Where you choose to give birth to your baby is a huge decision and when you are pregnant you are very likely to have many people telling you what you should and shouldn't do with YOUR baby and YOUR body. I'm not sure why at this time women automatically put their choices in the hands of others so readily. Obviously I am a huge advocate of home birth and there are many reasons why I choose this path but I understand that home birth isn't for everyone and I don't believe that it is appropriate or safe for every woman to attempt to birth at home; however what I strongly believe is that you need to research everything before you come to any decisions.
How many women can say they have looked into the caesarean rates or the rates of induction or other intervention for a hospital they plan to birth at? Rates of intervention are an indicator of the likeliness that you will be lead down that path if you choose to birth in that particular place. How many women look into the short and long term effects of different interventions. Ultrasound, doppler, screening and diagnostic tests for different conditions or disabilities, induction, epidural, caesarean, etc are all examples of intervention and you really should look into the effects (positive and negative) of each intervention before going ahead with anything. By looking into I don't just mean ask your doctor and take their word for it, I mean find information on BOTH sides of the story so that you are able to make an informed choice. Other common issues to look into are things like breech, twins and multiples, and VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean).
I think the important thing to remember is that your body knows what to do and countless women before you have successfully given birth. Pregnancy and birth really is just another body function and sure there are things that can sometimes go wrong but if you are armed with education then you will be able to make informed choices about where and how you would like to give birth to your baby.
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