In a commitment to support physiologic birth in a culture of increasing intervention, the Midwives of New Jersey began offering homebirth as an option to our clients in 2008.
Contrary to popular beliefs and fears, homebirth is associated with as good or better outcomes for low-risk women delivering in hospitals even those attended by a Midwife in the hospital. Women who desire a birth at home should be low-risk for childbirth complications. The Midwives of New Jersey provide homebirth-specific classes, equipment and counseling to prepare for a birth at home.
People Choose Homebirth for a Variety of Reasons like:
- History of easy, fast labors
- Prefer to be in control of the process
- Desire to avoid routine interventions in labor and birth
- Wish or need to keep other children with them
- Do not want to be riding in a car in active labor or during bad weather
- Understand that birth is safest in a mammal’s habitat
Women like their homebirths but their partners LOVE them. Typically, a woman’s partner is made to feel like (s)he is in the way and that the hospital personnel know more than the partner about her needs. Partners at homebirths have the freedom to be and do what they want. The postpartum women like their homebirths but maybe are not quite as enthusiastic as their spouse because she still had to labor and deliver. Homebirth does not take away the discomforts of childbirth but it certainly can make them much more tolerable.
Homebirth Is A Natural Progression
Homebirth allows for the natural progression of labor without the disruption of car rides, hospital procedures, and policies. Giving birth at home allows women the ability to labor and deliver in a comfortable and familiar environment. Homebirth encourages fathers to be very involved in the exciting experience of the birth of their child.
Who Can Have a Homebirth?
Low risk women as defined by:
- No medical illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes
- No developing complications during pregnancy such as gestational diabetes or anemia
- Live less than 30 minutes from a hospital
- Have an adequate social support system
- Have a safe home environment
- Live a very healthy pregnancy lifestyle
Is Homebirth Safe with the Midwives of New Jersey?
For most medical and lay people, delivering a baby outside of the hospital is radical. They forget that babies were born at home since the beginning of time and hospital birth has only been a standard of care since the 1950’s. They do not realize that the improvement in birth outcomes that were seen from the 1940’s until now were mostly a result of improved nutrition including prenatal vitamins, anti-hemorrhage and anti-bacterial medications, improved surgical techniques and hygienic practices like hand washing and aseptic techniques for surgery. Medical advances have certainly improved birth outcomes for mothers and babies, but low risk women are very safe at home because those improvements can be implemented at all birth sites.
The Midwives of New Jersey are experienced Certified Nurse Midwives, having attended thousands of births. We are skilled at assessing whether or not a client is a good candidate for a home birth. We monitor our homebirth clients carefully and continuously to ensure the safety and of a birth at home.
Our homebirth clients are asked to attend a homebirth class to prepare them for their home birth. Our clients are made aware of the possible complications of childbirth that would be better managed in a hospital setting. We also schedule a home visit in order to become familiar with a client’s home and to discuss any questions they may have.
We carry several medical supplies to our homebirths including oxygen, medications, and IV fluids to be used if necessary. We renew our Neonatal resuscitation certification every two years. We have privileges at Morristown Medical Center where we can transfer our clients if necessary and continue to care for them. However, in a true emergency we would transfer to the nearest hospital.
The Midwives of New Jersey Provide Homebirth Clients:
- Homebirth class
- Tub and liner
- Birth kit
Following a homebirth, we will visit you two or more times at your home or in our office.
While we do not minimizethe possible risks of homebirth, we acknowledge that the healthier a woman and her pregnancy, the less likely a complication is to arise.
