay midwife - Exodus 1:15-21 (see notes, section one)
2. Licensed midwife
3. Certified nurse midwife (CNM)
4. Obstetrician or family practitioner
2. Reasons for choosing
1. Attitude toward intervention
1. Can be measured by personal Cesarean rate
2. Willing to bend routine for parents' wishes
2. Spiritual orientation
1. A Spirit-filled believer? Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?" 2 Peter 2:19 "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
2. Prolife? Deuteronomy 27:25 "Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person."
3. Male or female
2. Others at birth
1. Children (if applicable)
2. Friends
1. Supportive of birth choices
2. Prayerful
3. Doula or professional labor assistant
1. Provides physical and emotional support
2. Should provide spiritual support
4. Possibly husband and wife alone
1. Opens the way for an intensely bonding experience, both for husband/wife and for parents/baby
1. Presence of others is sometimes an inhibiting factor in husband's response to wife's need
2. Husband and wife should trust each other (or work toward that end!)
3. Both should be absolutely prepared for mechanics of birth
2. A few possible drawbacks
1. Can be difficult if wife needs constant physical support or touch
2. No one available to help remember mundane details
3. Isolation may be source of fear (goes back to trust issue, both in husband and in God)
5. Seek the Lord's direction in this, as well as in everything else. It could really affect the course of your labor and birth!

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