Home birth matters-for all women

Although it remains rare in the United States, planned home birth has drawn increasing attention and criticism in the mainstream media and has come under attack from organized medicine. Yet, recent peer-reviewed studies contribute to the evidence base supporting home birth as a safe option for low-risk women attended by skilled midwives. The author of this editorial argues that home birth is an important cultural touchstone in the landscape of American maternity care.     

Normal birth: two stories

THE AUTHOR SHARES TWO STORIES: one of a normal birth that took place in a hospital with a nurse-midwife in attendance and another of a home birth unexpectedly shared by many colleagues. Both are told with the goal to inform, inspire, and educate.     

Research summaries for normal birth

In this column, the author presents summaries of four research studies that further illuminate the physiology and benefits of normal birth. The topics of the studies are home birth, upright positions during the second stage of labor, delayed pushing in women using epidural analgesia, and the effect of exposure to familiar odors on newborns.     

From hospital deliveries to home birth

Working in a busy labor/delivery unit gave me insight into the care that my Lamaze childbirth education students would encounter. I was troubled by the number of interventions taking place. The interventions interfered with a woman's ability to work with her labor; some interventions were actually creating problems or even crises. My experiences at this hospital motivated me to become involved with home birth, restoring my belief that birth is a normal process.     

Appendix: birth can safely take place at home and in birthing centers: the coalition for improving maternity services:

Although most women in the United States give birth in hospitals, a substantial body of research suggests that planned home birth or birth in freestanding birth centers have equally good or better outcomes for low-risk women. Out-of-hospital birth often facilitates mother-friendly care. Rationales and systematic reviews of both home birth and freestanding birth center birth are presented.     

Safe and healthy birth: the importance of data

In this column, the author reprises recent selections from the Lamaze International research blog, Science & Sensibility. Each selection discusses the mismatch between data commonly collected at the time of birth and the data needed to measure optimal care for physiologic birth. Selections include the importance of documenting duration of skin-to-skin contact after birth, the role of qualitative research in improving care in the second stage of labor, and pitfalls of meta-analyzing data on the safety of planned home birth.     

Social class, birth order, and newborn experience

Early home experiences of a group of 32 2-week old infants, equally divided according to social class, birth order, and sex, were studied. Naturalistic observations were taken on 2 consecutive days for a total of 6 hours. Compared with later-borns, firstborns received significantly more caretaker interaction on all variables studied. Compared with lower-SES infants, those from higher-SES homes received significantly more direct verbal interaction although the 2 groups did not differ on total periods of other types of caretaking interaction. The findings are consistent with birth order and social class differences reported in home environments of older infants and children.     

Eloen graces us: two perspectives of a home birth

In continuing The Journal of Perinatal Education's mission to promote normal birth, this issue's "Celebrate Birth!" column features mother and daughter, Nancy Ferguson and Shelley Beebee, who share two complementary perspectives of the magic and mystery surrounding the home birth of Eloen, Nancy's granddaughter and Shelley's daughter.     

Being a resource for both mother and child: fathers' experiences following a complicated birth

The aim of this study was to describe fathers' experiences of being present on a postnatal ward and during the first days at home following a complicated birth. Fifteen fathers were interviewed, and content analysis was used for the analysis. The theme illustrated that fathers were a resource for both mother and child through practical and emotional engagement. The categories describe how the father empowers the mother and illustrates adapting to new family roles. Following complicated birth, fathers should be invited to stay around-the-clock on postnatal wards because it gives them the opportunity to place their resources at the disposal of mother and child. In antenatal courses, fathers should be prepared for their empowering role after a complicated birth.     

Labor demand shocks at birth and cognitive achievement during childhood

As epidemiological studies have shown that conditions during gestation and early childhood affect adult health outcomes, we examine the effect of local labor market conditions in the year of birth on cognitive development in childhood. To address the endogeneity of labor market conditions, we construct gender-specific predicted employment growth rates at the state level by interacting an industry’s share in a state’s employment with the industry’s national growth rate. We find that an increase in employment opportunities for men leads to an improvement in children’s cognitive achievement as measured by reading and math test scores. Additionally, our estimates show a positive and significant effect of male-specific employment growth on children’s Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test scores and in home environment in the year of birth. We find an insignificant positive effect of buoyancy in females’ employment opportunities on said test scores.     

Selling normal birth: six ways to make birth easier

In this column, a reader expresses concern at the declining number of women attending childbirth classes and her inability to influence a woman's decision to choose normal birth. It may be more effective to market Lamaze as a way to have an easier birth rather than a normal birth. The six care practices that promote, support, and protect normal birth are suggested as a framework for teaching Lamaze classes with the goal of having an easier labor and birth.     

A wondrous birth

In this column, the author describes tending to a mother who displayed a quiet confidence throughout her pregnancy and birth experience. This birth story provides powerful support for women's inherent ability to give birth. Women already know what they need to give birth simply and easily.     

Adopting birth philosophies to guide successful birth practices and outcomes

Research studies conducted recently in hospitals located in Switzerland and Canada reveal the importance of birth philosophies in attaining successful birth practices and outcomes.     

Home birth: the wave of the future?

A childbirth educator expresses frustration with a medical system that does not work for women or for many maternity care providers. She suggests out-of-hospital birth as an alternative. This column explores the safety of home birth, women's experiences of home birth, and the issues related to home birth once again being the standard. Childbirth educators are encouraged to present home birth as a viable choice.     

Evolution of the birth plan

Many birth professionals are discarding the birth plan as an outdated and ineffectual document. This column discusses the past limitations and present uses of the birth plan in an effort to enhance current teaching on how expectant parents can write and use this important document. Encouraging expectant parents to prepare two separate, but corresponding, birth plans-the "Discussion Birth Plan" and the "Hospital Birth Plan"-is proposed. Teaching suggestions and possible implications are explored in order to give childbirth educators practical information to share with their class members.     

生育权之检讨

关于生育权的性质,学术界有不同的主张.生育权是一项基本人权,并且该权利属于一般人格权.生育权的主体范围包括了夫妻和个人.生育权的内容包括了计划生育权、堕胎权以及获得计划生育知识、方法和教育权.     

Research summaries for normal birth

In this column, the author summarizes four research studies relevant to normal birth. The topics of the studies include the clinical and behavioral benefits of skin-to-skin contact after birth; the effect of a group model of prenatal care on preterm birth risk and breastfeeding success; the harmful effects of a brief interval of electronic fetal monitoring at hospital admission; and barriers to access to midwifery care.     

Previous traumatic birth: an impetus for requested cesarean birth

This paper addresses the meaningfulness of the childbearing experience and how a traumatic occurrence can affect women for years into the future. Every woman deserves to have a fulfilling childbearing experience, even if it may be different from the one she imagined. This paper examines the phenomenon of previous traumatic birth and its potential effects on choices during subsequent pregnancies. Discussion includes how childbirth educators can assist women in healing from past birth traumas and preventing them from recurring.     

Research summaries for normal birth

In this column, the author summarizes four research studies that contribute to the body of literature on the benefits and physiology of normal childbirth. The topics of the studies include the effect of digital rotation of the baby in occipito-posterior position on position at birth and birth outcomes; temperature disturbances during skin-to-skin contact among babies exposed to epidural analgesia and exogenous oxytocin during labor; the prevalence of and motivations for "maternal request" cesarean surgery; and the benefits of delayed clamping of the umbilical cord after birth.